mer\u00adit to the idea<\/a>, but I\u2019ve always had a notion in the back of my head that I\u2019ve want\u00aded to see tried instead: elect a mis\u00adsion\u00adary as Gen\u00ader\u00adal Super\u00adin\u00adten\u00addent.<\/p>\nThe Assem\u00adblies of God is explod\u00ading world\u00adwide, part\u00adly due to the lead\u00ader\u00adship of our mis\u00adsion\u00adar\u00adies. Turn\u00ading to these proven and capa\u00adble lead\u00aders seems like com\u00admon sense to me, espe\u00adcial\u00adly since we are increas\u00ading\u00adly real\u00adiz\u00ading that Amer\u00adi\u00adca is a mis\u00adsion field just like any oth\u00ader. We need some\u00adone who is able to sep\u00ada\u00adrate the way they want to do things from the way things need to be done \u2014 the very essence of an effec\u00adtive mis\u00adsion\u00adary.<\/p>\n
Why not some\u00adone who has led a nation to revival? None of our state\u00adside lead\u00aders has that kind of resume, but sev\u00ader\u00adal of our mis\u00adsion\u00adar\u00adies have rel\u00ade\u00advant expe\u00adri\u00adence.<\/p>\n
Why not some\u00adone who has proven that they can func\u00adtion with lead\u00aders they did not select them\u00adselves? This, after all, is a key aspect of the Gen\u00ader\u00adal Super\u00adin\u00adten\u00addent posi\u00adtion to which megachurch pas\u00adtors are unac\u00adcus\u00adtomed. <\/p>\n
Why not some\u00adone who is accus\u00adtomed to train\u00ading and coach\u00ading lead\u00aders on the ground instead of try\u00ading to run the whole show them\u00adselves?<\/p>\n
The only oth\u00ader can\u00addi\u00addate I think is as well-suit\u00aded for the job is a dis\u00adtrict super\u00adin\u00adten\u00addent who has led his dis\u00adtrict to health and growth. I expect that Leslie Welk (North\u00adwest) and Don Gif\u00adford (Indi\u00adana) will both receive nom\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtions on this basis. Jim Brad\u00addy (Nor Cal \/ Nev) might also \u2014 but I\u2019m a mem\u00adber of his dis\u00adtrict and so I don\u2019t have a good sense of how he\u2019s per\u00adceived out\u00adside our nar\u00adrow lit\u00adtle world. <\/p>\n
How\u00adev\u00ader, I\u2019m bet\u00adting that Alton Gar\u00adri\u00adson (for\u00admer Sup of Arkansas) is ulti\u00admate\u00adly going to get the nod. He\u2019s led a megachurch, led a dis\u00adtrict, and is pro\u00advid\u00ading lead\u00ader\u00adship on the nation\u00adal lev\u00adel as the direc\u00adtor of AG US Mis\u00adsions.<\/p>\n
So there\u2019s a good chance that we\u2019ll get some\u00adone from AGUSM into the top spot \u2014 but not because of his con\u00adnec\u00adtion with mis\u00adsions.<\/p>\n
As to the oth\u00ader spots I have no idea. In addi\u00adtion to the nom\u00adi\u00adnees I men\u00adtioned above, I\u2019m pret\u00adty sure John Lin\u00addell will get nom\u00adi\u00adnat\u00aded. He may even let his name stand (although I sus\u00adpect this depends on whether or not he can con\u00adtin\u00adue to pas\u00adtor at James Riv\u00ader). Dary Northrop will prob\u00ada\u00adbly be nom\u00adi\u00adnat\u00aded. Dan Bet\u00adzer will be nom\u00adi\u00adnat\u00aded. Bret Allen might get nom\u00adi\u00adnat\u00aded but he will decline. I would not be sur\u00adprised at all if John Palmer gets nom\u00adi\u00adnat\u00aded (espe\u00adcial\u00adly for the AGUSM lead\u00ader\u00adship role if Alton is elect\u00aded Gen Sup), but I have no idea if he will accept.<\/p>\n
Beyond that, I real\u00adly don\u2019t know. There are a lot of poten\u00adtial can\u00addi\u00addates out there, and our desire to avoid the appear\u00adance of pol\u00adi\u00adtics means that we nev\u00ader know for sure who will be nom\u00adi\u00adnat\u00aded and who will allow their names to stand.<\/p>\n
Speak\u00ading of avoid\u00ading the appear\u00adance of pol\u00adi\u00adtics \u2014 the only way to real\u00adly avoid pol\u00adi\u00adtics is to select our lead\u00aders ran\u00addom\u00adly. Any solu\u00adtion involv\u00ading vot\u00ading is extreme\u00adly polit\u00adi\u00adcal and the only ques\u00adtion is whether or not those pol\u00adi\u00adtics will be pub\u00adlic. In our move\u00adment we\u2019ve decid\u00aded that hid\u00adden pol\u00adi\u00adtics are prefer\u00adable to trans\u00adpar\u00adent ones, and more and more of us are unhap\u00adpy with the result.<\/p>\n
How\u00adev\u00ader it shakes out, the Assem\u00adblies is in for a wild ride at Gen\u00ader\u00adal Coun\u00adcil this year. Too bad I\u2019m going to miss it\u2026<\/p>\n