Champions Fax Archive

Editor's note: Please forgive the personal nature of this fax. It is not often that one Church Champion will have so much influence on others. Dave Travis

Last week I attended the memorial service for Larry Rose, a model Church Champion and friend to Leadership Network. For eight years until his tragic death last week, Larry served as Director of Missions for the Tarrant Baptist Association (SBC) based in Fort Worth, TX. He was instrumental in proposing the idea of the Church Champions Network long before I joined the staff of Leadership Network three years ago. Those who attended his memorial service heard from his friends, family, denominational leaders, and the pastors in his area as well as from his staff. Here are my reflections on the qualities that made Larry Rose a model for other Church Champions.

1. He was an encourager of pastors. Several pastors mentioned that Larry was a trusted friend and confidant. He had a way of bringing out the best in pastors and encouraging them to do more than they thought possible by walking alongside them and telling them to "Go For It." One pastor observed that "it is hard to be zealous for another person's agenda, but Larry did that." Many mentioned his long arms that consistently encircled his friends with hugs and his numerous acts of hospitality.

2. He was an innovator. Larry's background and experience had taught him that breakthroughs happen because of innovation. He brought new ideas and strategies to each organization he served throughout his forty years of ministry. He cast a vision for innovation and brought innovative leaders from outside his area and tradition to the organizations he led. He developed area wide conferences to promote church innovation and he not only introduced his own innovations, but also championed other innovators. "He stepped out to support me one time when everyone else thought I was crazy," was a theme repeated by many who spoke.

3. He had a bent towards growth. Larry was not content with maintaining what was or what had been. Many Church Champions might have felt that an area like Fort Worth had enough Southern Baptist Churches but Larry didn't see it that way. When he arrived, the Association had 179 churches and 100 mission points. Today, it has 211 churches and 394 mission points. Larry constantly cast the vision that growth was possible in new churches, older churches and mission out posts.

4. He was a team builder, not a solo performer. He developed a strong staff. Many were already on the staff when he came to the job. He worked with them to develop new strategies for the work and their own personal development. His staff expressed that Larry was a true servant leader and cheerleader for them and their work.

5. He was willing to learn from others. Larry helped bring many top-quality training programs from outside his denominational tradition to serve the churches in his area. He also became certified to facilitate workshops from corporate training companies to bring the best learnings from these organizations into the church's life. He helped establish networks of peers to learn from one another. He often told me, "It's a big world out there and we need to learn all we can to help build the Kingdom."

6. He had a global/local view. Larry was not just content to grow the home base in Fort Worth. He had a passion for the entire world. The association established interconnections through their San Francisco and China partnerships. He knew that we live in a global world now and that we must not only help these areas but learn, as well, from these different contexts.

I am confident there are many model Church Champions in North America that reflect these qualities and others. I hope those of you in the Church Champions Network will encourage others as Larry did and "Go For It" in the coming days.