Political leaders are usually more concerned with current moods instead of future effects. Gods type of leaders are more like fathers concerned with generational things. They are always concerned with provision for future generations so they will take up God’s cause and see it advanced in the earth.
God always has been a Family dwelling together in perfect family unity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). God’s plan, revealed from cover to cover in the Bible is absolutely clear, to fill the earth with His glory/nature/image through His family Ephesians 1:23, 3:10-21. A phrase that we use to describe this plan is “God’s family together (with Him and each other) on God’s mission.” It is the plan He has been working out in the earth through the centuries. The Bible ends with His family fulfilling His mission at the great family event, “The Marriage Supper of the Lamb” Rev 19:6-10.
God always directs His people to think generationally Deut 6:1-7, Psalms 78:1-6, Titus 2:1-6, 2 Timothy 1:4. He often revealed Himself generationally (the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Our father Abraham etc.) so that generational thinking would be reinforced among His people.
There is also woven into the word of God a multigenerational dependency that motivates us to focus on raising up and releasing the coming generations. We see it in Hebrews 11:20-40 in which fathers blessed and released the coming generations. It also shows us that the generations that have gone on before us will not receive the completeness of their inheritance until the bride on earth becomes ready for the Lord’s return.
Heb 11:20-22 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. 21 By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones. (Gen 50:24-25 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.”)…39 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.
C2C Family Leadership Transitions
We value the multigenerational perspective and dependency across the C2C family. During the last year we have seen four senior leadership transitions in which the spiritual fathers transferred the senior leadership mantle to spiritual sons (Kirksville Tom Bedford to Danny Dunn; Casper WY Dave to Justin Limmer; Sturgis MI Glenn Middleton to Stephen; Raleigh Paul Kidd to Scott Woodard; and later in Pittsburg KS Doug Kreighbaum to Jay Lotterer).
In each of these cases the fathers step back to let the sons lead while the fathers continue to be involved in their lives. They were glorious events unlike what happens in many traditional churches in which leaders get voted out or leave for better opportunities and another leader is brought in from outside. It makes it difficult for generational continuity among family. It would be similar to a natural family receiving new parents ever few years.
During a time of reporting on the various leadership transitions and the one upcoming in Pittsburg, Dennis Jamison (a member at Covenant Harvest Church) spoke up from his own experience regarding leadership transitions with a pastor friend he knew.
He would just stay at a church for a few years until the denomination moved him to a different location to a people he didn’t know while his previous congregation would receive a new pastor they never met. I was a fairly new Christian at the time and I didn’t understand why anyone would just move on from congregation to congregation when He was suppose to pour his life into them like a father. It seemed like just a job with no real relational or family connections. I couldn’t image Jesus looking for His next big promotion or deal. He is not interested in building a business partnership, He wants to build a family. Jay Lotterer is God’s man for the job. We already see him functioning in that role. It seems like a natural family progression with nothing out of place. It is almost seamless like a family should be.
What a great account of the multigenerational way of life God seeks to build among His family. May the new leaders run faster and farther than the previous generation so that what Hebrews 11:40 said would become a reality because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.