A Secret to Success

Keith D. Stanglin

Dr. Jim Martin presenting at Walnut Hill Church of Christ

There is no success without successors.  Well, that may not be strictly true, at least not in every case.  And it depends on the measure of success.  There can be successes here and now, regardless of what tomorrow holds.  However, to the degree that success is measured by the continuance of a good thing, then, indeed, there are no guarantees, and there is no substitute: There is no success without successors.

And if that is true, then many churches are setting themselves up for failure.  They have no idea who will succeed the current generation of leaders, servants, and teachers.  They take everything one day at a time with little or no regard for what the church will look like in five or ten years.  They take the status quo for granted.  Oh, they may think about where the next generation of leadership will come from.  They may fret about it.  They may even talk about it.  But they don’t do anything about it.  Does this sound like any church you know?

I’m not shaming them—not at all.  It’s tough.  We do take it one day at a time.  As Jesus said, each day has enough trouble of its own (Matt. 6:34).  And then we succumb to the tyranny of the urgent.  And when we think about the need for successors, we may not even know where or how to start. 

Recently, a congregation in this very situation wisely reached out to the Center for Christian Studies for guidance.  The Walnut Hill Church of Christ in Dallas, blessed with so many good and sincere disciples, is anticipating a time of transition and a significant need for people to step up into various ministry responsibilities.  Isn’t that true, by the way, for nearly every congregation?

Keith Stanglin with members of the Walnut Hill Church of Christ

So last month, Jim Martin and I traveled to Dallas to conduct a leadership seminar for the church.  42 men—from youth on up—attended the seminar on a Friday night and Saturday morning.  We had five sessions together.  I taught two sessions: “Who Should Serve? Criteria for Shepherds and Leaders,” and “Leadership Principles from Acts.”  Jim led three: “The Heart and Work of a Shepherd,” “Saying ‘Yes’ to an Opportunity to Encourage,” and “How Ordinary People Can Serve with Spiritual Wisdom.”

These sessions were designed not only to inform and encourage men to step up into the roles of elders and deacons, but they also encourage and inspire everyone to think about how they can serve in various ministry roles and be an encouragement and support to others.

How did it go?  One of the elders wrote the following:

The CCS Leadership Seminar conducted by Keith Stanglin and Jim Martin was truly a milestone for our congregation. The number of men who attended from both our English and Spanish members (translation was provided) was in and of itself a great encouragement. But even more, Keith’s and Jim’s presentations were a wonderful complementary blend of scholarship and down-to-earth practical wisdom. Everyone I spoke with after the seminar was eager to find some way to serve in the various ministries of the church. Thanks to Keith and Jim and to CCS for their good work for the Kingdom.

Mike Young at the leadership seminar at Walnut Hill Church of Christ

-Mike Young, Elder, Walnut Hill Church of Christ, Dallas, Texas

From the inception of the Center for Christian Studies, helping churches has been central to our mission.  And that includes helping to equip leaders who churches get the basics right and who lead with strength, humility, virtue, competence, confidence, and dedication, who serve and encourage in imitation of our Lord.

Would a leadership seminar like this one—or another of our many seminar options—help equip the people in your congregation?  Well, the answer to that is, Yes.  So contact us to get the ball rolling.

Check out CCS' seminar page to see what we offer!

Contact CCS to schedule a seminar at your congregation