Tag: leader

J. Frank Norris on Loyalty & Pastoral Leadership

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

Here is an excerpt from The Shooting Salvationist by David R. Stokes, a detailed account of J. Frank Norris’ murder trial. My review of the book is forthcoming. This excerpt reveals how the fundamentalist leader thought in terms of how to run his “business”, i.e. his church. How many fundamentalist pastors and leaders have followed his lead in this regard, I wonder? And all of them to the disregard of 1 Pet. 5:2-3. How sad.

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Norris fascinated students at Southwestern Baptist Seminary across town from his church. Though they were discouraged from associating with the preacher because of his antagonism toward the denomination, some found a way to see the controversial clergyman in action. And when one of them had the courage to try to visit Norris at his office, risking the wrath of seminary officials, J. Frank was gleefully accommodating.

Roy Kemp was one such gutsy guy. When he decided to pay a call on Norris, the ever-present secretary-gatekeeper, Miss Jane Hartwell, ushered him immediately into the preacher’s office on the second floor of the church’s Sunday school building.

“Roy, I take it you have come up to find out how I run my business,” Norris said, looking fiercely at Kemp.

“Yes, sir.”

The preacher then pointed to a portrait on his wall — one of a locomotive — and told his visitor that he was like that powerful lead car on a train forcing all in its way off the tracks. He pointed to another picture on another wall — Napoleon Bonaparte — and said:

Roy, do you know that man’s philosophy? One: he believed — and said so — that no man ever served another man except for personal gain. Two: Or, out of fear. He would never have a man around him for long who had his first allegiance to any other man or woman. Full and unconditional allegiance had to be to him and him personally. That’s the way I run my business!

“Divided: Is Modern Youth Ministry Multiplying or Dividing the Church?” directed by Philip and Chris LeClerc

~ Bob Hayton ~ 12 Comments

A new documentary DVD sponsored by The National Center for Family-Integrated Churches, is beginning to make some waves. Divided: Is Modern Youth Ministry Multiplying or Dividing the Church? explores the pitfalls and problems of how we’ve done church for the last thirty to forty years (and more). You can watch the entire 54 minute DVD online through September. I have the video embedded below, but you may want to click through to watch it full size on Vimeo.com.

I found the DVD thought provoking and definitely worth my time in watching. Age segregation is a new concept in the church, and has only been around in the last hundred years or more. There is a strong argument to be made that it has contributed to many of the problems in the church.

The documentary interviews current youth ministry gurus, youth ministers with misgivings, and former youth ministers. Also included are interviews of church leaders in the Family-Integrated movement such as Douglas Phillips, Scott Brown, and Voddie Baucham, Jr. as well as other leaders less known for their preference for Family-Integrated churches, like R.C. Sproul, Jr., Ken Ham and Paul Washer.

The movie itself flows at a nice pace, tracing the investigation of Philip Leclerc into the problems surrounding youth ministry in the church. The filming is superb and well-planned, interesting shots abound. The setting of the interviews also are visually appealing and the whole movie is a great production. The Leclrerc brothers criss-cross the country interviewing leaders and digging into this problem.

Still, after all the interviews and the questions have been presented, I don’t think the case against modern youth ministry is as fool proof as the documentary claims. At our church, children age 5 and up sit with us in the worship service and that alone contrasts with what many churches do. We have age segregated Sunday School classes, but also foster a unity in spirit throughout the church cross-generationally. More could be done though. And just opening eyes to the questions in this debate can make a big impact.

I recommend you take the time to watch Divided. You may want to pick up a copy of the movie to have it in your library and show it to your church leaders. Learn more about Divided at DividedtheMovie.com. You can purchase a copy of this movie direct from the movie’s website, or through Amazon.com.

If you’ve seen this, or if you take the time to watch it, please join the discussion. Let us know what you think.

Official Divided the Movie (HD Version) from NCFIC on Vimeo.

Book Release: “The Shooting Salvationist” by David R. Stokes

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

Today, is the official launch of an exciting new book about Pastor J. Frank Norris of Fort Worth, Texas. David R. Stokes, columnist and a pastor himself, gives us The Shooting Salvationist: J. Frank Norris and the Murder Trial that Captivated America.

I just recently finished reading a pre-release copy of this book, and was captivated by the intricacies of this story. Norris is perhaps the most infamous fundamentalist leader of all, and as the book details, was the focus of perhaps the murder trial of the decade in the 1920s. The entire nation was riveted for months as front-page news detailed the story of a Texas pastor shooting an unarmed man in his office.

The book traces Norris’ career as well as the history of Fort Worth and Texas as a whole in the 1920s. It was the age of newspapers on every corner — and Norris had his own paper with a nation-wide circulation — was just giving way to the radio — and Norris was a radio pioneer too, with an audience reputed to be in the millions. The 1920s saw the Ku Klux Klan as still a powerful force in politics and city life, and Norris was more closely connected with the KKK and its mission than one would guess.

The book is written well, and the story of the trial reads like a novel. The picture painted of J. Frank Norris seems even-handed and true to life, and the author stops short of judging him. It’s a fascinating look into the mind of the legend that J. Frank Norris became.

I don’t want to launch into my full review quite yet. For now, I want to encourage you to check out the book, and consider purchasing a copy today to help it rise in the rankings and become an Amazon bestseller. It’s published by Steer Forth Press and distributed by Random House. I’d encourage you to purchase a copy from Amazon, but you can buy it direct through Random House or Steer Forth Press.

Learn more about the book at TheShootingSalvationist.com or the book’s Facebook page. And enjoy the 8 minute video clip below of author David Stokes discussing his vision for the book.


A Conversation with David R. Stokes from David Stokes on Vimeo.

“Appointed to Preach: Assessing a Call to Ministry” by David W. Hegg

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

“A strong case can be made that we presently have too many men in pastoral ministry; too many who have taken the mantle of leadership upon themselves without having been selected and formed by God for that purpose.” (pg. 23)

“Isn’t it about time that we expected more from those who would stand before us as God’s ministers?” (pg. 51)

When is the last time you read anything like the two statements above? Following the lead of such great men as Charles Spurgeon and Richard Baxter, David W. Hegg displays a holy zeal to protect the office of the pastor. In his book Appointed to Preach: Assessing a Call to Ministry (a recent re-release from Christian Focus Publications), Hegg raises the bar for pastoral ministry and recovers the lost art of a thorough ordination process.

An experienced pastor who serves on the regional ordination council of his denomination, Hegg has seen the good and the bad when it comes to ordinations. Too often, the process becomes an empty formality or an opportunity for cranky old men to ridicule a youngster in public. Avoiding either extreme, Hegg envisions ordination as a careful and slow process whereby unworthy candidates for ministry are weeded out and faithful men of God approved and affirmed to their calling.

The book addresses the role of ordination, the character qualities the Bible expects of a pastor, and the path for a man seeking ordination. Wise advice is given both to aspiring ministers and those who would seat the ordination council. A blueprint is also furnished that can be adapted to fit the particulars of a variety of conservative denominations. A helpful appendix of recommended reading rounds out this handy volume.

At a mere 154 pages, the book can be read in one sitting. Yet Hegg’s practical wisdom and insightful comments deserve more extended reflection. Useful as a handbook for all involved in the ordination process, it also offers a wake-up call to the church at large. How we view the pastoral task matters both for how we practice ordination and how well our churches are pastored. We need faithful men behind our sacred desks. May many men and churches be blessed through the counsel David W. Hegg shares in this book. I recommend this book highly.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Christian Focus Publications for review. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

Learn more about this book at the Christian Focus BookNotes blog. You can purchase a copy from Westminster Bookstore, Amazon.com, or direct from Christian Focus Publications.

Hillary Supporters, John McCain and Sarah Palin

~ fundyreformed ~ 2 Comments

I’m no great political mind, but I wanted to share a few thoughts, or rather observations.

Like most, it seems a little hard to believe that Hillary supporters are supporting John McCain in large numbers. Both Clinton and McCain do have quite a bit more experience than Obama, and they are much more widely known. Still it seems like the media have created this story out of thin air.

Or have they? In my own neighborhood in St. Paul, Minnesota (known for being quite independent minded), I have driven past a car  which proudly displays Hillary and McCain bumper stickers side by side. I’d put up a picture, but then people could suspect I staged it (and I don’t feel energized enough to go hunt down that car again, with camera in hand). Perhaps it is a married couple dividing up their political support, but I doubt it. It may be evidence of the existence of at least one Hillary supporting McCain backer.

On another topic, somewhat related, I have to laud John McCain for the political move of the year in picking Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska to be his running mate. No other pick could have so thoroughly stolen the limelight from Obama as did this one. Then again, it wasn’t an 11th hour, last minute choice, either. She survived a long vetting process and was one of McCain’s top picks all along.

I don’t know whether she will be enough to keep some Hillary supporters interested enough in McCain’s campaign to overlook many of the issues where he is radically opposed to Hillary’s stance. But I know firsthand that her selection has energized some of the more conservative among the McCain’s party. I spoke with someone at my church yesterday who claimed he was 95% sure he was not going to vote for McCain until the Palin pick. Now he’s pretty sure he will. A close family member (a conservative female), who is not a political nut or anything, called my wife with all kinds of excitement over Sarah Palin.  

Conservatives love that she is a thorough going social conservative. She hunts, opposes abortion — proven clearly by her choice to raise a Down Syndrome baby — and is economically sound. But why I am most happy with her, is that she is not afraid to do what’s right when needed. She has taken on the Republican establishment in Alaska. She has a reformer’s spirit, and is not afraid to make her own choices. That is what endeared me to Mike Huckabee all along, and its why I’m not overly skeptical of McCain. I disagree with how some of his legislation panned out (the campaing finance reform bill which silences grassroots groups like the NRA but has loopholes for wealthy donors and other organizations, for instance), but I agree with the main motivation behind it. I think we need a proven leader who thinks for himself yet listens to others. One who is willing to work in a bipartisan way to serve America first. McCain has proven himself to be that kind of leader. Obama’s voting record and political stances betray the fact that he is not.