RECENTLY I ATTENDED A WIDELY ADVERTISED, elite conference for Christian leaders preparing for the future. It was well presented, well attended, and impressive. When they asked for my evaluation, I pointed out that the material presented was the same material I had presented years before in speaking to the presidents' conference of the American Management Association. It was good management and leadership methodology but not spiritual.

No one at that conference discussed maintaining the spiritual vitality of the leader, the most important element in Christian leadership. The new methodology does not depend on the presence of the Holy Spirit but upon research and human leadership.

The church is a spiritual organization, not a human one. Human methods work in business but eventually drain the power and effectiveness of a spiritual endeavor. Human methods can grow a church, build an impressive facility, create exciting programs, and develop strong leadership, but not spiritual leadership.

If ...