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Today’s Loudest Call
by Jack Hayford

Just About Everyone Admits Leadership is Needed – now! I’ve had conversations with leaders including John Maxwell, Lloyd Ogilvie, Bill Bright, Paul Cerjan, Charles Blake, Don Argue, Jesse Miranda, Kenneth Ulmer, Bill McCartney and other equally respected men – and leadership is the subject of concern. The call comes from every circle, the need is apparent at every point. Just as the world laments its loss of true heroes, the church cries out for more men and women of spiritual passion and godly character.

Social strategists see it. Church analysts note the same: There is a glut of the notable or notorious in every human arena, but too few leaders of substance and trust – too few by far to shape cities and congregations, let alone a nation or nations. Most People are fed up With Fake Ideas and Shallow Notions About Leadership Society doesn’t lack media wonders, but the shelf life of today’s instant personality proves woefully short. We’ve learned too painfully that position, prominence and public notoriety are no substitute for character. Within the church we have a brilliant cast of colourful, creative personalities who also abound in academic genius refined at institutions that sharpen scholarly skill while enshrining intellectual acumen. But few of these platform stars or mental giants seem to answer the need or the call for leadership.

Recent history screams the reminder that cleverness is no substitute for constancy to New Testament principles. Objective church growth studies point out the barrenness of highly schooled pulpiteers in comparison with more simply trained but better discipled leaders. As a seminary president, I am not mocking or demeaning brainpower or disciplined study, but an increased esteem is being given to alternate means for ministry preparation. Looking at the global scene, even many traditional leaders have ceased to commend conventional academic pursuits. They recognise that leadership doesn’t exist unless a passion for a holy anointing, joined with a genuine humility, is valued beside and beyond usual and necessary study.

Our Culture is Ripe for the Rise of Genuine Leaders Notwithstanding the sorry prognosis declaring that Generation-X is comprised of the passive, the indifferent, the solely self interested – and with little care for any issues or values besides its own subjectivism and relativism – don’t believe everything you read. People are ready to respond to genuine leadership, especially to leaders motivated by love – who are able to point to a lifestyle with practical meaning and to a hope with durable promise. Both the world and the church are ripe for the rise of such a new breed of leaders.

How to Lead There are tens of thousands of pastors and church workers who want to do more than learn how to do things: They want to learn how to lead! There has never been a time when more has been written, bought or sold concerning ”mentoring”, ”fathering”, ”accountable relationships” or ”trans-generational discipling”. There is a solidarity of conviction apparent throughout the church – a fixed opinion is settling into place. We need more lifeto- life transmission. An information explosion is never the equal of an incarnational encounter.

The first year of my offering the Jack Hayford School of Pastoral Nurture verified my conviction: A hostof 30 to 50-year old pastors and church workers believe they can become more effective and more fruitful as leaders. But they want to pursue the continuation of their training/education while staying at their ministry post. I see the need for leadership as the church’s ”greatest need”. This is not a glib, unspiritual, undiscerning or irrelevant assessment. But it is realistic.

Yes, revival is needed. Yes, unity is needed. Yes, vision, prayer, resource, revelation and a thousand other things are needed. But more than any of them – and beside the Holy Spirit, whom we need most of all – we should acknowledge the church’s great task of leadership and the few plans or means with which to actually cultivate true leaders.