Archive for the 'Pastors' Category
Developing Next Generation Leaders
Today, RonnieFloyd.com welcomes guest writer, Dr. Jeff Crawford. Dr. Crawford is the President of Cross Church School of Ministry and a Teaching Pastor at Cross Church.
I was called to the ministry when I was 14 years old. The year was 1986. Back then, the path to preparation was college and then seminary. I followed the path and I have no regrets. Oklahoma Baptist University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and finally, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary yielded three degrees that have served me like three keys opening multiple doors in the ministry. But this path also was incomplete in terms of a rounded preparation for my calling. My most valuable lessons and skillsets have been learned by doing and by sitting at the feet of great leaders.
In the last 20 years, there has been a shift. I have watched as more and more God-called men and women have deviated from the prescribed “path” and have instead sought the route of pure experience. This devaluing of the formal education process has yielded ministers of great skill, but lacking in theological, biblical, and missiological depth. The result is a shallow ministry practice that fails to serve God’s people.
There must be a better way. There is a better way.
For 26 years, Dr. Ronnie Floyd has led Cross Church, pouring into the lives of next generation leaders. Our common practice has been to seek out the sharpest, young, God-called men and women walking the path of a formal education, and culling them out into internships at Cross Church. This summer is no exception, as 18 of the best next gen leaders are with us during their summer break. We have also been skilled at identifying the sharpest graduates from college and seminary, and bringing them onto our staff team to serve our church while we develop them. In fact, I am a product of the Cross Church system. I served as an intern the summer of 1989 and then after graduating from seminary, served the Cross Church family for nine years through Shiloh Christian School and what was then the Church at Pinnacle Hills. The lessons of leadership and ministry I learned from Cross Church and Dr. Floyd have been invaluable, and coupled with my formal education, have shaped who I am today.
Enter the Cross Church School of Ministry. In just a few short weeks, we will be launching this unique ministry residency program that we believe will change the landscape of ministry preparation and next gen leadership development. Just this last week, I read a fascinating article by Tony Morgan where he recalls a conversation with Dave Travis, the managing director of Leadership Network. In discussing the development of future leaders, Travis explains that, “The question will not be ‘where did they go to school?’ but rather ‘where did they train?’” Dave Travis is correct. This trend is already in full swing. The Cross Church School of Ministry is the next step in the progression of leadership development for the future. We are not saying that the formal path of education is unimportant. To the contrary, we are saying it is critically important – just not all that there is to ministry preparation. The Cross Church School of Ministry capitalizes on the best of both worlds. We have developed partnerships with twelve schools and seminaries. This means that academic institutions are on board and see the value of residency training. The Cross Church School of Ministry also demonstrates a unique commitment to academia, while at the same time, elevating real-time training in ministry through a residency experience.
We are convinced that this will be the model for the future of next generation leadership development. And the result will be that the church and Kingdom are served at a greater and higher level than ever before!
Dr. Jeff Crawford
President, Cross Church School of Ministry and Teaching Pastor
To learn more about the Cross Church School of Ministry, check out our website: www.CrossChurchSchool.com
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
Culture is Important to Our Future
Today, RonnieFloyd.com welcomes guest writer, Andy Wilson. Andy is the Executive Leader of Ministry & Operations at Cross Church.
Culture is a set of shared attitudes, shared values, shared goals and shared practices in your organization. The key word here is shared.
To create a culture in your church, business or not for profit organization, you must be clear about two things: vision and mission.
Vision is a future picture of what you see or what you want to become. Mission tells you why your church, business or not for profit organization exists and what it does.
At Cross Church, our missional vision is clear: To reach Northwest Arkansas, America and the World for Jesus Christ. Our staff knows it, our people know it. And we are passionate about it.
Once your mission and vision are clear, the next step is to establish a set of core values.
Core values and beliefs guide how we behave and how we treat others. Our values are our guiding principles. They guide us in our decision-making processes and help us align our decisions with the future we want our organization to experience.
At Cross Church our values and beliefs are:
- Christ-Likeness
- Relationships
- Trust
- Teamwork
- Excellence
I believe you can impact your church and organization’s culture.
Jesus began with a group of disenfranchised people – His disciples. He told them in Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth…” and in the next verse, “You are the light of the world….” Jesus changed their culture by giving them grace, unconditional love, and forgiveness.
As Christians, we have truly experienced Jesus’ love, grace, and forgiveness, just as the disciples did. We cannot help but share the wonder of this experience with others. As we share, every act of love we display to those around us, by forgiving our neighbor or act in grace to those who have offended us, we gently flavor and shine light on the culture around us.
I was fortunate to grow up at Walmart under authentic servant leaders like Sam Walton, David Glass, former CEO, and Don Soderquist, former Vice Chairman. All great leaders who had a passion for their purpose and who consistently practiced their values.
I was taught to lead from my heart as well as my head; to build long-term relationships with our associates, vendors, and customers. Leadership is relationship, and we had the self-discipline to get the results we desired as we integrated our business conversation with our values conversation.
To influence your culture, you must have the courage to do the right thing and the courage to change.
This takes a lot of hard work, and most of all, teamwork.
The presence of Christ-followers in our culture is good for our world. That is why we must step boldly into our leadership role in the church or organization we lead, with passion to unite others around us.
Authentic leaders know their true north.They have a moral compass and are prepared to stay the course despite challenges and disappointments. Authentic leaders are more concerned about serving others than they are about their own success or recognition.
No individual achievement can equal the pleasure of leading a group of people to achieve a worthy goal. When you cross the finish line together, there is a deep satisfaction that it was your leadership that made the difference.
As pastors, ministers, lay leaders, and business leaders, our goal is worthy: To reach our regions, America and the World for Jesus Christ.
Andy Wilson
Executive Leader of Ministry & Operations, Cross Church Northwest Arkansas
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.