
By John McIntosh
Editor’s Note: As the 2008-2009 moderator of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, John McIntosh is challenging the fellowship to consider the leaders of tomorrow. What is our legacy as a group of churches? John has been pastor of the Simi Valley Grace Brethren Church in California since 1983. A native of Sunnyside, Wash., he is a graduate of Grace College and Grace Theological Seminary. In 2004, he was recognized as Pastor of the Year by the Association of Grace Brethren Ministers.
The one quality that stands head and shoulders above all else in selecting people to serve the Lord in a legacy position is faithfulness. It isn’t IQ, popularity, or title in the church. It is faithfulness or trustworthiness. A faithful person is one who can be trusted to carry out his commitments. When the Apostle Paul charged Timothy to select the people who would carry out the ministry in the future, he was to select “faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2b). They were proven men who demonstrated a consistent pattern of doing what they said that they would do.