Page 7 - 2023 March-April Newsletter

Dairy Husbandry. That was 1978 - now the college turned university calls it Dairy
Science. But as the word husbandry implies, it’s all about caring and nurturing.
Those of us in pastoral roles are “husbands” (sorry for the gender specific termi-

nology). Not that we should think we’re married to the church (in spite of the be-
lief of some church members). Rather that we should see our call to “feed my
sheep” similarly to Paul’s admonition in Ephesians 5 for husbands to love their
wives as Christ loved the church. The call is to care for people in such a way as Je-
sus shared His life - with peace, simplicity and yes, sacrifice. At the top of the list
of emphases at the Great Lakes Bible School (GLBS) is the concept of servant
leadership. Within the context of GLBS, it hasn’t been a particular challenge to
teach. We are, after all, a Brethren institution. Stratification of sociological castes
is, at least in theory, at the heart of who we are. There has been though, over the
years, attempts to delineate a system of hierarchy in the church with clergy on the

higher level, along with a subtle put-down of the laity. In opposition to this there
have been those that want to bring the church leadership down a notch or two. The-
ologian Elton Trueblood wrote that our goal should not be to bring the clergy down
to the level of the laity, but to elevate the laity to the level of the clergy. In his
words, the abolition of the laity. The goal of the servant leader, it would seem,
should be to provide teaching, nurturing, and encouragement to the church. Didn’t
someone once say something about the priesthood of all believers? The church is

not a barn full of sheep destined for the slaughterhouse. We are Christ’s chosen
people. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of
his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you
out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you
are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received
mercy.” I Peter 2:9-10 ESV The “prosperity” preachers that I find popping up
around these parts are building a house on a very sandy surface. Some of them,
having a bit of charisma, will do fairly well - for a time at least. I have a namesake