by Isaac A. Wright II — As we stand on the eve of the transition of leadership at Greater Lakeview M.B. Church that has been under the watch of Pastor Joe E. Hayes Sr for the last 45 years, I can’t help but to think about the last time the church went through a leadership change. It was 45 years ago and one result of the pastoral selection was a split of the church.
Part of the original Greater Lakeview Church became a whole new church because of a difference in choices. Not that the split was right or wrong, my desire for the transition is for history to not repeat itself.
So Pastor Hayes and I prayed and worked tirelessly to set a vision that would keep the church strong, unified and moving forward. I am associate minister and our vision for 2020 is Focusing on the Future God has for Greater Lakeview. It’s a vision that’s not about what some people desire, it’s a vision that all believers can rally behind.
We hosted a 2020 Vision Leadership Paint Party this past weekend, which was a mixture of a team building, goal setting, food and painting. We used Amos 3:3 as our launching pad, focusing on our commonalities verses our differences to preserve the unity. It’s my assessment that even when there is a change at the top, that the core leadership or the middle ministry leaders are the individuals that will keep things going.
What we learned is that although we are different, when it gets down to what really matters, we’re the same. We’re just different people, from different backgrounds, working in different ministries, through different methods trying to point people to the cross!
We have to humble ourselves and exalt Christ so we can focus on the future God has for this church.
