Dr. Donald Whitney, who has been teaching Spiritual Disciplines at Midwester for many years now, and is one of the most phenomenal writers and thinkers in the area of Spiritual Disciplines out there today, left Midwestern last week to go teach at Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. I certainly understand Dr. Whitney’s pull to Southern, I was accepted there and almost went there myself, but it’s beginning to get frustrating to me that some of the really good theological minds that we’ve had at Midwestern keep leaving and going to “greener pastures.” Last year it was Malcom Yarnell, who has a M.Div from Southwestern, a M.Th. from Duke U. and a Ph.D. from Oxford, who left and went to be the head of the new theological think tank at Southwestern.

I think the frustrating thing for me, and others, is that so many of our teachers preach consistency, tenure, etc. to us and then seem to jump to bigger, better pastures when given the first opportunity. I want badly to stay at my church for years, if God will allow, and grow a powerful work in that place that is currently small. That’s what I’ve been taught, and I think that’s the best route, personally, yet all of our teachers seem to do the opposite. (That is except for the occasional Dr. Lee)

I should say that I’m not bashing these guys that have left because I’m sure that they have listened for God’s voice, but when are we going to find people willing to “stick it out” and watch God move where they’re at, rather than just move on to someplace where God has already worked? No wonder the average tenure for SBC pastors is now around 18 months and no wonder our small SBC churches continue to stay small. Oh well, I guess………………