Passing The Baton

This past month we saw the announcement of Dr. D. James Kennedy’s retirement from Coral Ridge Ministries. Kennedy suffered cardiac arrest back in December of 2006 and hasn't fully recovered. Since 1959 Kennedy has served as the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in FL.

Kennedy’s retirement is a reminder of how a whole crop of Christian leaders have run their race and are finishing their course. Jerry Falwell passed on earlier this year, leaving his ministry including Liberty University, Liberty Council and Thomas Road Baptist Church in the hands of sons, Jerry, Jr., and Jonathan, and others.

Pat Robertson, R.C. Sproul, Dr. James Dobson, Brother Andrew, David Wilkerson, Charles Colson, and many others have led defining Christian ministries that have inspired others and spawned similar works in various parts of the world. Each of these men are in, or quickly approaching, their 70s. One has to wonder if there are enough capable young leaders to grab the baton and continue the work once these men step off the stage.

It is clear that Christian ministry cannot simply be about personality and charisma. I’m reminded of a popular televised preacher in Atlanta who desired to step down from leadership a few years back when his wife filed for divorce. His church board informed him that he was the ministry and the church would simply shrivel up and die without him at the helm. That is not a sign of a healthy ministry.

The goal of the Christian leader is to work yourself out of a job. As Dr. Francis Schaeffer said, there are “No little people” in the Kingdom, but at the same time there are also no irreplaceable ones. At the point that a leader has become so self-important or so despotic that he cannot turn over the reigns of control when the time comes, he has ceased to do true Kingdom work. The Kingdom is all about serving, not about ruling.

I was encouraged to hear the results of Franklin Graham’s recent Festival in Ecuador. The event set an attendance record for the nation by packing in more than 185,000 people and seeing 15,800 make professions of faith in Christ. It is a blessing that Billy Graham, who defines Christian ministry in the 20th century more than any other man, has found a more than able successor to take the baton and carry it into the new millennium. It is even more encouraging that Franklin's son, Will, is also involved in ministry.

May the Lord raise up a host of Joshua’s who are trained, willing and able to lead a new generation into a better understanding of the Lord and His ways.