On 10 June, Laidlaw College hosted a Church Leaders Morning that saw over 60 church leaders from around Auckland join together for a time of refreshment and encouragement. Drs Meredith Wheeler and Mark Strom spoke about Personal Brokenness, the Biblical Story, and Hopeful Leadership. MP3s and resources from the event are available at the following link.
Personal Brokenness
In the first session, Meredith shared about his experience as a pastor of a church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA). He spoke particularly about the struggle that he faced in being a leader in the church context. It is not often that we talk about the pain and suffering associated with leadership. Meredith said,
“As I think about ministry and as we look at the life of Paul in a couple of passages we’re going to look at this morning, you’re going to find that contrary to some teaching that exists in the church today, that the call to ministry is not a call to an easy life.”
The life of leadership is not an easy road.
The Biblical Story
In the second session, Mark called attention to the big picture and story of the scripture. “There is still something about how this story translates into life, into leadership, and actually into the world, that is still profoundly counter-cultural,” Mark said. We must re-learn the story so that we can help articulate that story in the various contexts in which we find ourselves.
With the world looking for answers in a time of turmoil, Mark suggests that the Gospel story is still the only story in history that can cope with bringing together the contradictions that we face in everyday life. What Paul glimpsed in Jesus was the culmination of the promises of God coming together in one man.
Hopeful Leadership
In the third and final session Meredith began by asking, “What do you do with a gift from God that you do not want?” Reflecting on 2 Corinthians 12, Meredith shared from his personal story how he came to understand what Paul was talking about when he spoke about the ‘thorn in his flesh’. He explores the enduring questions that many ask in times of suffering: “Why is this happening to me?” and “Why don’t you do something God?”
In these moments, God says to us, “‘I want you to want me more than you want relief from that difficulty.” God says, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, in every moment, in every circumstance.’ God says, ‘I will be to you all that I am.’”
The morning finished with a commitment from the College to host more events like this. Several church leaders present reflected on the timeliness of such an event. The College exists to ‘equip students and scholars to renew their communities with a faith as intelligent as it is courageous.’ Encouraging those who lead through ministry is an important part of this work.
Future Opportunities
The College will be hosting another event like this in September or October. The theme will be on Change, Conflict, and Leadership. If you have topics in this area that you would find helpful for Mark and Meredith to focus on, you can post them here. We’ll be providing more information on this event on our website closer to the time.
