Staying the Course: Fifteen Leaders Survey Their Past and Envision the Future of Churches of Christ

Description

In thriving churches, the leadership would include ministers, but also might include medical doctors, attorneys, business men and women, teachers, carpenters, judges, accountants, nurses, bakers, and so on.

For three years, the Thomas H. Olbricht Christian Scholars’ Conference undertook to ask fifteen well-respected senior leaders in the Churches of Christ to tell their own stories of their history into positions of leadership and influence.  Each was also asked to articulate his or her vision for the future of Churches of Christ. All authors are beyond age seventy, all have terminal degrees in their field, and all have stayed within the fellowship of Churches of Christ.  They include Fred D. Gray, Carolyn Hunter, Lynn Anderson, John T. Willis, and eleven others.

These essays witness to the shaping work of God in the lives of notable church leaders, and perhaps also give hope to the readers for seeing God’s work in their own lives.

Thomas H. Olbricht was born in Thayer, Missouri.  He was educated at Harding and Northern Illinois Universities.  He was awarded graduate degrees at the University of Iowa and Harvard Divinity School.  He has taught at Iowa, Harding, the University of Dubuque, Penn State, Abilene Christian, and Pepperdine.  He has taught as an adjunct at Lipscomb University, The Institute of Theology and Christian Ministry in St. Petersburg, Russia, Great Commission School in Nairobi, Kenya, Bible School in Marseilles, France, and South Pacific Bible College in Tauranga, New Zealand.  He has written or co-edited thirty books counting a few soon to be in print.  He has served as a minister in DeKalb, IL, Iowa City, IA, Monticello, AR, Natick, MA, State College, PA, and Derry, NH, and preached from over 250 pulpits throughout the world.  He and Dorothy have been married 68 years.  They have five children, twelve grand children and 5 great grand children.  They live in Boulders, a retirement community in Exeter, NH.

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