Elliot Ku

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary celebrated Dr Al Mohler’s 30th year as president this week.

Now, the Southern Baptists have come under fire recently. And a lot of people have strong opinions about Al Mohler. But putting all of that aside, I just think it’s worth pausing and recognising what an incredible feat it is for a person to serve the same institution for 30 years and bring about the sort of change they’ve seen through these 3 decades.

So, three reflections for three decades:

1. As SBTS celebrates Dr Mohler’s 30th year, we can see (from pictures) that Al is still looking healthy and strong. After all, he is only 64 years old! This is really exciting to see because this means that God-willing, he’ll have many more years ahead to continue to steer Southern Seminary. He now has more experience, more platform, more resource, more trust, and more credibility than when he started. Join me in praying that he will steward all of this to the glory of God.
2. All of this is possible because he was appointed to the presidency at the age of 34. That’s incredible. An appointment at that (young) age is a symbol of trust and hope. I can’t think of many institutions (and large ones for that matter) that would trust a young (and back then, relatively untested) man for such a big task. But they did. And by God’s grace, it’s bearing fruit. It’s also a willingness to release power and entrust the Gospel to the next generation. Will our churches, denominations, and institutions be known for doing the same? Or will we keep playing it safe? Of course, I’m not advocating for reckless appointment. 1 Timothy 3:6 continues to instruct us on how to appoint leaders. Yet, I think there is a risk for more established denominations (like mine) to see young, creative, and enthusiastic leaders as threats rather than assets. May the Lord raise many more young 30 year olds to bring vitality to our churches and institutions, and young 30 year olds who will do it for at least 30 years.
3. It’s really hard to overstate the value of long term ministry in the same context. Granted, there are always good reasons to move. Sometimes, a ministry could outgrow you and it would be absolutely right for us to get out of the way. And, the saying goes that it is better to leave a year too early than a day too late. I think we’ve all seen ministers who’ve outstayed their assignment. Yet, all things being equal, Mohler (and others) show that faithful, persistent, and steadfast ministry in one place can have a generational impact. I’m entering my 9th year at GracePoint and in many ways, I feel like I’m just getting started.