THIS MATERIAL BELOW
is a borrowed material
for DISCUSSION PURPOSES at
HIS LIFE DIVINITY SCHOOL
THE LEADERSHIP FACTOR
No church will ever rise above its leadership!
This statement may be time-won, but oh, so true!
In fact, if we could say there is one area that is the “culprit” inhibiting churches to grow, this may be it. Having traveled and spoken in scores and scores of churches of all sizes, virtually every problem shared with me by pastor and layman both is traceable back to a leadership problem. If we are going to let Jesus build His church, we must let Him do it with Biblical and sound leadership.
So much has been said and written about leadership of late, I hesitate to write another word. Certainly, no one would argue that I Timothy 3 as well as Titus 1 speaks of the bishops and the elders (both being the same), as having extremely high qualifications for being in leadership position.
The plurality of elders as a factor is seldom argued either.
Every church has a a power structure.
There is someone or a group of people who call the shots, make the decisions, set the pace, and really determine what is going to happen in that place.
THE GROWTH FACTOR
Sometimes it is called a “board.”
Sometimes it is called a steering committee.
Sometimes it is even the person or persons with the big bucks, whether they are on the “board” or not. But it will be best if we take this area item by item so that no one is confused.
WHO ARE THE LEADERS?
Biblically, the spiritual leaders of any local church should be elders.
We have the Biblical precedent recorded in Acts 14.
And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they believed (Acts 14:23)
We find Paul pouring out his heart to the elders of the Church in Ephesus when he was departing, probably never to see them again (Acts 3:23). Paul later writes young Titus to say:
This is why I left you in Crete, that you might amend what was defective, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you (Titus 1:5).
These were to be the spiritual overseers, the pastors (I Pet. 5:1) of the church. They were to feed the flock of God, guard the flock against heresy, shepherd the flock, and according to I Timothy 5:17, they apparently had a spiritual authority inherent in their office that demanded respect.
Thus, in Hebrews it says:
Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls as men who will have to give account . . . (Heb. 13:7).
You won’t find a single elder ruling a church in the New Testament. There was a plurality of elders, yet they did not comprise together a “board” or a “vestry.” They were obviously men who met the qualifications laid down in Titus and I Timothy 3, men who were “above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher, no drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money. He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way; for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil, moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders or he may fall into reproach and the snare of the devil” (I Tim. 3:2-8)
WHO MAY BE AN ELDER IN THE CHURCH?
Certainly anyone may be an elder who meets the above qualifications. Does this include the preacher? Yes, in fact, if the preacher of a local church does not meet the qualifications of an elder, I question whether or not he is qualified to pastor ought to be counted among the eldership to avoid the “we/they” syndrome that kills many churches. This is the syndrome that sets the pastor against the “board.” It’s “me, the pastor,” and “they, the board.” This dualism reduces the minister to some “hired hand” on the spiritual ranch and thus minimizes his effectiveness as a leader. He must be considered one of the team leaders in leadership. In fact, he really must become the leader of the leaders, not that he has any more authority than the others, but is respected as the God-called pastor/teacher of that local body. Thousands of pastors leave the ministry early because they are not freed up to lead. Freedom to lead is never license to dictate. Though some pastors of local assemblies have abused their office and have exploited the other elders and people, a far greater problem centers around the pastor’s “subliminal” role in leadership. In many churches, the “official” board is made up of individuals whose job (they believe) is to corral the preacher, keeping him in toe and in subjection. This is done by requiring “board reports” from him as to his activity, down to keeping track of every long distance call he makes. He is so tied and bound, he can’t lead. What a tragedy! He is ostensibly called to lead, trained to lead, gifted to lead, anxious to lead; but not allowed to lead for fear he will take over or usurp the leadership of the “official board.”
HOW DO MEN BECOME ELDERS?
I remember years ago being in a church who had an annual election. This church elected everyone from the Sunday School Superintendent to the Board secretary. Three months prior to the election, the political machine began humming. People began politicking for other people. Several would “throw their hat into the ring.” The official ballot had something like 27 names on it to elect about 5 positions. The idea was that the congregation was to vote, marking only one name for each position. It was so American, but so unbiblical. The church was never meant to be a democracy, but a theocracy. You don’t find churches in Acts voting on leadership. It’s not up to a vote. Well, if you don’t vote them in, then how do they become elders? Let me list for you the step by step procedure that combines good sense without violating a Biblical principle.
First of all, no church should ever set a number, like 10, and say, “That’s how many spots we have to fill, no who can we elect?” the number of elders in any local church is not determined by some artificial criteria like that, but rather it is determined by the number qualified. If a church of 500 members only has 3 qualified men for elders, then they have 3 elders. It’s that simple. Secondly, where I minister, we look for men who are not only practicing the characteristics of the qualifications listed, but men who are, in fact, already ministering with their lives in a shepherding/teaching capacity. That way, you elevate a man to the office and call him what he’s already doing, rather than electing him to a position, then hope he does something! Third, we ask the man up front if he has a desire to be an elder to fulfill the scripture in I Timothy 3:1. If he does, we move to the fourth step, the step of investigation. He is given a form that looks like this:
ELDER DESIRABLY & QUALIFICATION QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Briefly share how you came to know the Lord as your personal Savior.
2. How long have you been a member of this church?
3. Do you desire strongly to be an elder in this church? Why?
4. Have you recently read I Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, I Peter 5:1-4?
Yes_______ No_______
5. How long have you been married? _______ Have you ever been married before?
(If yes, list their names & ages.)
6. Do you have children? ______ (if yes, list their names & ages.)
7. How would you describe your marriage?
______Exceptionally stable, _____ Very good, ______ Have areas of significant conflict.
(Explain if you need to.)
8. Please describe in brief detail where you feel your children are in their personal walk with the Lord.
9. Do you have a regular time of Bible reading, study and prayer?
_____ Yes _____ No _____ Daily ______ 4-5 times a week ______Weekly at least.
10. One of the Biblical requirements of an elder is his willingness to teach the Word of God. Regarding teaching: ______I have never taught ______Have taught, but not now teaching _______Am willing to teach.
11. Do you consider yourself above reproach?
(I.e. good, ethical, moral reputation inside & outside the church.)
______ Yes ______ No (Explain if necessary.)
12. Are you free from the use (and/or addiction) to alcohol?
13. Do you consider yourself free from the love of money?
14. Are you a regular and generous contributor of your income to OUR CHURCH?
15. Are you currently teaching or attending a Home Fellowship Group?
16. Eldership in this church requires a time of anywhere from 2 to 6 hours per week on the average. Are you willing to make that kind of a time commitment?
17. What do you feel is your spiritual gift(s)?
______Mercy ______Giving ______Teaching ______ Administration ______Service
______ Other __________
18. An elder is a shepherd (I Pet. 5:1-4).
Are you willing to “shepherd” the flock, by being available to listen, spiritually feed others, to encourage the sheep, etc..?
19. How would you personally rate the control of your temper?
______Very calm person ______ Tend to get upset easily
______ Have great difficulty controlling anger.
20. From time to time, the sick call for the elders of the church to pray over them, anointing with oil according to James 5:14,15. Are you willing to be involved in this when called upon?
21. Visibility of leadership is so essential in the body of Christ. Unless providentially hindered, are you willing to be present for all the main services of the Church?
22. Our eldership practices the principle of unanimity, i.e., all elders must be in 100% total agreement on voting issues for them to pass. Are you willing to serve in a structure like this?
23. Are you in sympathy with XXXXX’s position as an undenominational church, belonging to no human denomination, organization, or ecclesiastical system?
24. Are you willing to be supportive of the other leadership (staff and elders) so long as their walk and witness is according to the scriptures?
25. Do you agree with the basic position of XXXXXX that our one and only task is to disciple the world?
26. If eventually you become an elder, are you willing to step down voluntarily from that position if you need to because of inactivity, heresy. Or immorality?
27. Do you accept the Bible as the inspired Word of God without error?
28. Can you honestly say that your wife is fully supportive of your desire to serve as an elder at XXXXXX Christian Church?
29. What ministry have you been involved in, in the past, at XXXXXXX?
30. What ministry are you now involved in?
Once completed, we make copies for every elder to peruse. If all of our men are in complete
Agreement that the answers look good, we decide by unanimous consensus to arrange an interview. During the interview, we ask many questions; basically, however, questions that lie in two distinct areas, his spiritual life and his ministry life. We are more concerned with his closeness to God and the fact that he is in the Word on a regular basis than we are about his particular “skills.” Many churches make men elders because they have a good income, or because they are good public speakers, or because they are well known in the area, etc. we believe the spiritual standing of the man must pushed to front burner.
After the interview, in which we have shared with him the rigor sand disciplines of being an elder, if every elder agrees this man is elder material, we stand him before the church with a Statement like this: “We have found ___________________to be a godly man, a family man, a good steward, a man of the Word, etc. Thus in unanimity, the elders have called him to be an elder here. If any member has any reason why that shouldn’t happen, please write your reason, date it, sign it, and turn it in to any elder-prior to _____________. There being no objection, he will become an elder here on _____________, 19_____. “Once that elder has been accepted, he basically observes for a three-month period, verbally expressing little or nothing, and having no voice in matters to be decided. This is not only for his protection, but for ours as well. It works.
HOW DOES LEADERSHIP OPERATE?
Leaders are servants. They are where they are to serve. They are not policy makers, but policy receivers. The role of the eldership of the church is to find out what the Holy Spirit is doing and get in on it. Their task is to find out the direction the Holy Spirit is leading that particular body, and get in on it, so they can flow in the same direction. From time to time, every eldership needs to stand in front of the congregation and say what was said at the Jerusalem conference:
For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us . . . (Acts 15:28).
A godly leadership will always get its cue for the church from the leading of the Holy Spirit. It’s not their job to “create” a program or a plan, then call the Holy Spirit in to bless the mess! It is rather their task to find out what the Spirit’s plan is for the church, then get themselves and the church headed in that direction. Secondly, decisions reached should reflect an unanimity, since the Holy Spirit says the same thing to every man in leadership. God doesn’t have two directions in which the church should move, only one. Until every man comes to that oneness, nothing should pass by a “three-fourths majority.” Again, there is Biblical precedence. Again in Acts 15, when the message came to the church solving the Judaizing problem, these words were used:
. . . it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord. . . (Acts 15:25).
We make a practice to always have every man in favor of something before we proceed with it. You may be saying, “but one man’s ‘no’ vote can stop progress, can’t it?” We believe one “no” vote may be the voice of God stopping a very foolish thing. If the “no” vote is a foolish thing, God will change it. He may take time to do it, but He will change it, by changing the person. Sometimes, this may mean that things will take longer. More prayer, more thinking, more scriptures studied . . . these may all be necessary. If so, so be it. It keeps you from running ahead of God. It also presents to the church a very united front in the leadership in which God is greatly honored. Churches who don’t respect their leadership’s integrity and spiritual stature usually don’t grow or do anything else significant for God (Heb. 13:17).
THE PURGING OF LEADERSHIP
If elders aren’t elected, but appointed, and they have no “term of office” like a three-year term, what do you do with men who cease to function as elders? Every elder, when he becomes an elder, is told plainly, verbally and in writing, that we believe God has called Him to be an elder until one of four things occur.
He is an elder, until he dies. Obviously, his term of office is terminated with death.
He is an elder until he moves away. Since you can’t be a member where you don’t bodily live, you cannot be a leader of people separated by miles.
He is an elder until he resigns. An elder may resign for a number of reasons. He may even feel God called him for only four or five years, and he may want to pursue another ministry in the church.
He is an elder until he ceases to function as an elder. How important it is to have a mutual accountability in any eldership. If a man is showing signs of slackness in his discipline or duties, we go to him to exhort him. If the slackness continues, he will ultimately be asked to step down from being an elder. We feel that the confrontation disciplines mentioned in Matthew 18 are applicable here as well as in any other level of church discipline.
Right now, the men in our eldership have an average of 8 years as elders. We have 5 men who have become elders within the past 2 years.
By holding 2 leadership retreats per year, we reserve much time to talk about our own spiritual progress throughout the year. This is a great encouragement to the men, as well to the staff of the church, many of whom are also elders.
I believe there are ten marks of Godly leadership that must be present in leaders if church is going to grow and make an impact on it community.
A LEADER MUST BE A MAN OF GOD IN CHARACTER AND LIFE
What a man is must be there long before what a man does! We are an activity oriented culture. The more projects one gets done, the more successful we think he is. Not true! A spiritual leader leads out of his overflow, not from “scraping bottom” for wherewithal! It can never happen through us until it happens to us and in us. We have come to see that it isn’t a man’s cleverness, nor his skills, nor his innate abilities that in the end make him an effective leader, though all these things have their place. It is his spiritual depth that really matters. King Zedekiah summoned Jeremiah out his prison cell to ask, “is there any word from the Lord” (Jer. 37:17)? Jeremiah was a social nobody. His name wasn’t exactly a household word! He had attained no prominence in society, was not considered by the business tycoons of his day as a tiger in the market, and certainly was not perceived by the world as the leading economist, politician, scientist, or author. Yet, when the chips were down, and King Zedekiah wanted to know the truth about the future, he turned to Jeremiah for spiritual answers, not because of Jeremiah’s position, but because he was a man of God! Spiritual leadership in the body of Christ starts with a spiritual person. It’s no wonder God’s word reminds us:
Thus says the Lord, “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him glories, glory in this: THAT HE UNDERSTADS AND KNOWS ME, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight,” says the Lord (Jer. 9:23-24).
God always finds a way to use a man who seeks His face and in intimate with Him. On the other hand, a man cannot attain the spiritual life by frenzied activity and “spiritual” tasks. Service flows from life. If the output exceeds the intake, the upkeep will be the downfall. It is a spiritual law and it is inviolable.
A LEADER MUST POSSESS A COMPASSION FOR PEOPLE
We cannot affect those we will not love. Jesus’ leadership is measured largely in His amazing ability to be compassionate.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matt. 9:36)
What a commentary on life! Whoever equated strong spiritual leadership with a spirit of regimentation and sternness missed the boat. Christian leadership loves people and uses things; not the other way around. Our license to lead must be signed by the text that says, “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col. 3:14). Hitler was able, as a leader, to execute six million Jews because of a strong hatred and evil desire to control. He was never able to get allegiance from the masses to himself, but only to the Nazi system. He had no compassion, only contempt. People will be intimidated only so long. Out of pressure, they will for a while be used, abused, and forced into following the line, but ultimately, without love from the leader, they will bail out or rebel. Nehemiah’s leadership lay squarely in his ability to be moved to tears by the condition of his own people, epitomized by the collapse of the wall of Jerusalem. During the whole project of restoration, his followers never lost sight of the undeniable presence of his compassion for God . . . and them. He accomplished the feat, with success!
Evoking work from saints by heaping on them guilt trip after guilt trip only works temporarily. Challenging people to tasks because of your love for God and them produces a consistent following. When the scripture talks about speaking the truth in love, I believe it applies also to those in leadership who are called to lead with affection, compassion, and a deep sense of loyalty to the followers.
A SPIRITUAL LEADER IS MOTIVATED AND A MOTIVATOR
Motivational seminars are everywhere today. There is probably one in session in your town somewhere, even as you read these lines! Many, not all, follow the theme of hooplah, bam, bam, bam, get ‘em, man, get ‘em. There is no doubt, that kind of motivation does move people to do things, but not always for the right motive. There has been too much carnal motivation going on in local churches. It uses slick psychological phrases, creates atmospheres conductives to saying “yes,” and is suave in getting “results.” But is it legitimate Biblically? I think not! Spiritual motivation is always tied directly to the glory of God. It always makes its “pitch” from the standpoint that God will be glorified in this. In addition, it is tied to trusting in the ability of God to do something rather than man. Caleb in the Bible is the best example of this I know. Talk about a spiritual motivator, Caleb founded spiritual motivation! The spies had been sent into Canaan to check out the land and see how tough it was going to be to take it. They came back devastated! Oh, it flows with milk and honey, all right, it’s a good land, and has all the abundance in it we need, but there’s one big problem. Giants lived there. The inhabitants were so big and mighty, we seemed like grasshoppers to ourselves… and so we seemed to them. What projection! That’s what I call negative confession. After the gloomy report was given, everyone got into a stir. Finally, it was Caleb who quieted the people. His words are classic:
Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it (Num. 13:30).
What a man! This is like someone saying today, “but they have warheads, ballistic missiles, and thermos-nuclear power, while all we have is sling shots and brick bats… so let’s go get ‘em!” I like that spirit. Caleb was pointing to the power of God as the means by which the victory would be attained. That’s spiritual motivation. By the way, Caleb never lost that spirit in retirement years! At age 85 he said:
I am still as strong to this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me… so now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day (Josh. 14:11-12a).
Every leader needs the ability to motivate others. That will never happen unless he himself is first motivated. We have a motivational crisis in the church today due to a lack of enough pastors who themselves are motivated. I’ve never known a church to grow whose pastors was not motivated and motivating. Historically, Biblically, in every great move of God there was a leader used who was constantly on the cutting edge motivating the people. There is no substitute for it.
A SPIRITUAL LEADER IS A VISIONARY AND A DREAMER
Because we have dealt with vision in general, let’s see how much of this must be resident in leadership. It’s obvious that a church will rise no higher than the vision of its leaders, individually and corporately. We have always fostered the notion in our leadership team that decisions should never be made on circumstances alone. For examples, if an item comes up to buy a piece of property, we constantly seek to get our leaders to ask, “Is this a great thing for God?” instead of “How much is this going to cost?” visionary dreamers in leadership seek to see things from God’s perspective. If it’s great thing for God, and God’s hand is in it, then it really doesn’t matter at that point how much it costs, or how specifically we are going to get it. The important thing is to see it from God’s perspective. This changes drastically the way most governing bodies operate. If it’s a great thing for God, and God’s hand is in it, it’s never too much. If God’s hand isn’t in it, no matter how inexpensive it is, it shouldn’t be done. Visionary leaders are ever seeking the face of God to discover what his next direction for the church might be. They don’t spend their time “dreaming up and creating” programs, then asking God to bless what THEY have planned. Instead of, “Lord, bless our plans,” their prayer is “Lord, show us how to accomplish Your plans for this place.”
A SPIRITUAL LEADER ADMINISTRATES AND MULTIPLIES HIMSELF
God never sanctioned disorganization, nor is it spiritual to be disorganized. Godly leadership is not afraid to organize as a means of accomplishing the task. Nor is a spiritual leader afraid to delegate and invest his authority in others, then trust them to facilitate what has been given them. At least 80% of what happens in our church does not happen in the hands of those to whom authority has been extended. Our task as leaders is not to just do the work, but to duplicate ourselves over and over in the lives of others who will share also. God never ordained a “one-man-show.” If anything, a spiritual leader’s task is to enable, to equip, and release people to do work of ministry according to their Spirit given gifts. An inordinate fear of this confirms an inability to lead.
A SPIRITUAL LEADER MUST HAVE DECISIVENESS AND ASSUME AUTHORITY
If we would be people-following leaders . . . we must lead with decisiveness. Indecision is the bane of all leadership. Don’t confuse decisiveness with capricious and reckless leadership that doesn’t wait on the Lord. He who hesitates long has lost his right to lead. Joshua said, “. . . as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15). He led with the sense that he knew where he was going. People will never follow Mr. Looking-Both-ways. I have a poster on the back of my office door showing several ducks waddling along. The printed caption above it says, “DO SOMETHING; LEAD, FOLLOW OR GET OUT OF THE WAY.” I like that! Not everyone has been called to be a leader, but if you have, you must lead, and lead with decisiveness. We’ve all heard the quip about the irate football coach who kept yelling at the quarterback from the sidelines, “I said, throw the ball to Herschel, throw the ball to Herschel, throw the ball to Herschel!” the quarterback finally said, as he eyed Herschel being chase by five 350-pounds tackles, “Herschel says he doesn’t want the ball!!!” But in spiritual leadership, failure to catch the ball and run with it results in leadership suicide. Greta leaders act with decisiveness and authority.
A SPIRITUAL LEADER MUST HAVE A WILLINGNESS TO RISK
It’s proverbial; the turtle never gets anywhere unless he sticks his neck out! Neither does a spiritual leader in God’s church. While the spiritual gift of faith isn’t necessary to be a leader, a leader must exercise and demonstrate faith. Spiritual “risking” is moving ahead with faith and vision when everyone else says, “put on the brakes.” We needed more land to expand parking. Growth couldn’t have come at a worse time, because we were strapped as a church trying to pay for a new building. At the elders meeting, a research council brought a recommendation to buy the adjoining 4 ½ acres to our south, but the catch was the owners wanted $95, 000. We had no money in our contingency fund, no way of adding monthly payments, and from a business standpoint, the recommendation was as good as dead. One elder said, “I don’t know if we can see our way clear to do this at this time.” Monty, who has hence gone to be with the lord, rose to overseers of the church of the Living God! Since when did we start not doing things because we couldn’t see our way clear. Of course we can’t see our way clear, if we could, I would want no part of it, but we walk by FAITH, not by sight; I MOVE WE BUY THE LAND!” Someone else seconded the motion with emotion, and it passed unanimously! Guess what? We bought the land. At once? No, it took us almost two years, but had we not made that move of risk and faith, our church would still be running 500 people! Show me a church whose leadership is willing to step out on faith, and I’II show you a church that is growing! God honors that!
A SPIRITUAL LEADER MUST HAVE WILLINGNESS TO RISK
Outside the church in the business world, transparency is a no-no. it is dubbed a sign of weakness and instability. To divulge any tinge of doubts, fear, or human inadequacy is a sure sign of weakness, never deceptive, and humble. No Christian leader is greater than the great apostle, it was Paul who said:
I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for WHEN I AM WEAK, THEN I AM STRONG” (II Cor. 12:9b-10).
How powerful! Transparency doesn’t mean a leader goes around and openly parades his weaknesses before his team. It does mean he’s not afraid to say, “I’m sorry, I was wrong.” He is willing to stand before his team of workers and let them see him as he is, warts and all.
A SPIRITUAL LEADER STAYS STEADFAST TO THE END
We have become a “bail-out” culture. If a marriage hits bumpy roads, many couples bail-out. If you can’t cut it at work, you bail out. And so, it’s true in the local church. Leaders are subject to terrific heat, pain, pressure, criticism, and misunderstanding. Often elders or pastors just bail out. Only two years ago, the average stay of a pastor in a church was a little over 18 months! Incredible God uses to the zenith those who stay steadfast to the end. Real shepherds don’t run when they see wolves coming. They stay, and protect the sheep. Real leadership is not a “term” of office, but a life-long commitment of leading and guiding the body.
A SPIRITUAL LEADER WILL ALWAYS COMMUNICATE WELL WITH HIS FOLLOWERS
If lack of communication devastates a marriage, an office, or a business, it also devastates a church. Churches will never grow where the leadership is non-communicative. We have learned the hard and painful way, that the larger a church becomes, the greater attention must be paid to communicating with the staff, fellow elders, and the flock. When you read Nehemiah, you cannot help but be awed at the way he constantly communicated with all who were on the team to rebuild the wall. Communicated must be clear, concise, and repeated. A good motto for spiritual leaders in the body of Christ is, “NEVER ASSUME THAT WHAT YOU HAVE SAID IS CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD BY ALL.” That’s a pretty safe assumption.
The leadership factor in church growth is far more important than we would like to admit. Everything else may be in place, great location, functioning building, a good choir, and a growing community, but if the leadership is weak, reluctant, fearful to act and lead, that church is doomed to mediocrity at its best.
I often find myself praying this prayer for Godly men to lead the church:
God give us men . . . ribbed with the steel of your holy spirit . . . men who won’t acquiesce, or compromise, or fade when the enemy rages. God give us men who can’t be bought, bartered, or badgered by the enemy, men who will pay the price, make the sacrifice, stand the ground, and hold the torch high. God give us men obsessed with principles true to your word, men stripped of self-seeking and a yen for security . . . men who will pay any price for freedom and go any lengths for truth. God give us men delivered from mediocrity, men with vision high, pride low, faith wide, love deep, and patience long . . . men who will dare to march to the drumbeat of a distant drummer, men who will not surrender principles of truth in order to accommodate their peers. God give us men more interested in scars than medals. More committed to conviction than convenience, men who will give their life for the eternal, instead of indulging their lives for a moment in time. Give us men who will pray earnestly, work long, preach clearly, and wait patiently. Give us men whose walk is by faith, behavior is by principle. Whose dreams are in heaven, and whose book is the Bible. God give us men who are equal to the task. Those are the men the church needs today.
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