LYNCHBURG, Va.—“Play to an audience of one,” a seminary president told a leadership conference May 4.
Jeff Iorg, president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in suburban San Francisco, was keynote speaker at the May 4-5 Leadership Gathering at Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center.
The annual event, sponsored by the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, provided a host of breakout sessions for church staff and lay leaders.
Jeff Iorg of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary was keynote speaker at the Leadership Gathering.
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Asking the audience what was at the core of leadership, Iorg said, “I’ve read many books on the subject of leadership and even contributed a couple of books to the cause. But in the process, I was more concerned about what the book, the Bible, say about leadership.”
He then proceeded to address the question based on 1 Corinthians 4:1-5. Christian leaders are servants of Jesus Christ who are stewards of the gospel faithfully maximizing its impact, he said. They will not be judged by the church or by the public, not even by themselves, he shared.
“It’s not so important what the church thinks or what the public thinks. In fact, it’s not so important what you think of yourself. It is the Lord whose opinion ultimately matters,” he emphasized. “Play to an audience of one, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
His comments were well received by the enthusiastic crowd.
In a separate address, Iorg drew praise as he spoke on vibrant leadership using Luke 5:1-11 as his scriptural base. He said a vibrant leader understands four things: that God knows more than the leader does, that faith (rather than mere perseverance) is a big part of getting things done, that God uses inadequate people to do his work and that sacrifice is expected of leaders.
Another speaker, Navy Chaplain Commander Travis Moger, told the crowd, “I feel like what I’ve been doing in the military is pastoral. When I went into combat with the Marines I discovered they expect two things of their leaders: to accomplish the mission and to take care of the troops.”
Moger, who teaches ethics at the U.S. Naval Academy, observed that this is also true for the church. “We need leaders who recognize we have a mission to accomplish and who will take care of people.”
The conference, sponsored by the board’s empowering leaders team, drew a crowd of nearly 300 who trekked up Locke Mountain to the gathering. Two singing groups were also featured. One, the New Hilliards, a contemporary Christian trio, drew spirited applause during the worship services Friday evening and Saturday morning. The trio consists of Jonathan Hilliard, pastor of First Baptist Church in Gretna, Va.; his wife, Bethany; and his father, Dale.
The conference proved to be inspirational even before it began as the KGB made an appearance. Not to be confused with Soviet enforcers of the cold war era, the Kingdom of God Band, made up of pastors and laypersons from Lynchburg, Va.-area Baptist churches, provided a pleasing country-gospel blend of songs as background for registration. They returned to the stage during a fellowship period following Friday evening’s worship.
Jim White ([email protected]) is editor of the Religious Herald.