Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Are you open for Replacement?

Each month I write a column of encouragement or challenge that hopefully is as relevant for you as a reader as it is to me as the writer. This month I simply want to write about the importance of personal replacement. Too many spiritual leaders (Rabbis, Pastors, Missionaries, Elders, Sunday School Teachers, etc…) forget that their primary task is to spiritual impact individuals in such a manner that those impacted individuals become capable of spiritually impacting others. We need to be replicating ourselves as followers of Messiah and as spiritual leaders! In reality, if we are doing our work well, we ultimately are raising up others who will be proficient to take on spiritual leadership, potentially even replacing us in our own positions of leadership.

Now think about this for a moment. How does it feel to understand yourself as replaceable? That might make you feel uncomfortable, but it should make true leaders exhilarated! This is what we see modeled in Scripture, even by our Messiah Yeshua, and it’s certainly the basis for Paul’s words to Timothy:

“And what you have heard from me among many witnesses, entrust to faithful people who will be capable to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2 TLV)

At camp this year both my wife Carla and I played support roles for the first time ever. We saw young people we had mentored and trained up assuming all the key roles of leadership, and they performed those roles very effectively. This is what it means to make talmidim (learners). One of those individuals was Zeke, who right after camp moved from Chicago after 9 months of ministry service to study at graduate school in Israel for the next year. Zeke joins the over two dozen individuals we have had the joy to mentor and train up for spiritual service, most of whom serve G-d outside of Skokie. In making talmidim we must remember that they serve G-d where he wants them, they don’t serve us.

I look forward to being replaced by someone G-d raises up. I hope it’s someone I have mentored, but whoever they are, they will be someone’s talmid for G-d!

Forward for Messiah!

Kirk Gliebe

Rabbi & Director

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