During this transition in ministry from serving as education commissioner and administrator of the International Board of Education for the Church of the Nazarene to the development of BoardServe.org, I am going to take pause from posting blog notes on leadership and board development. The move from Kansas City to Bradenton, Florida, combined with several writing deadlines, speaking and consulting assignments in Guatemala, and preparation for the late December trip for Anne and me to Manila, Philippines for a three month classroom teaching privilege at the Asia Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary will keep me focused on these opportunities during the next several months. I will return to the blog early in the new year after Anne and I have returned to our second home with the APNTS community in Manila.

If you are new to this blog site, I encourage you to scroll through the previous posts and read some of the articles I have written over the past several years. I welcome your comments.

I continue to be intrigued by the relationship between the Christian servant leader and biblical hospitality. Asbury Theological Seminary professor, Dr. Christine Pohl, in her book, Making Room, defines biblical hospitality as “making room” and “creating space” for those who enter our “world.” For me, I have been challenged to apply this biblical perspective to Christian leaders of the People of God. It seems to me that hospitality, biblically understood, is a core attitude toward those whom we are leading as a community of faith.

Biblical hospitality challenges us to relate to others, not just to the “strange and the strangers” but to those whom we lead, as if we were relating to Christ Himself. Service to others is service to Christ. The miracle of miracles is that Jesus turns our gifts of hospitality to others in gifts from Him to us! Embracing this profound thought in the world in which we live and lead is the issue. Your thoughts on this challenge are encouraged.

Please reply to this post or contact me at BoardServe.org with your thoughts on the relationship of hospitality to leadership with the faith communities we lead.

Let’s stay in touch.

Grace and peace to you.

LeBron
October 19, 2011