Russell Young: The Real "Most Interesting Man In The World"

I have fond memories of many preachers, living and dead, but elders have been some of my best friends.  On Friday, I received word that one of the first two elders to shepherd me as a full-time preacher died of a sudden heart attack on Friday, April 26.  He was 91.

Perhaps I have never met a more diverse and interesting man in my life.  He knew John Wayne and was friends with Alvin York.  He did archaeological work, and some of his finds are housed at the University of Tennessee.  He was Tennessee's middleweight boxing champion in his youth.  He ate lunch with J. Edgar Hoover and assisted him on numerous classified projects.  He was extremely well-read and as good a historian as any I have met.  He was manager of government communications in Washington, D.C., a post that helped him to meet and work with eight presidents (Kennedy-Bush I). He was a veteran of World War II and Korea, serving in both the U.S. and Australian armies in WWII and as a marine in Korea.  He fought in the Pacific theatre and spent time as a prisoner of war. In his career at AT&T, he helped to avert at least one serious international crisis with the Soviet Union.  He authored a book on the history of AT&T.  Truly, this just scratches the surface of his achievements in the world.

But, I did not get to see him in these venues.  He regaled me with story after story the first five years I worked as the preacher for the Cold Harbor Road church of Christ in Virginia, about some of these incidents, but I knew him as my elder, a man for whom and with whom I worked in Christ's vineyard.  His influence in the community led him to study with a man from whose conversion literally dozens more have come.  I sat in with him on other successful Bible studies.  He had a rare ability to plainly tell Bible truth to people in a way that convicted and persuaded, rather than angered, them.  He knew the flock.  He gently corrected those members in error and led them back home.  He led the congregation to lovingly, consistently practice church discipline.  He counseled with Christians and non-Christians.  He and Ann were as benevolent and giving as any couple I have known--who knows how many people they helped.  They were neither afraid of nor strangers to hard work, from work days to cleaning the baptistry monthly to helping the elderly and the sick.  If he ever missed a major surgery of a member, I cannot recall it.  He had boundless energy which he apparently used non-stop to the very end.  He established congregations in Australia and Virginia, and he was a major force behind the early growth of the Cold Harbor congregation. He served as an elder in at least two congregations.  

Russell Young was a Renaissance Man in the noblest sense of the word.  He symbolized what made his the "greatest generation."  But, he challenges us with his example.  If a country boy from the Sequatchie Valley of Tennessee could achieve so much in a long, full life, what about you and me?  The church can have great and numerous leaders to guide it to great heights, if there is a will within the men among us.  For now, those of us who knew Russell will long for the endless day of reunion with him in heaven!  Praise God for "mighty men" like Russell Young!

Leaders Who Hide Sin

There are few things as sickening as a person who molests and sexually abuses others, especially children.  Names that likely come to mind of those who have done such things are Jerry Sandusky (45 victims) and Jimmy Savile (589 alleged victims).  More recently there have been additional allegations against the Catholic Church and even more priests who have been found guilty of sexual abuse.  While these types of people are exceedingly disturbing all by themselves, something that makes these situations beyond detestable are the people in leadership positions who knew about them and still let these vile acts continue.

With Sandusky, it was the leadership of Penn State who turned a blind eye.  With Savile, there is no telling how many people looked the other way to allow nearly 600 people to be sexually abused.  Most recently, the leaders of the Catholic Church in California were found to have “maneuvered behind the scenes to shield molester priests, provide damage control for the church and keep parishioners in the dark, according to church personnel files” (NBCnews.com).

Just like everything else in the world, there are good and bad leaders.  In general, leaders are supposed to stand above the rest as good examples.  They are supposed to be people who are trustworthy, hard working, and inspire others to success.  It is so discouraging to hear of leaders who are willing to hide others’ sins.

More than ever before, we need leaders in the church and in the world who are moral and spiritual.  We need leaders who meet the expectations given in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1-2 of church leaders.  We need leaders who hate evil and cling to what is good (Romans 12:9).  We need leaders who are good examples of faith, purity, speech, integrity, self-control, responsibility, and love.  We need leaders who will stand for the truth and expose evil.

So, what can we do about all of this?  Here are a few suggestions.  (1) Don’t follow leaders who hide others’ sins or their own.  Leaders become obsolete without followers.  (2) Support and encourage leaders who stand up for what is right and meet the qualities listed above.  We don’t edify good leaders nearly enough.  (3) Stand up for what is right; be a leader through your own good example. (4) Most importantly of all, let’s pray that God provides us with godly leaders, and pray especially for the ones who already are!

Not Your Typical Leader

 

I came across an author who made an interesting contrast between who Christ was as opposed to how others thought He would be.

“A Roman leader would have ridden in a chariot pulled by magnificent white stallions--Jesus entered the city on a donkey, and a borrowed one!

A political leader would have been surrounded by security guards who would have kept crowds from close physical contact to prevent any personal harm to him--Jesus was surrounded by his disciples representing many walks of life and rode into the midst of the people, almost at their height.

A military leader would have galloped along the road, passing the crowds with perhaps a wave of the hand or a nod of the head if there were any recognition at all--Jesus on a donkey moved slowly with the people, accompanying the people, as well as accompanied by the people.

A religious leader in traditional, appropriate priestly robes would have moved sedately through the crowds surrounded by an orderly contingency of other religious leaders who would've prevented anyone who was unclean from touching him--Jesus, dressed in his usual attire, moved humbly through the crowds, surrounded by his diverse band of disciples, not shrinking from the touch of anyone.”

(Ruth Daugherty, Issues Of Leadership Into The 21st Century, Viewpoint, Summer 1991, p. 2).

Jesus certainly was not the expected or stereotypical leader.  Jesus spent His entire ministry telling His disciples and convincing others that He was not going to be the earthly leader they wanted.  Jesus wasn’t the typical leader, and as a result, neither was His kingdom.  In John 18:38, Jesus said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.  If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

Jesus certainly didn’t fill the expected mold of a king in most people’s eyes.  Despite all of this, Christ became a king that was far beyond all we could have asked for.  He is perfectly loving, forgiving, and kind.  He takes care of us and protects us from the internal enemy of sin.  He was a king who was willing to die for you and me.  He is preparing us a heavenly kingdom filled with supreme peace and happiness.  No, Jesus wasn’t the typical leader, and we should praise God that He wasn’t.  What a magnificent heavenly King we serve!

An 11-Year-Old Ordained Minister

 

How would you feel if an 11-year-old became a preacher for your congregation?  On May 6, the Fullness of Time Pentecostal Church in Temple Hills, MD ordained 11-year-old Ezekiel Stoddard as a minister (where is parents are both ministers as well).  According to Ezekiel, he was motivated to become a minister when God came to him in a dream and told him to read Psalm 23.  In this congregation, Ezekiel preaching the 11 AM services each week.

Reading about this story brings both negative and positive feelings.  On the negative side, it is unwise and ridiculous to put an 11-year-old in charge of preaching to the souls of a congregation.  How would you feel if an 11-year-old surgeon, lawyer, police officer, or firefighter walked through the door to help you?  Someone of this age may not even be accountable for his sins before God yet, let alone ready to lead a congregation.  There are just some positions in this world that require a higher level of maturity, knowledge, training, and experience.  Church leadership is one of these positions.  Surely there are several other negatives we could point out as well (like his alleged “dream from God).

On the positive side, this is all about developing leadership.  Even though they are going about it all wrong, their intentions are admirable.  They are trying to ensure strong leadership for the future.  We have the same struggle in our congregations as well.  Good, sound leadership is becoming uncommon in the Lord’s Church today.  Many congregations are struggling without qualified elders and deacons, and may go for years without a preacher.  Why is this happening?  Because many congregations are not training and encouraging young people to be leaders.

For this reason, I have come to realize one more of the many reasons I am blessed to be part of this congregation.  We have taken considerable steps into training men and women to become leaders and active members in the church.  Some of our works include:

Young Lions (2-6 grades): Our young boys are taught the fundamentals of public speaking and trained how to publically read Scripture, lead singing, lead prayers, and even prepare a short sermon.

God’s Precious Daughters (2-6 grades): Our young girls are taught what Christian women do.  They are taught about being a servant, hospitality, and other godly attributes.  They participate in service projects, visiting shut-ins and the elderly, preparing meals, writing encouraging letters, as well as planning the annual Ladies Tea and devotional.

Future Preacher’s Training Camp (Ages 13-18):  Young men from all over the US come for a week of spiritual training.  They prepare sermons, devotionals, and engage in many leadership and character building activities.  The goal is to teach and encourage these young men to become preachers, teachers, and leaders in church. 

Higher Ground Girls Camp (Ages 13-18):  Teen girls from all over the US come for a week of spiritual teaching and fellowship.  There is a strong emphasis on teaching the girls how to better study their Bibles.  They are also taught qualities of Christian women and how to be active in their congregations.

Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver:  BVBID is an incredibly intense two-year college program dedicated to training men and women for full time ministry.  The goal is to ground faithful men in God’s word and prepare them to preach, teach, and become leaders in the church.

Please understand that the list above is not given in a boastful, prideful, or arrogant way.  All that is done is for the glory of God.  Beyond this, many of these ideas are not original with us but created by others.  However, I wanted to share them so that you too can use these works, or other great ideas you might have, and implement them in your congregations.

One of the greatest leaders to ever live was Moses.  Moses took huge steps to ensure that a great leader would follow after him (Deuteronomy 34; Joshua 1).  As a result, Joshua also became an incredible leader in Israel and brought the nation into the Promise Land.  We too must take action and build up tomorrow’s leaders.  What steps are you taking to grow and train the next generation of leaders?