(Friday Church News Notes, September 5, 2025, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – 

It has been said that everything rises and falls on leadership, and this is difficult to gainsay. Where are those strong churches that lack strong, godly, biblical pastoral leadership? Scripture emphasizes this with not one but three lesson-packed epistles devoted to the training of pastors and preachers (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus), plus Paul’s amazing message to the elders of Ephesus (Acts 20:17-35).

 God give us men the time demands;
 Strong minds, great hearts, true faith, willing hands;
 Men whom the lust of office does not kill,
 Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy,
 Men who possess convictions and a will:
 Men who have honor; men who will not lie.
 Men who can stand before a demagogue,
 And condemn his treacherous flatteries without winking:
 Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog,
 In public duty and in private thinking.
 For while the rabble with their thumb-worn creeds,
 Their large profession and their little deeds,
 Mingle in selfish strife, Lo! Freedom weeps,
 Wrong rules the land, and waiting Justice sleeps.
  –Josiah Holland (1819-1881)