A. W. Tozer, in his concern for the lack of the right kind of leadership in the church, wrote:
Contributions to nakedpastor are greatly appreciated.Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many), he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. he will contradict, denounce, and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom. Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, blunt-spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the One and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath.
David Hayward is a pastor artistically stripping to the essential.
Tozer can take heart. I have traveled far and long around this world and I have met these men that he was talking (prophesying) about. They have and left an indelible impression on my soul,like a tattoo or a battle scar, and (I think) on everyone else they have met. They are pastors, chaplains, and lay people who change everyone around them by just showing up. Some are writers, some are soldiers, some doctors, and some bloggers, artists, and some are just plain weird, but they are out there and doing real work for the Lord.
that’s really cool to hear chris.
Amen!
Oh! Thats Good!
That’s Chris, because I don’t know of any. I know one who HAS had that impact, but he’s an old man now – Dr. Paisley.
Tozer’s good friend L. Ravenhill was such a man though, and W.P. Nicholson.
Armen, must one leave a book or ministry legacy to have a lasting impact on the world? There is one I know of that didn’t write much, if anything, and had a relatively small circle of influence for a brief time. But He changed the calender and His followers spread to the four corners of the earth. Just a thought.
“He” is just as likely to be someone highly respected who “turns on his fans.”