11th Pastors’ Conference and 63rd Founders’ Celebration of the Phillips School of Theology Convenes
The 11th Pastors’ Conference and 63rd Founders’ Celebration of the Phillips School of Theology began on Monday evening, January 8, 2007, at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel – Atlanta (GA) Airport, with the Convening Worship Service. Dr. Marvin F. Thomas, Sr., the newly elected president and dean of the CME Church’s seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center, served as worship leader. The convening service was the first official activity of the conference which goes through Thursday of the week. Prior to the service, the members of the Board of Trustees of the seminary came together for their annual pre-conference meeting. It was during this business session that Dr. Marvin Thomas, Sr. was elected president. Dr. Thomas has been serving as interim president since the conclusion of the 36th General Conference of the CME Church in July of last year, after the election to bishop of Dr. Thomas Brown, Sr. Of note from the business of the meeting of the Board was the reaffirmation of the decision of the General Conference to provide a line item in the budget of the CME Church for the 2007-10 quadrennium that includes funding for half of the tuition of all CME seminarians attending the Phillips School of Theology. This budgetary commitment represents the strongest level of support of the General Church for Phillips seminarians in the school’s history.
Others participating in the convening service on Monday evening were Rev. Dr. Clarence Buchanan, St. Luke CME Church, Champaign, IL; the Butler Street CME Church Choir, Atlanta, GA; Rev. Edward C. McKelvey, Trinity CME Church, Memphis, TN; Bishop Othal H. Lakey, presiding prelate of the 6th Episcopal; the College Park CME Church; Bishop E. Lynn Brown, 2nd Episcopal District prelate; and Dr. Jerome E. McNeil, Jr., pastor, Christian Chapel CME Church, Dallas, TX.
The speaker for the evening, introduced by Bishop E. Lynn Brown, was Bishop Paul A.G. Stewart, Sr., prelate of the 3rd Episcopal District. Bishop Stewart used as a title “From Good to Great: Developing Effective Pastoral Leaders for Ministry in the 21st Century.” Bishop Stewart began his message being thankful just to be able to preach, stating that he had not been feeling his best. Yet, “God is able,” he said.
“We need to develop effective pastoral leaders,” said Bishop Stewart. He said that the Church often has spent a great deal of time and energy developing other things—buildings and so on—we need to develop effective pastoral leadership. “Of all the good sermons you preach, if you mess up in leadership” your ministry suffers. Bishop Stewart went on to talk about some of the successful ministries in which he was engaged as pastor of the Phillips Temple CME Church in Los Angeles, CA. In gaining a grant from the Ford Foundation, Bishop Stewart said the foundation suggested that "although you have great preaching skills, we are going to send you back to develop leadership skills. "
Bishop Stewart said leadership is a most observed but least understood skill. “Folk know when we don’t have it,” said the bishop. He said leadership comes in many different colors, sizes, shapes, styles and so on. “Stop borrowing others' styles and find out what’s best for you.”
Bishop Stewart said that, for Christians, leadership is a gift from God. It is a treasure in clay jars. It all depends on the talents God has given us. But whatever talents we have, they are not ours to brag about or boast. “They are the working of God’s grace. If you think you ‘have it all,’” he said, “you won’t be a good leader.”
There are three qualities for effective pastoral leadership. The first quality is vision. Bishop Stewart said vision is a picture of what is possible. It is seeing beyond the visual and going beyond the barriers. Vision is catching up with what God wants us to do.
“A clear vision must be in place before people can permit change to take place. Vision gives meaning and direction. Without vision, the people perish…vision is the reward of listening to God.”
Bishop Stewart said that every pastor has some dry bones, but if you’ve been listening to the Lord, you shall be able to say “hear the word from the Lord.” “ Let no one kill your vision.”
The second quality for effective leadership is passion to include or to be inclusive. “God is calling us to mission with people who didn’t grow up in the church. The new mission of the Church is to those who look different from us and who act differently, dress differently, and even smell different. “We need to recapture the Wesleyan spirit. We must minister to different people, different backgrounds, different cultures, and different socioeconomic statuses. Jesus ministered to all. God is calling us to be inclusive like Jesus.”
In giving a personal testimony, Bishop Stewart said he is glad that, despite his personal flaws, Jesus was inclusive of him.
Third, he said in order to have effective pastoral leadership, we need to understand our congregations. A church is never a "neat and tidy church," said Bishop Stewart. He said few pastors understand both what needs to be done as well as understand the people well enough to know what needs to be done. He suggested this is indeed a rare combination of leadership ability to achieve. In addressing this point, Bishop Stewart referred to Ezekiel’s account of the valley of the dry bones, quoting from the scripture “…the hand of the Lord is upon me.” Bishop Stewart said leadership will be more effective if you let the hand of the Lord be upon you.
“I have found I understand better when I sit among the dry bones. You won’t ever be the pastor you need to be until you sit among the dry bones. Then and only then can you hear the word of the Lord."
Finally, effective pastoral leadership must see the importance of maintaining a healthy relationship with God. We have become so accustomed to reading, preparing and praying for others that we don’t do it for ourselves. He paraphrased one noted writer by saying there seems to exist an "anti-leadership vaccine" in our ministries. "Satan is busy immunizing preachers against leadership." Bishop Stewart went on to tell the story of his father who once having been bitten by a snake, and visiting his physician, made it through.
“I had a good physician,” Bishop Stewart said his father said. The bishop said although Satan is immunizing pastors against leadership, just like in the case of his father’s snake bite, Jesus is a spiritual anecdote. Yes, Satan immunizes with gossip, discouragement, liars, preacher fighters, cold members and much more, but Jesus is the spiritual physician. He is the answer to effective pastoral leadership.