Tuesday, March 29, 2011
I don't need anyone....
I found this personal testimony from Dr. Tery Hofecker, the lead pastor from Northwest Chapel in OH. Dr. Hofecker teaches the church planting class here at the seminary and I was really challenged through many of his analogies and perspectives on coaching, supervisors, and mentors in the leadership process. I feel that he has a very healthy perspective on leadership when it pertains to his church. I appreciate his understanding of the vital need for Christian community in leadership. I think that many times we are told that the “mosaic model” of one man or woman going up to the mountain to discern God’s calling and heart and then bringing to the people is the best model to operate on and even more dangerously, the only model to understand what God is saying. The truth is that we are all designed to need community to keep leaders accountable, sharpen each other, and more importantly protect and encourage one another.
Being around people, intentionally connecting, and valuing relationships is key, not only helping each of us on our personal faith journey’s but also affirming, evaluating, and discerning God’s call to leadership in each of our lives. I appreciate Dr. Hofecker’s attempt to plug people in immediately when they visit Northwest Chapel. I would love to say that I can continue to be shaped in the image of Jesus alone in my prayer closet but the truth is that I need other Christians in my life, confronting, sin challenging misconceptions, and speaking the truth in love.
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Justin I appreciated your post about Dr. Hofecker, especially after taking that same class with you last week. I found his testimony as very encouraging and welcoming to visitors of his church or of the church's website. I think that we can all take a leadership lesson from Dr. Hofecker in this regard of being open and transparent with "seekers" of the faith. It is a great act of leadership. I also like how he invites people on a "journey" with him. Meaning that it is not all about him as the spiritual leader but that it is about others as well. There are times that we can become so focus on ourselves as the only spiritual leader that we become tired and exhausted. We burn out because we have not used the resource of other people that God has placed in our paths. I feel that we could all use a fresh perspective of seeing ourselves as not being alone on this journey, it will greatly impact and enhance our leadership.
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