{"id":39247,"date":"2024-10-31T17:56:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-01T00:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=39247"},"modified":"2024-10-31T17:56:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T00:56:00","slug":"foundation-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/foundation-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Foundation Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"

I didn\u2019t realize how personal this would become. Over the years, I have seen and read about many leaders publicly addressing their \u201cmoral indiscretions.\u201d From a distance, I’ve watched as greed, pride, impurity, and sexual immorality disrupt and damage families, churches, and communities. However, when I received a letter implicating one of my friends and fellow pastors, followed by his admission of guilt, I found myself in the painful reality of another leadership failure on my team and in my church.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why are so many churches worldwide experiencing a surge of failing leaders? The scandals that emerge are alarmingly similar, with greed and pride often at the core of the sinful behaviors that create chaos for many. The collateral damage extends beyond those directly affected; it frequently impacts future generations as hurt congregants leave the church and, all too often, turn away from Jesus.\u00a0 At the heart of it is fear.\u00a0 This is precisely what David Cook and Shane Parker addressed in their book <\/span>Leading From the Foundation Up: How Fearing God Builds Stronger Leaders.<\/span><\/i>[1]<\/span> Their intention in this book is to help readers understand the fear of God as a source of joy and life that shapes individuals into strong leaders rather than as an outdated phrase or, even worse, a rigid and stifling way of living.[2]<\/span>\u00a0 In the post, I will focus on their approach to fear’s influence in the life of a leader, both fear of God and of man.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Proper Fear<\/b><\/p>\n

In the book’s first section, Cook and Parker offer a blueprint for leadership, with the only true foundation being a proper Fear of God.\u00a0 Once the foundation is established, they seek to show how the foundational fear of the Lord supports pillars of leadership, which they identify as integrity, wisdom, zeal, family leadership, justice, and sacrificial service.[3]<\/span>\u00a0 They clarify that the Fear of God is not merely about being afraid of Him, nor is it just an outdated concept from the Old Testament. Instead, the awe of God drives one toward faithful obedience.\u00a0 They describe this awe as \u201cTrembling deeply before God’s glory and walking humbly in His ways.\u201d[4]<\/span> This awe creates an awareness of one\u2019s smallness and cultivates a posture of humility before God and others.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider the scene described in Isaiah 6:1-6, where the prophet sees the Lord seated on His throne, high and exalted, with a temple filled with His robe. The atmosphere is filled with smoke, and the voices of the seraphim resound, declaring God’s holiness. In response, Isaiah cries out, “Woe is me! For I am lost; I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”When the Lord cleanses and calls him to go, Isaiah\u2019s ready response is likely familiar to us all, \u201cHere I am, Lord, send me!\u201d\u00a0 Cook and Parker argue that fearing God emphasizes a deep respect and reverence that can guide leaders in decision-making and moral integrity. This aligns with Simon Walker’s idea of the undefended leader, who embodies authenticity and vulnerability.[5]<\/span>\u00a0 Walker\u2019s front-stage and back-stage metaphor highlights that influential leaders must balance their public image with their true selves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A leader who fears God, as described by Cook and Parker, tends to lead with humility and accountability, effectively aligning these two essential aspects of leadership. This leader is convinced of two key attributes of God: His omniscience and omnipotence. The fear of God serves as a sobering reminder, especially when considering the behind-the-scenes reality for every leader\u2014that we are fully transparent before God.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Improper Fear<\/b><\/p>\n

Another area of exploration for Cook and Parker that aligns with Walker\u2019s concept of the undefended leader.\u00a0 They all show how Fear of Man, often manifesting as a desire for people\u2019s approval, is a struggle for many leaders.\u00a0 As Walker clearly points out, a fear of man frequently leads to a defended leadership stance.[6]<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cook and Parker emphasize that healthy leadership leads to human flourishing and is built on a solid foundation: fear of God. Those who base their leadership on the fear of others will eventually see it collapse. The words of late 19th-century Anglican Bishop J.C. Ryle are crucial for this discussion.<\/span><\/p>\n

We must supplant the fear of man by a higher and more powerful principle-the fear of God. We must look away from those who can only hurt the body\u2014 to Him who has all dominion over the soul. We must turn our eyes from those who can only injure us in the life that now is\u2014to Him who can condemn us to eternal misery in the future. Armed with this mighty principle, we shall not play the coward. Seeing invisible Him, we shall find the lesser fear melting away before the greater and the weaker fear before the stronger.[7]<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

______________________________________________<\/p>\n

[1] David M. Cook and Shane W. Parker,<\/span> Leading From the Foundation Up: How Fearing God Builds Stronger Leaders<\/span><\/i>, (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2023).<\/span><\/p>\n

[2] Cook and Parker, <\/span>Leading From the Foundation Up<\/span><\/i>, xi.<\/span><\/p>\n

[3] Cook and Parker, <\/span>Leading From the Foundation Up<\/span><\/i>, xvi.<\/span><\/p>\n

[4] Cook and Parker, <\/span>Leading From the Foundation Up<\/span><\/i>, 17.<\/span><\/p>\n

[5] \u00a0Simon Walker, <\/span>The Undefended Leader<\/span><\/i>, (Piquant Editions, 2010).<\/span><\/p>\n

[6] Simon Walker, <\/span>The Undefended Leader.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

[7] J.C. Ryle, <\/span>Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Luke,<\/span><\/i> (New York: Robert Carter, 1875), 60.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I didn\u2019t realize how personal this would become. Over the years, I have seen and read about many leaders publicly addressing their \u201cmoral indiscretions.\u201d From a distance, I’ve watched as greed, pride, impurity, and sexual immorality disrupt and damage families, churches, and communities. However, when I received a letter implicating one of my friends and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":194,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3344],"class_list":["post-39247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-cookparker-dlgp03","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/194"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39247"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39252,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39247\/revisions\/39252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}