An Anniversary
Ten years ago this week, our seminary experienced the monumental announcement of the sale of its property in the San Francisco Bay Area, its move to Southern California, and plans to change its name to Gateway Seminary. The announcement thrust our seminary into a season of transition, which shaped us personally and professionally. All of […]
Trained for Transition
Gateway Seminary is experiencing significant transition. We are preparing for a new president, implementing a hand-off model of leadership change, and saying goodbye to a long-time leader. My unexpected candidacy to be the president of the SBC Executive Committee has further complicated the process. Many organizations equate transition with turmoil. Not Gateway. During this transition, […]
The Pendulum Effect
Discussing some of my leadership shortcomings with a colleague reminded me of a common mistake often made during leadership transition. While trying to compensate or recover from the weaknesses of an outgoing leader, people overreact and choose a new leader who swings the organization too far in the other direction. This is called the pendulum […]
Anger or Acceptance
Most American Christians realize our cultural context for ministry has changed dramatically in the past few years. The emotional response among many believers is anger—at the culture, media, politicians, Christian leaders, etc. This anger expresses itself in diatribes on social media, personal confrontations, and even militant protests. Anger like this is often driven by fear—in […]
Be Missional by Dreaming Small
Missional. It’s certainly not a new word. It came into vogue in the early part of the 21st century and has been added to the ever-growing repertoire of “Christianese” along with “traveling mercies,” “hedge of protection,” and the Southern favorite, “bless your heart.” What many have noted before is the difficulty in defining the word […]
A Sad Change
The Olympics are awesome! The summer games are particularly interesting—with lesser-known sports like fencing, water polo, badminton, and table tennis getting time in the spotlight. Another enjoyable part of watching the games is the attention given to women’s sports and female athletes. Lydia Jacoby, the first swimmer from Alaska to make an Olympic team and […]