Dr. Bryant S. Cheek, Sr., President
A Call to
Recapture an Aged Paradigm in the Twenty-First Century Christian Church in the Course of
Preaching & Leadership
Romans 10:8-10; 14-17; 1 Corinthians 1:21b
2013 Emphasis -Preaching That Builds Leadership
In a book entitled Our Sufficiency Is of God: Essays on Preaching in Honor of Dr. Gardner C. Taylor? Dr. Cleophus J. LaRue has suggested that black preachers are in danger of adopting the practice of preaching from what he called “pulpits without purpose,” a result of preachers who neglect their primary mission to preach the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ.[1] Preaching the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ builds leadership capacity. A church needs effective leaders in order to flourish, grow and meet the overwhelming needs of its community and stake holders.
Preaching that builds leadership begins by empowering church laity. In a handout by Dr. Terry Thomas entitled “Exploration into the Task of Leadership,” Thomas has suggested that: leadership is supremely critical. No church can function effectually without leadership. Preachers should not be afraid to build and empower our leaders. Leaders are an extension of the pulpit. Annie Jaubert reminds us that in the earliest Christian communities leadership was seen as “the responsibility of all and the charge of some.”
Leaders are not born, but developed. A leader must work more while they carry the title of leader. Leaders do not manipulate or dictate, but they lead by example. They understand that it is more than what you know, but more about what you show. It is a known fact that the wellness of any church, her growth and nature and the quality the services a church renders will be determined greatly by the character and quality of her leaders. A great church is the results of a collection of effective leaders working together to fulfill the mission of the church. For instance, a puzzle does not make the pieces, but the pieces together make the puzzle. In any team sport it is not the team that makes great players, but great players make a team great. When it comes to Christian leadership it is a continuous activity of learning, developing, and growing that enables persons to become leaders who impact lives. Leadership is needed in the church to help expand the kingdom, to train and to prepare disciples. The church needs persons who can envision how this expansion should occur. Leaders are movers and shakers in the kingdom of God. Leaders are persons of IMPACT.
Building Leadership!
Dr. Bryant S. Cheek, Sr.
[1] Timothy George, James Earl Massey & Robert Smith, Jr., Our Sufficiency Is of God: Essays on Preaching in Honor of Gardner C. Taylor (Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 2010), 186.