Developing Young Leaders: Reflections on the 2016 FWB Leadership Conference

Since Marc Neppl’s (VA) sermon at the 2016 National Association, I have been increasingly hearing a wider dialogue about the rising generation of pastors and denominational leaders. Specifically, there is a desire to have an open dialogue about the role of younger leaders in our movement, and leadership transition in the local church and at the denominational level.

Matthew Bracey added his voice to this larger dialogue earlier this week. In addition, the Executive Office also chose “developing young leaders” as the theme of the annual leadership conference, which took place in Nashville on Monday and Tuesday about a week and a half ago.

In Review

The conference began with dinner on Monday evening, followed by special music from the Welch College Choir. The first session began in earnest with a panel discussion featuring a group of seasoned leaders, including retired pastor and former Randall University president Carl Cheshier (OK), retired pastor Danny Dwyer (TN), pastor and author Rob Morgan (TN), pastor and educator Jeff Jones (NC), and pastor and former Executive Secretary Melvin Worthington (NC).

Dr. Matt Pinson moderated this discussion, asking the panelists about their observations of the rising generation of leaders, what encouraged and concerned them, their own leadership development, and their past and current efforts to invest in younger leaders. The panelists agreed that there were some unique qualities to Millennials, and yet all were also reluctant to overstate their distinctiveness. There seemed to be an underlying agreement that ministry can happen in many different settings, and young men and women needed to be equipped for and encouraged in these ministries, while also recognizing the special importance of the pastoral call.

Each leader offered practical counsel and insight. Morgan asserted that if older leaders didn’t want to mentor anyone, then those ministers had “died inside” in some way. What he meant was that since mentoring was itself an expression of discipleship, a biblical mandate, to ignore such a task was to be spiritually disobedient.

Jones emphasized of the value of youth pastors in helping to cultivate young leaders. Yet he urged senior pastors to take a personal interest in their youth—to talk to them. Additionally, he said that it was important for young leaders to remember that they lead a “volunteer army,” and that this should shape their tone and approach to their ministries.

Tuesday morning’s session was on the good, the bad, and the ugly of leadership transition. As a state promotional director, Mike Wade (OK) was well positioned to give insight into some of the challenges which surround pastoral transition and succession. He gave scriptural examples of different types of transition, and then also shared some modern examples he had observed.

Wade emphasized the importance of having a clearly defined plan for transition from one pastor to the next. Setting time-tables and dates in order can especially help facilitate a smooth transition. He also added that he felt the differences among generational groups (Boomers, Busters, Millennials, etc.) were significant, and thus leaders needed to be aware of this when it came to developing and equipping younger leaders.

The next session was another panel discussion featuring the presidents of all four Free Will Baptist-affiliated colleges. Executive Secretary Keith Burden posed a range of questions to Dr. Matt Pinson (Welch College), Rev. Jim Marcum (Southeastern FWB College), Dr. Tim Eaton (Randall University), and Rev. Wendell Walley (California Christian College). Burden emphasized the special vantage point which these men had on developing leaders in their positions.

The presidents were asked what they saw as the strengths and weaknesses peculiar to the rising generation, how they were attempting to help, and some of the ways they had been helped in the past. It was especially encouraging to hear the role of these mens’ fathers and childhood pastors in leading them to faith, helping them discern their call to ministry, and then guiding them to train to be leaders.

Walley poignantly commented on his father’s impact on him, as did Eaton when he reminisced of riding in the backseat of the car and listening to his father (a deacon) in the front seat talking with their pastor as they would go visiting. This discussion ran the gamut as there were also real challenges expressed about mentoring the rising generation. Pinson noted the problems associated with the feminization of our culture and the ways this influenced young men. Marcum stressed the important work that the local church played in preparing young men before they ever went to college. Each president also shared some of the emphases at their respective institutions to help in leadership training and development.

The final morning session featured a very informative presentation given by Drs. Eddie Moody (NC) and Greg Ketteman (TN). With their wealth of experience in secular educational settings, as well as a depth of knowledge about the particulars of our denomination, they were able to provide a lot of data and analysis on cultural trends which were influencing the way the church must minister in the days ahead. Moody and Ketteman both noted how Millennials are especially adept at navigating some of the diversity that older leaders often struggle with.

Changing demographics, secularization, and other social problems were going to force leaders and churches to be more nimble and creative in how they communicated the biblical message with courage and compassion. From the role of technology, the political climate, educational trends, to the challenges of pastors being stuck “inside the bubble,” this presentation covered a lot of ground, but it was well needed.

The final conference session was on Tuesday evening. Following special music provided by the Rejoice! Ministry Team, a panel discussion was moderated by Randall House CEO Ron Hunter. The panel featured four pastors of the Generation X and Millennial generations—Paul Bryant (MS), Josh Baer (NC), Daniel Edwards (IN), and Barry Raper (TN). Hunter directed various longer-form questions to each of them to provide deeper perspective of topics related to being a young leader among Free Will Baptists, while also interspersing shorter-form questions designed to offer more specific, practical insights.

Each panelist had a different path into their present pastorates. Yet a common thread was the integral role that older pastor-mentors had played in their development. Each expressed appreciation for these specific men, while also discussing some of the challenges of transitioning into the pastoral role, staying patient and humble, and maintaining healthy relationships with older men and other staff.

One of the more telling moments was when Hunter asked what their greatest fears were concerning our movement. Bryant remarked that he feared that we would continue to avoid some of the tough topics that needed to be faced for fear of rocking the boat, and in so doing we would be worse off in the long run by remaining in maintenance mode. Edwards was concerned we often align ourselves with others on the level of methodological convictions and preferences, as opposed to remembering the underlying common ground of doctrine and mission.

Reflections

Conference attendees learned before the final session that Baby Boomers constituted the largest group attending this meeting. Yet there was a noticeable mixture of generations in attendance. Some of this owed no doubt to the conference theme. But many of our denominational agencies, boards, committees, and commissions are increasingly displaying a diversity in the age of their members.

I think the net effect of this conference will be three-fold. First, national and state leaders have been formally put on notice that there is a lot of catching up to do in the area of developing young leaders. Second, older leaders who may be cynical about the prevalence of younger men willing to learn and grow have reason to abandon that cynicism. And third, there is now at least a public acknowledgement of some crucial truths about denominational demographics and social demographics that must be reckoned with if Free Will Baptists desire a fruitful future.

One lingering concern I have concerns an unsettled consensus about the legitimacy of understanding and classifying people by generational groups. An underlying assumption of most participants in the conference was that this was a helpful way of understanding differences among members of a religious body.

Some were willing to press those distinctions a little bit further than others. Indeed, a careful observer could sense a tension between those who wanted to make extensive use of generational analysis, and those who would want to focus on common ground and let the differences sort themselves out. Interestingly, I perceived that the age of the participants seemed not to be finally determinative for what importance they placed on, say, distinguishing a Millennial from a Boomer.

My main question to those quite taken with generational analysis would be, “Will you be more inclined to stereotype people based on their age, and thus be less attentive to the uniqueness of each individual person whom God puts in your path?” To those who dismiss generational analysis as overly analytical at best, and sociological gobbledygook at worst, do you not run the risk of applying a one-size-fits-all ministry? How will you avoid tensions if your church composition changes, and thus new members and leaders no doubt will bring their diversity to bear on the ministry with them? Unless the church is to be a reflection merely of your own preferences as a leader, what will you do if generational differences do indeed show up on your doorstep and challenge your thinking? Have you equipped yourself to be a good listener?

There are certainly many complex issues facing the Free Will Baptist denomination. But this conference was a positive step in the right direction.

Author: Jackson Watts

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