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Churches Need Bellwethers
By Ken Horn | February 7, 2008
In the recent primaries, the state I live in, Missouri, was repeated described as a “bellwether state,” because it has picked the winner of every presidential election except one in the past 100 years. (That was in 1956, when Dwight Eisenhower topped Adlai Stevenson.)
But the question left ringing in the minds of countless Americans is this: What exactly is a bellwether anyway?
The word bellwether comes through Middle English from the practice of belling the leader of a flock, thus it is the leading sheep of a flock or one who takes the lead or initiative.
Churches need bellwethers … lay leaders who take initiative in starting and/or leading ministries or projects.
Pastors are shepherds. Unfortunately, churches today have largely fallen into the trap of leaving all the leadership up to the shepherds. But sheep also follow other sheep … the bellwethers of the flock.
I wonder how many potential bellwethers are stuck somewhere in the middle of the flock.
People need to be willing to serve and church leadership needs to give out some bells to sheep who could lead the way. Successful churches find ways to find and involve lay leaders.
Because churches need bellwethers.
Ken Horn
Topics: Christian living |
