I heard Jim Collins of Built to Last fame say “You don’t need to be a charismatic leader if you have a charismatic cause.” What he means is that the leadership theory that insists the leader must be charismatic and Donald-Trumpish is unnecessary when you belong to a cause that draws people to it because of its worthiness and impact. No, I am not defending my non-charismatic leadership style. I’m reminding you that B. H. Carroll is “a charismatic cause,” and whether or not you or I are leaders with huge personalities, we can lead people to God’s mission to equip men and women called to serve Christ and his church wherever it may be. When people hear what God is doing through and among us, the Holy Spirit will draw them to his cause of building up his church through theological education.
Why is Carroll a “charismatic cause?” God changes lives through our work. I was recently at our Teaching Church in St. Petersburg, Russia. (See my report here) As I learned the student’s stories, I soon realized that we were not only equipping those in the classes, but churches all over Russia. The students will take their notes back to their churches scattered as far away as Siberia and teach their members the same tools for ministry. This is true too in our domestic Teaching Churches where Pastors like Dr. Stephen Hatfield, First Baptist Lewisville, equips both members and Carroll students where they live and serve to do the work of ministry. These then go to their respective places of service to share what they have learned. We are not simply teaching students, we are impacting churches around the world.
Recently, one of our Program Directors received an email letting us know that one of the biggest reasons a student was hired at his new position was because of that Program Director and the Carroll program from which he graduated. We have over 130 graduates like this one who are professors, pastors, and church leaders due to the impact of their training with us and the reputation of our seminary.
How can this “charismatic cause” continue? Your prayers and your support make it possible. Student tuition covers about 20% of the cost of their degrees. The other 80% comes from gifts from individuals and churches who want to see Christ’s church built up here and around the world through the equipping of its servant leaders. Would you help change the life of one or more of God’s servants through Carroll? Go here to see the several ways you can continue our work together.
I cannot encourage you enough to attend the Fall Colloquy at the Carroll Center, November 16-17. Dr. Linda Cannell is one of us. She has broken the code on how seminaries like Carroll equip church leaders at the local church level as part of who they are and what they do on mission with God. If you want to participate—not sit and listen—in sessions about who we are becoming and how your church can be a community of faith and learning, register now!
Serving with you,
