Barnabas File

What does today’s seminary student look like?    This is a big question, but I would like to address this from one perspective.   This week I will wrap up two years as interim director of Contextualized Learning at Central Seminary in Shawnee, KS.  Over the past twenty years, I have been associated with the seminary in various ways—director of the Tennessee site in Murfreesboro, supplemental instructor in several areas, designer of the contextualized learning component of the CREATE program, interim director of the Doctor of Ministry program, faculty advisor, and financial supporter.   Over those twenty years, the Master of Divinity program has evolved in structure and in accessibility.  Central aggressively developed satellite centers in the early 2000’s and programs specially for Korean students.  Central had already moved to an online program prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, so they were ahead of the game in offering a degree that was ...

When the Apostle Paul came to Philippi, he probably planned to use his usual strategy.   Paul and Barnabas had developed a particular strategy on their “first missionary journey.”   They went to urban centers of influence; they started in synagogues where there might be “low hanging fruit”—people with some background in faith; they were willing to stay in one place if the results were positive (two or three years)—much like Paul and Barnabas’ experience at Antioch; they kept in touch with the resulting congregations.   From the beginning, the second missionary journey was different.  A vision (16:6-10) led them on a different path.  In Philippi, a different strategy came into play.  Listen to Acts 16:9-15: 9  During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”  10  After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Maced...

A staff member was going through a difficult personal situation.     It had nothing to do with his work, and he was not the instigator of the situation.     I knew it had to be addressed administratively.     My supervisor and his supervisor were quite ready to abdicate the resolution of this to me!     With some trepidation, I chose to take this to the governing group.     They listened patiently as I outlined the situation. Then, to my surprise, two of the committee very readily supported my recommendation to keep this staff member on board. In fact, all members of the committee expressed a great deal of compassion.   What are key leadership skills?  Various lists are posted from time to time and some writers even seek to identify the one essential skill for an effective leader.  I will not add such a list, but I would argue that there is one skill that every leader should seek to embody:  trust. ...

When you hear the term “performance review,” what is your first reaction?    Too often it creates a flutter in the stomach.   When we sign on for a position, whether in a church or any organization, we become accountable to work toward the fulfillment of the mission of that entity.  In most situations, a person is expected to meet with his or her supervisor at some point on a regular basis to evaluate whether that is happening.  I have conducted numerous “performance reviews” and have been the subject of some that were downright uncomfortable!  Over the years, I have learned from experience and from some mentors that there is a better way.   In his book The Performance Paradox , Eduardo Briceno identifies three ways that successful organizations have changed their performance management (performance review) systems.  These are very humane guidelines that would be helpful in a church or any faith-based organization.   First...

In a recent Baptist News Global article , editor Mark Wingfield noted, “The future of Christianity in America is not to be found in denominations of any kind. It will be found in networks and affinity groups.”   Almost from the beginning of the American nation, denominations have been the driving force behind the spread of the Gospel and the birth and development of churches.  Each denomination has:   Encouraged a (particular) doctrinal stance. Offered those of their tribe the opportunity to identify with a larger group of people. Supported clergy leaders in various ways. Organized to engage Christians of their faith in the work of mission and evangelism. Provided Christian education resources. Called out and educated clergy.   As a student of history, I must acknowledge that some were more eager to embrace these tasks than others. It often took an act of rebellion or external work on the part of clergy and laity to bring these tasks to fruition before their den...

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”   This quote is attributed both to Abraham Lincoln and Peter Drucker.  It is a challenge that many theological institutions are taking to heart.  The course of theological education is uncertain due to the culture, the economy, and the evolving needs of churches.  Contextual changes call for internal changes, and every internal change has implications.   Acadia Divinity College (ADC) recently developed a Futuring Lab on the possible futures of theological education and the church.  This was developed with a Pathways Grant from the Association of Theological Schools funded by the Lilly Endowment.   One of the tools developed was a Theo-Futures Wheel and Activity Guide.  In one section of this worksheet, participants are asked to consider the implications or possible effects of any specific change.  These are clustered in four areas:   Human/Relational:...

I was at a meeting a short distance from our local hospital, when my wife called and asked me to come to the maternity ward at quickly as possible.    The daughter of a longtime family friend was there to deliver her first child, and there were complications.   When I arrived at the maternity ward, I learned that the mother had delivered a healthy baby, but she had died.  The grief on the floor was palpable.  Not only family and friends were in tears, but the medical staff was stunned.  This was meant to be a place of celebration not grief.  Our pastor had been called by the family, but he found himself ministering to the staff as well as the family.  The chaplain was there to provide support for all.   I was reminded of this when we recently welcomed a new great grandchild into our family.  Like her sister, she came several weeks early. Both mother and daughter are well, but the baby had to stay in the Nata...

Whoever has ears, let   the m hear what   the   Spirit   says   to   the   churches.  --Revelation 2:7a   Let’s be honest.  Many churches are in a state of disequilibrium.  Perhaps it has something to do with location, demographics, leadership, economics, or denominational strife.  Is there any church that is dealing with the same context it did twenty years ago?    Given our present situations, churches have choices.  Some will become “the church of diminished expectations” while others will become “the church of unlimited possibilities.”  What’s the difference?   In the church of diminished expectations, we hear the congregation saying:   ·        “I remember when . . ..”  Those who say this are looking to the past not to learn lessons, but as an excuse for the congregation’s present stagnation.   ·     ...

When someone asks me what kind of coach I am, I usually respond “leadership coach.”  Although I could coach individuals in any field, I am most comfortable working with leaders—especially congregational leaders.     This ties in with my personal vision:     “To use my spiritual gifts of teaching, encouragement, and administration to build up the Body of Christ.” In our Summit Coach Training classes, I try to point out that life coaching is a broad field with many specializations that can address various aspects of a person's life. Here are some of the most common types of life coaching: ·         Personal Development  or Life Purpose  Coaching:   Provides a broader approach to self-improvement, helping clients identify and achieve personal goals. ·         Career Coaching:   Focuses on navigating career paths, finding the right job, or advancing in your current role. · ...

I receive a daily e-mai l from   Christian History  magazine citing significant historical events from that particular date.     The magazine is part of the Christianity Today family, so you can expect a rather conservative bent to their material, but what they point out is usually very accurate.     I look at these each day and post (with some editing) on my Facebook page.     They often use the term “greatest” or “most influential” about a person, and I think those terms are always dependent on the larger context, so I usually take those out.       I am often surprised by the responses I receive on these posts. This was one of my posts last week:   May 8, 1845: The Southern Baptist Convention organizes in Augusta, Georgia, separating from the Triennial Convention in order to support the appointment of slaveholders as missionaries.   The post received 71 likes, 26 comments, and 37 shares.  Following the shares w...

Although mentoring has been practiced for generations on both informal and formal bases, the practice has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years as a means to encourage gender, racial, and socio-economic diversity in leadership of all types of organizations. In Bridging Differences for Better Mentoring , Lisa Z. Fain and Lois J. Zachary offer a three-part model for taking advantage of this process to develop leaders in contemporary settings:   Part One:  Learn Forward into Differences Part Two:  Learn from Differences Part Three:  Leverage Differences There are three key foundational ideas for this model.  First, differences can be leveraged to build successful mentoring relationships.  Second, mentoring takes intentional planning, hard work, and commitment to effective communication.  Third, the learning that comes from mentoring is a two-way street--it benefits the mentor as well as the protégé, providing le...

In her book  Leadership Revolution: The Future of Developing Dynamic Leaders , Lori Mazan takes a rather critical approach to mentoring.  She sees it as helpful but only when matched with coaching and of lesser value than coaching: “In a sense, mentoring can encourage looking back, emulating what was previously successful. Coaching is a methodology for looking out ahead and figuring out what's going to be successful next.” She goes on to say, “Mentoring just can't take the place of the kind of transformative development employees can get from coaching.”   Just for clarity, let’s define terms here.  In mentoring, someone (usually an experienced person in the field) shares their knowledge, skills, and experience with another person to help them to progress.  The person being mentored is identified by terms such as “mentee” or “protégé.”   Coaching is   a partnership between coach and client . They are “thought partners.”  Th...

Not matter what your field—ministry, business, not for profit, or education—you always want to be on the lookout for new ideas.  The question is, “Are innovative ideas more likely to come from established participants or from novices?”  According to professor  Amir Goldberg  at Stanford University, we should focus on the fringes for breakthrough ideas. In his research, Goldberg found that prescient thinking—the creation of novel ideas that prove productive-- was more likely to emerge from the fringes of a field. In business, prescient ideas were eight times more likely to emerge from the smallest companies than the largest.  “We’re not saying innovation always comes from the periphery, only that it’s more likely,” Goldberg notes. As investors and business leaders seek the next big idea, Goldberg says “Openness to outsiders and welcoming a diversity of voices is a good place to start.”    For churches and denominations, this means that we shou...

He asked her,   “Woman, why are you crying?   Who is it you are looking for?”   Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”   Jesus said to her,   “Mary.”    She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic,   “Rabboni!”   (which means “Teacher”). -- John 20:15-16, NIV   Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.    He called out to them,   “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”    “No,” they answered.   He said,   “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.”   When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.  T hen the disciple whom Jesus loved   said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”  -- John 21:4-7a, NIV   John’s Gospel provides the reader with several post resurrection appearances of ...