Building on the Past

Many new leaders of organizations desire to strike out on their own in order to make their own mark and propagate their ideas and vision. Few coming to the helm of an organization want to maintain the status quo or merely rehash the past glory of their institutions. And indeed, they are often hired with the hopes that they will build a better, greater, fancier, and enlarged organization.

This leadership approach might result in success for businesses, sports teams, and universities, institutions in constant transition with high turnover rates. But this can be disastrous for churches, where the work of a predecessor and the familiar rhythms of spiritual life together remain in the hearts and minds of the members. They often feel connected to the predecessor and uncertain with the new leader.

The story of the building the house of the Lord begins and ends with Solomon giving deference to “his father David” (3:1; 5:1). In the middle of the story, Huram (also called Huram-abi), the skilled worker from Tyre, came to help Solomon on the basis of the king of Tyre’s friendship with David (4:11, 16; see also 2:3, 13). Even though Solomon would build and furnish the temple extravagantly, he would only do so while keeping his work tied to the work of David.

How instructive this is for the new pastor, staff member, academic leader, or ministry director! We can cast a bold vision for a creative and expansive way to reach the nations with the good news of Jesus Christ, or we can be too concerned that our own ideas get the credit. In wisdom, we must recognize that other people in the church often need to feel secure in order to move forward with a vision that does not discard everything associated with the past.

Pray with Us

Please pray for the editorial team in the Marketing Communications department: Kevin Mungons, Anneliese Rider, Elena Mafter, Linda Piepenbrink, and Jamie Janosz. May God grant them inspiration in developing content and attention to detail in editing.

BY Dr. Eric C. Redmond

Dr. Eric C. Redmond serves as a professor of Bible at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and as associate pastor of adult ministries at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Ill. He is married to Pam and they have five children. He is the author of Say It!  Celebrating Expository Preaching in the African American Tradition (Moody Publishers), Where Are All the Brothers? Straight Answers to Men's’ Questions about the Church (Crossway), a commentary on Jonah in the Christ-Centered Exposition Series (B&H Publishers), and a study guide on Ephesians in the Knowing the Bible series (Crossway).