Barnabas File

Colin Powell is a hero of mine for many reasons. He rose to the rank of four-star general in the United States Army.     He was the first African-American to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as Secretary of State.   To the best of my knowledge, he was the first ROTC-commissioned officer to become chair of the Joint Chiefs.   Powell has served his country as a diplomat under three U. S. Presidents.   He is a Republican who refuses to be partisan.   And, most of all, he doesn’t take himself too seriously. One of Powell’s greatest talents, however, is his skill as a story teller.  Colin told the story of his rise from the streets of the South Bronx to halls of power around the world in A Soldier’s Story (2001) and My American Journey (2003). Others have written about his diplomatic work and his leadership philosophy.  In It Worked for Me , Powell shares his own approach to leadership, personal responsibility, relationships,...

How does ritual function as individual and communal practices of care?   This was one of the questions addressed by Dr. Nichole Phillips during a continuing education workshop sponsored by the Pastoral Counseling Centers of Tennessee.   Dr. Phillips explained how rituals (including but not limited to worship practices) can reaffirm meaning, bond community, deal with ambivalence and emotional conflicts, and establish a sense of order.   Those practices that are most meaningful to us in communities of faith can be very important to pastoral care as well. As we discussed this idea, I reflected on my experiences during Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s annual General Assemblies.  The recent meeting in Forth Worth was like those of previous years but even more so than usual.  Planners seemed to have intentionally built in additional time for us to practice some of those rituals.  There are rituals that take place during plenary sessions—voting on the budge...

In his book What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful , Marshall Goldsmith points out that certain skills may enable a person to reach a specific level of responsibility, but those same skills will not necessarily carry that person to the next level of leadership; in fact, those skills may get in the way.   This came to mind as I reflected recently on the situation that many pastors find themselves in. Some senior pastors are in “over their heads.”   A certain skill set has carried them to places of senior leadership, but they often find themselves stymied as they attempt to lead at that level of responsibility. Most pastors in Baptist life start in smaller congregations and move to larger ones.  As they move from church to church, the number of parishioners increases, the staff becomes more numerous, the facilities become larger, and the budget grows.  The minister who was called to increasingly larger churches...

“Welcome to the Family” was an appropriate phrase to describe the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly that drew 1,625 Fellowship Baptists   to Fort Worth, Texas, last week.  There was no controversy, little anxiety, and a lot of family-type fellowship. The two landmark events were the retirement of Daniel Vestal, who has served as executive coordinator of CBF for 15 years, and the adoption of the recommendations of the 2012 Task Force.  Together these communicate a time of transition in Cooperative Baptist life but there seemed little concern or fear about the future.  Certainly, there may be some anxiety among Fellowship staff members during this time of change, but the average Fellowship Baptist is not overly concerned but rather seems expectant and excited about the future of the Fellowship. During the closing session, Vestal was characterized in a letter from Richard Hamm of Christian Churches Together as the person who led Cooperative Ba...

“Bein’ a cat herder is probably the toughest thing I have ever done,” says a grizzled cat herder in the EDS commercial shown during the 2009 Super Bowl.  The humorous commercial depicts the challenge of herding “10,000 short hairs” to market.  Attempting to get independent creatures such as cats to follow any kind of direction is not easy and comes with some scratches. When I see this commercial, I am reminded how challenging it is to work with Baptists.  We are congregational in polity and individualistic in practice.  As a result, those who would attempt to lead either a church or a “denomination-like” organization find themselves “herding cats.”  As Baptists, we are defensive not only about our congregational autonomy but our individual freedom as well.  We have taken the doctrine of the priesthood of the believer in one primary direction:  “It’s just you and me, God.”  If we think about the doctrine as the priesthood of ALL believers, ...

You may have heard about the mosque being built by the Muslim community in my hometown of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  After county officials approved the building and issued a permit, concerned local citizens brought suit to block construction.  Charges by the opponents ranged from notification errors on the part of the county planners to fear that the mosque would be a place to train terrorists and promote the adoption of Sharia law.  While construction continued, the case dragged on with the judge finally ruling that Islam was indeed a religion with all the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and that the R utherford County Regional Planning Commission had erred in the way they handled the case. The response of the commission is that the judge is calling upon them to discriminate on the basis of religion.  They will appeal his decision. Meanwhile, the building of the mosque continues with the goals of completion and occupancy by the beginning of Ramadan. ...

When Alien came to the screen in 1979, moviegoers were confronted with the anti- Star Wars .  The mood was dark, the spaceship Nostromo was an unappealing wreck of a workhorse, the shocks were sudden and messy, and the crew was expendable.  Ridley Scott not only launched a franchise of creepy films but he also put his stamp on science fiction cinema.  As with Blade Runner, h is vision was unique and disturbing. In Prometheus , Scott returns to the word of Alien but at an earlier time, one closer to our own.  The film is beautifully done with remarkable sets, special effects, and cinematography.  The actors are capable but one never really engages with them, certainly not like viewers did with Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in Alien.   There are many similarities between Alien and Prometheus —a mysterious planet, an android with questionable motives, an evil corporation, a heroine who endures more pain than anyone should have to bear, working class cre...

I spent several days last week in Shawnee, Kansas, teaching a course for Doctor of Ministry students at Central BaptistTheological Seminary .  They were very responsive, and we engaged in some good discussion around the content.  All of these women and men are ministry practitioners who are daily involved in leading congregations or missional ministries.  I was not surprised but a bit pleased when they pushed back with questions like, “How can we apply this in our ministry setting?”  They found the content of the course interesting, but they also wondered about how this would play “back home.” I certainly can sympathize with the question.  Every organization we lead must change in order to be vital and relevant but there is a natural reluctance to “being changed.”  Because our churches and ministries are composed of living beings, they are already changing every day!  Everyone with whom we work is growing older and facing new life challenges dai...

A person must have an outsized ego to approach the author of biographies of Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin to write his biography.  Steve Jobs seems to have had no problem asking Walter Isaacson to undertake that assignment.  Once you read Isaacson’s Steve Jobs , you realize that the founder of Apple thought he had earned the right to be in the company of such great thinkers/innovators. Although Jobs cooperated with the author, he sought no control over the biography and did not ask to read it before it was published.  His whole life was about being in control, but he encouraged all those interviewed by Isaacson to be completely candid and pull no punches—and they did just that!  The result is a comprehensive and frank account of the life of the late wunderkind. Jobs was a genius.  He was also cruel, rude, obsessive, and controlling.  He hurt many people both personally and professionally.  In the pursuit of a goal, he let no one stand ...

An American space capsule returned safely to earth today with a major difference—the logo on the side was SpaceX and not NASA.  This was a commercial endeavor in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.  Watching the live television feed of the splashdown took me back to the 1960s and the return of American astronauts from orbit. Although the SpaceX Dragon capsule did not carry any astronauts, such an application is a distinct possibility in the future. Like many others, I was disappointed when the NASA space shuttle program was shut down and the United States no longer could carry personnel or cargo into space and to the International Space Station.  For the first time in 50 years, we no longer had that capability and were dependent on other nations for such accessibility.  SpaceX is a commercial enterprise and a very ambitious one.  Not only do they seek to resupply the ISS on a regular basis, but they hope to be able to f...

“Sully” Sullenberger was the pilot who successfully landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River in 2009 without the loss of a single life.   He was recently asked this question by Fast Company magazine: “How do you deal with uncertainty?”   You can listen to or  read his full response , but I thought that his observations apply to those of us who lead the church, especially through uncertain times.   He talks about “a firm foundation” based on several principles. First, “we had already built a team . . . in which we had already established well-defined roles and responsibilities.”  The idea of “team” and “well-defined roles” is not a paradox; they go together.  Each team member has something to contribute and is very aware of what that contribution is.  This is something that air crew members knew before the plane headed for the Hudson River.  They did not wait to find their roles until the plane started going down!  Church leaders...

Jon Meacham , who was born in Chattanooga and graduated from the University of the South, is clearly an admirer of fellow Tennessean Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States and the first to come from the frontier.  American Lion:Andrew Jackson in the White House , Meacham’s 2009 biography of Jackson, is not biased, however, and clearly presents both the virtues and vices of the man who considered himself “the people’s President.” Americans in the early 18 th century were looking for heroes and they found one in the orphaned boy who rose to prominence and influence as a military leader and planter.  Meacham’s theme is that this orphan who never knew his own father and lost his mother at an early age saw himself as a father to the American people.  With no children of his own, he had become a father by adoption to several young people and fulfilled that role to a number of his wife Rachel’s nieces and nephews.  When he became President, he sa...

I received my first seminary degree 42 years ago this month.   There is much about that experience that I still treasure.   I studied under some excellent professors, made a number of friends that I encountered occasionally in my subsequent years of ministry, acquired some basic knowledge about the Bible and ministry, and learned to be a lifelong learner.   In reality, the last thing was the most enduring gift of my seminary education—I realized that my education was just beginning. There were some things that were not so great.  Rita and I left family, friends, and ministry roles to relocate to another state.  We moved furniture and belongings over 700 miles. She had to find a teaching job that would help support us during seminary days (I got VA education benefits so I was not a total slacker).  We had to locate a new church where we could serve and be nurtured.   Only some years later did I realize other shortcomings related to my theolog...

Although The Avengers has been out for several weeks, I just had the opportunity to take my 13 year old grandson to see it this past weekend.  I must admit that my expectations were low despite all the hype.  This anticipated ensemble piece bringing together Iron Man (Tony Stark), Thor, Captain America (Steve Rogers), the Hulk (Bruce Banner) as well as Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) and Hawkeye (Clint Barton) could have been a disappointment akin to John Carter , but it works.  Thanks to the creativity and vision  of director/writer Josh Whedon and solid performances of all involved  (including an established supporting cast), the movie is everything that a good summer popcorn movie should be—distracting, visually impressive, and entertaining. The beauty of the film is that Whedon gives each character enough screen time to be personally interesting and adequate action time to show off their individual powers or skills.  He shows what happens when ...

In recent years, I have found myself in more than one church planning meeting when the conversation goes something like this:  “How about (insert name) to (serve on this committee, be a Sunday School teacher, etc.)?”  More frequently the reply is, “But that person is not a church member.”  The objection is not based on prejudice but on church policy that requires individuals who fill certain positions in the life of church to be official members of the congregation.  The interesting aspect of this is that other members of the planning group often do not know the person’s status until the person’s name comes up. Because the person is so involved in the life of the church, the others have assumed that they were “official.”  They attend worship and participate as volunteers, their children are involved in church programs, and they may even be financial contributors—but they are not “members.” To the best of my knowledge, the Bible never addresses church memb...

In going through some files recently, I came across a church newsletter from April 1976.  It provided an interesting snapshot of this particular church at that time.  This county seat Baptist church in a southern state was averaging over 650 in Sunday morning worship.  What caught my attention was that they had only three full-time staff members!  Today we talk in terms of a church needing one full-time staff member for every 100 worshippers.  The same church today runs about 450 on a Sunday and has the equivalent of six full-time staff ministers.  What changed? A lot has changed in three and a half decades.  Let me suggest five primary changes that have impacted churches, their staffing expectations, and their effectiveness in mission. First, society has changed.  In this particular case, what was once a small county seat town is now part of a metropolitan area made up not only of individuals commuting 45 minutes  to an hour to ...

Although some say that we live in a post-denominational age, there is something comfortable and reassuring about identifying not only with a particular denominational “tribe” but a specific “clan” of that tribe.   This is true of those who call themselves Baptists and it may well be of others, but I will confine my remarks to the Baptist tribe because that is where my primary experience lies. I have found it very interesting to hear members of congregations who want to declare that they are just “one kind of Baptist”—Southern Baptist, Cooperative Baptist, Alliance Baptist, etc.  This is understandable, but I am surprised at their choice of a starting point.  Those motivated to declare that their congregation should related to one particular clan of Baptists begin with their perception of the clan rather than understanding and embracing who they are as a congregation.   Let me suggest some questions that church members might ask in order to clarify their...

Seth Godin is a creative thinker; he is “creative” because his ideas are not only unique but useful as well (the true definition of “creative”).  In a recent blog , he points out that businesses do not have a telephone strategy or an email strategy or a web strategy.  They have a people strategy.  He comments, “We still have one and only one thing that matters, and it’s people.”  All of these other things are tools or conduits that connect us to people. My immediate response was to think about how this applies to the church.  We may use different terminology but when we talk about outreach, Christian education, missions, or financial growth, we are talking strategies.  The unfortunate part is that we often neglect to realize that we really need to be talking about people. Our outreach is to people—living, breathing, needy individuals—who may benefit from being part of the body of Christ.  Our Christian education is meant to develop people as bel...

Consistency is not expected and rarely honored in politics, but I have to admire the ethical consistency of Mike Flood, the Republican speaker of the Nebraska legislature.  Flood has been criticized by his fellow Republican, Governor Dave Heineman, for supporting a plan to offer state medical assistance to pregnant women who are in the United States illegally. Gov. Heineman, a strong opponent of abortion, says this action is tantamount to supporting illegal immigration.  Flood counters that “you have a baby’s life and health in the balance.” He thinks this is important.  Of course, Heineman understands this, but he believes that churches and private charities rather than the state should take care of pregnant women who have entered the country illegally.  He cares but not too much! But I digress.  I want to honor Mike Flood and his supporters in the legislature for understanding two things:  first, if you are against abortion, you should be in f...

If you follow this blog, you know that I am high on Bob Dale’s book, Growing Agile Leaders:  Coaching Leaders to Move with Sure-Footedness in a Seismic World , available in both hard copy and Kindle formats.  This is a book about coaching.  Dale looks to Co-Active Coaching for this definition:  “Coaching is a growth-oriented, strategic relationship.  Coaching links two peers, equals who are in distinct roles, to collaborate as thought partners and to find the way forward for the person being coached.”  This book is written for the two participants in a coaching conversation—leaders who are ready to address their situation in order to move ahead and coaches who work with them. The underlying theme of the book is that we live in an increasingly unstable world.  In order to find our way in such a world, we must develop new skills and ways of thinking.  Dale has a high regard and respect for leaders, but he also realizes that a leader needs ...