As a young man, Robert L. “Bob” Perry wanted to be an architect, but believed his Ozark upbringing made that dream impossible. Instead, his Ozark qualities have made him an architect of innovation for church leaders and a promoter of following dreams.
Bob Perry
The longtime Baptist wrote Leadership the Ozarks Way as a way to celebrate his childhood on a farm near Verona, Mo., and to share the leadership lessons he and about 20 fellow ‘Ozarkers’ learned that contributed to their success. The 2014 book is based primarily on individual interviews, with history drawn from several sources. He acknowledges the strong influence of many generations of immigrants from Scotland, Ireland and England.
The idea for the text began percolating as his understanding of church leadership grew.
“As a director of missions, starting 30 years ago, I felt a role for the association was in…strategy development and leadership development,” Perry said.
His leadership experience and expertise developed through service as a Missouri pastor, as a director of missions in Missouri and Virginia and as an international missionary to Mexico. He and his wife, Marilyn, ministered in large urban centers, including Washington, D.C. The pair retired from their respective ministry positions in 2003.
As they contemplated where to settle after retirement, Perry “felt a strong pull back to the Ozarks…. Over the years I had noticed…quite a few Missourians in other areas. It got me started thinking [about] what are the basic qualities that might be shared.”
When he returned to southwest Missouri, he contacted Thomas Field, former pastor of First Baptist Church in Springfield and a former president of William Jewell College. The book started forming with that first interview.
“I wanted to identify those leadership qualities,” Perry said. “I found a lot of down-home common sense leadership. Paul Swadley was a good example.”
Swadley is a longtime pastor in Missouri, who served South Haven Baptist Church in Springfield for 25 years.
The pervasiveness of technology, the use of virtual offices and the rise of social media may eventually change the Ozark style, Perry noted.
But other attributes may take different forms. The Ozark work ethic may be one. “I’m glad I grew up with it but it’s not the work ethic of Millennials…. Young people work hard today but they don’t want to punch a clock,” he added.
The agrarian culture also is fading. “When I was a pastor in Missouri, my background was very helpful…. I’m not sure it would translate today.”
Perry said he may write a sequel to Leadership the Ozarks Way to catch a glimpse of those changes and the ways in which they might have built upon and deepened the qualities from past generations.
“I think if I decided to interview 30-to-40 somethings, the book would look very different,” he said. “There have been a number of fine young pastors who have come to Missouri in the last few years.”
Perry has used the book in his current role as director of church health for Greene County Baptist Association in Springfield. He concentrates on strategy development for dying older congregations, leading to revitalization, merger or replanting.
He also has talked with area school administrators about using the book or allowing him to talk with teachers. That desire stems from his background and an open letter to Ozark children he has included in the book.
When Perry shared his desire to be an architect, his father took him to meet one in Springfield. The professional talked about the number of years of schooling required.
“I decided I couldn’t be an architect because the family didn’t have enough money and I didn’t want to be in school that long,” he said.
“So I lowered my sights because I was a poor Ozarks kid. I nearly limited my future by limiting myself.”
He wants to help children and adults understand that they don’t have to limit themselves. “Don’t let disadvantages limit your vision.”