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Third-person leadership
As Christian leaders in a “me-first” world, we need to put aside our self-interest and focus on God and others.
“My three favorite people are . . . me, myself, and I.”
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Those words are meant as a joke, but maybe you’ve met individuals who seem to think that. They insist on telling others everything they’ve accomplished and how important they are. Call them first-person people, whose self-absorption is a bit annoying.
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Sadly, I don’t have to go far to see someone who acts like his three favorite people are “me, myself, and I.” He shows up each day in the mirror. That self-centeredness, evidence of the sinful nature still clinging to us, stands in opposition to God’s design for our lives.
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The new self the Lord formed within us, however, rejects that first-person emphasis. As God calls us to lead in different aspects of our lives, he invites us to third-person leadership, whereby we focus on the Lord and others rather than “me, myself, and I.”
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The Scriptures are filled with examples of this kind of leadership.
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FIC is attending the leadership conference
Forward in Christ's staff is attending the WELS National Conference on Lutheran Leadership being hosted at the Hilton Chicago this week. We're letting the more than 1,500 attendees know how the magazine can help individuals and congregations.
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Executive Editor James Pope is shown below with our display. Pope enjoys sharing Forward in Christ with congregations across the synod with what we've dubbed as "FIC Sundays." Congregations invite him to preach and present Bible study and he can share more about FIC's ministry. While he's at the conference he's letting attendees know about these FIC Sundays.
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The staff is also catching up with many of FIC's authors. Pictured are Julie Wietzke, FIC's managing editor, and Pope with Jeremiah Gumm, a contributing editor for the "Devotions" column.
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We're also looking for great stories to share in future issues. Julie Wietzke interviewed Angel Otero and Maribel Diaz. Look for their inspiring story this spring.
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The full editorial staff handed out the January issue at conference registration (left to right: Wietzke; Nicole Balza, staff editor; and Pope) and appreciated the opportunity to talk with so many WELS members.
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The response to the Supreme Court’s overturning of its 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion decision in June 2022 has been fierce. There were acts of violence, protests, and determined efforts to challenge any restriction on abortion. Some have even claimed that . . .
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The prophet Jeremiah was witnessing God’s judgment for his people’s sin and rebellion. Even though God had sent prophet after prophet to deliver messages calling on the people of Judah to repent and return to him, they ignored him. Because the people . . .
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Benjamin Foster, a senior at Martin Luther College (MLC), New Ulm, Minn., has been taking organ lessons since he was ten years old. As a parish music/staff ministry major, he is excited to see where the Lord will lead him when he is eligible for his assignment into . . .
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