It’s funny how numbers fall into sequences if you look hard enough. This year, for instance, it will be 25 years since I became a Christian, 20 years since I started working with Steve Bedford, and 15 years since I moved to Glasgow to work with the (then) Whiteinch Fellowship. And a couple of Sundays ago I had the privilege of being ordained as an Elder in Whiteinch Church of Scotland, as I take my place on the leadership team for the first time since the core group was dissolved as part of the leadership reshuffle many years ago.
Looking back over the years since that happens, I am aware that, along with the ‘physical’ changes in my life – children, houses, jobs, etc – there have been a number of spiritual changes to contend with. While much of the church have been steeping themselves in the teaching from Bethel Church in Redding, California, I’ve mostly been drawing on the wisdom of Mark Driscoll, and through him John Piper, Tim Keller, and a few others. All of which has made the decision to move back into leadership a lot harder – my view of leadership has been challenged by rereading the passages in Titus and Timothy that identify the quality of a leader. The call to be “above reproach” is a scary, but valid, one; I’m pretty sure that I fail that one on a regular basis. Equally, the call to lead my family in a way that indicates that I am “fit for purpose” is something that I think about most days as I look to be a not just a good, but a godly father to Mira and Jamie, and a godly husband to Heather.
I am reminded of a bit from the end of the film Prince Caspian where Aslan calls on Caspian to rise as a King of Narnia, and Caspian says “I do not think I am ready” and Aslan replies “It is for that very reason that I know you are.” I am not sure I am necessarily ready for the rigours of leadership based on the criteria of the New Testament, but I do know that I want to do my best. I’ve been at Whiteinch for as long as I have because I believe in it and the work that it does. It’s not perfect, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying to make it so. It is an honour and a pleasure to be able to serve in this way.
mrBen