It is a definition he picked up from Bible study leader and author Richard Blackaby earlier this year, but it is one that speaks volumes about the point Roger Willmore wants to make.
“Spiritual leader — a person who moves other persons on to God’s agenda.”
Willmore, president of the Alabama Baptist State Convention, challenged those attending the annual meeting at Cottage Hill Baptist Church, Mobile, Nov. 13 to be spiritual leaders.
Preaching from 2 Chronicles 29:1–10 and 2 Kings 18:5, he outlined his presidential address “The Legacy of a Spiritual Leader” by peeking into King Hezekiah’s world.
“[Hezekiah] was instrumental in bringing about the greatest revival recorded in the Old Testament,” said Willmore, pastor of Deerfoot Baptist Church, Trussville, in Birmingham Baptist Association.
A basin and a towel
What was Hezekiah’s world like, what qualified him to be a leader and what were the results of his leadership?
The land of Judah was in “horrible condition,” Willmore said, pointing to the explanation in 2 Chronicles 28. God had been “systematically expelled” from all walks of life.
“We, like Hezekiah, live in a culture where the one true God is slowly but systematically being removed and replaced.”
But Hezekiah dreamed of turning the people back to God and he was qualified to do it, Willmore said. He was a man of character, commitment, conviction and courage.
“We are not told in the Scriptures of Hezekiah’s spiritual formation,” he said. “But it is clear for all to see that Hezekiah is anchored in the Word of God.”
And as Hezekiah led his people, he made a difference, Willmore said.
“Idols were destroyed. … He cleaned house. … He moved people on to God’s agenda.
“He is in a category all by himself,” Willmore explained. “I think there is much we can learn from Hezekiah.”
One point to realize is that man’s measurement of success and God’s measurement are different.
“Modern Christianity looks for a leader with style, charisma and celebrity,” he said. “God looks for a leader with a basin and a towel.”
And those leaders can come from any walk of life, Willmore noted.
Sharing a vulnerable moment from his own past, Willmore said there was a time when he became discouraged because of his home life growing up.
He felt that he may have missed important opportunities in life because of this.
But a trusted mentor and seasoned pastor jarred him back to reality, reminding him that he is who he is because of his past and that God is using him just as he is.
“No matter who we are, we are a person who can move other persons on to God’s agenda,” Willmore said.
And “whoever you are, wherever you are, if you are moving other people on to God’s agenda, you are a spiritual leader.”
To move people in this direction means understanding a few key elements, he said.
“No. 1 on God’s agenda is His own glory. … Man’s chief end is to glorify God.
“Whatever we do, our lives and our ministries should be a platform for the display of the glory of God.”
There is also preaching the Word when looking at God’s agenda, Willmore said.
“Preaching has been pushed to the sidelines in many churches today, but the Bible holds preaching in a place of pre-eminence,” he said, noting 2 Timothy 4:2 and Romans 10:13–15. “The Word of God is still sufficient.”
Other items on God’s agenda are global missions, world evangelism and sanctification of the saints, Willmore pointed out.
“We must abandon efforts to build our own kingdom and focus solely on advancing His Kingdom,” he explained, commending Alabama Baptists for doing just that.
“We are a healthy convention, and the reason is because Alabama Baptists have determined to keep the main thing the main thing.
“We are the envy of every other state convention,” Willmore said. “We are bound together by a common goal — world missions and evangelism.”
The need for growth
But we do need to do more with sanctification of the saints, he added.
“There is a crying need in the church today for a maturing of the saints. We need to grow up in our faith … to be Christlike in our faith,” Willmore said.
“The ultimate purpose of salvation is not to just get us out of hell and into heaven but that [God] might once again transform us into the likeness of His Son.”
As Willmore concluded his address he presented a final picture of the importance of spiritual leaders by using an excerpt from Henry and Richard Blackaby’s book “Spiritual Leadership.”
“The next generation of great leaders is already evolving, but today’s adults may be too preoccupied to notice. If churches are concerned about future leaders, they would do well to nurture their children, for any strategy for developing spiritual leaders must take into account those emerging leaders currently in their pre-teens.”
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