White smoke

As I indicated a few days ago, the Church of God Ministries Council held their conclave this week, and accepted the recommendation from the succession committee for the new General Director. The General Assembly will have the opportunity to ratify this decision in June.

Word leaked out of Anderson quickly after the decision was made. And, in case you haven't already heard, Jim Lyon is the chosen one. I was reluctant to pass on this information at the time, insuring that the news was both accurate and properly communicated to those who needed to hear it first. While Church of God Ministries has not yet made an official statement, Jim announced it to his congregation, Madison Park of Church of God in Anderson. News has been spreading since.

I was not completely surprised by the choice of Jim Lyon, as he was on my speculation list. Considering that we are at a critical point in our movement's lifecycle and there are very few that could take on this role at this time, this seems to be reasonable decision.

Certainly Jim (or anyone for that matter) will not satisfy everyone's ideal for the General Director. Nevertheless, he does bring several strengths to this position.

First, Jim is a leader. Second, he is highly creative. Third, Jim is a strong communicator. Fourth, he has close connections with the Church of God around the world.

In addition, I am encouraged by the fact that Jim comes from the geographic fringes. Sure, he's been in the Anderson vortex for a couple of decades, but everyone who knows him is aware that his heart is in Seattle. This is not only significant for me in the Northwest, but is a vital move for the Church of God as we strive to move beyond our Midwest orientation.

I will have the opportunity to see Jim in a few weeks at the Western Area Regional Ministerium (WARM). I definitely have a few key questions that I plan on asking him. I also trust that across North America we will continue to pray, both for Jim and the ratification vote in June.

Popes and General Directors

Last week millions of people around the world were glued to their television sets to watch the drama unfolding from the Vatican as the conclave of cardinals sent up a plume of white smoke announcing the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the next head of the Roman Catholic Church.

This week the Church of God Ministries Council is meeting and will likely affirm the next General Director as secretly chosen by the selection committee. Except in this case there will not be thousands in Anderson watching a chimney or waiting for the public presentation of the man or woman that will lead our church organization here in North America over the coming years.

Obviously, apart from the coincidental timing, there is very little similarity between what has happened in Rome and what will unfold in our relatively obscure movement. For the most part the comparisons are amusing more than anything. In any case, I like our process much better, and am far more at home in the Church of God for all that we believe and stand for.

Yet, there is one aspect of these two appointments that is striking: leadership.

The Church of God is at a critical point in its history, and our next General Director will have tremendous influence on whether or not we continue devolving into a fractured group of churches and mindsets, or are revitalized into a movement of profound Kingdom significance. Obviously, within our polity this doesn't just fall on the General Director, but we cannot overestimate the importance of leadership for casting vision and mobilizing our collective structures for the changing world in which we find ourselves.

I encourage all of us to pray for the important decision that is being made in Anderson this week, and that will unfold leading up to the General Assembly in June. May the choice for the new General Director be clearly within God's will and purposes.