Outgoing Mission Society President: I Serve Jesus Christ Rather Than People, Community (Pt. 1)

Rev. Dick McClain Reflects Keys to Fruitful Ministry

By Dick McClain, CP Guest Contributor Tuesday, June 03, 2014

The Rev. Dick McClain is outgoing president of The Mission Society (www.themissionsociety.org, a full-spectrum missions sending agency based in Norcross, Ga). McClain's reflections will be followed by a column from incoming President Max Wilkins.

I am a MK (missionary kid), and one thing that MKs do is move. Prior to joining The Mission Society (www.themissionsociety.org) in June 1986, I had never lived in one location for more than six years at any one time. So it never occurred to me that 28 years later I would still be with The Mission Society.

With my retirement (whatever that is) last week, I've had occasion to reflect on some of the things I've learned over these years, and especially during the past five years, when I've had the privilege of serving as the organization's president.

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When I first joined The Mission Society, it was in response to a clear call from God. Granted, as a follower of Jesus, my first "calling" was simply to follow Him. But I was confident that Jesus had called me to follow Him to The Mission Society. Over the years, I've had the privilege of leading several ministry areas within The Mission Society before accepting my final assignment as president and CEO. Each new assignment came as a result of an unmistakable conviction that God was calling me to undertake the new responsibility. It's been vital for me to know that God had called me to do what I was doing.

Closely related to that has been the conviction that at the end of the day, it was not first and foremost our missionaries, our staff or board, or even our donors whom I was serving, but Christ. As a young boy I adopted Colossians 3:23-24 as my life verse: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (NIV) Only later would I discover that the only way I could sustain a life of service to others was by understanding that I only served them secondarily; that my first service was to Christ.

Years ago during a particularly difficult season in pastoral ministry, my wife, Pam, and I wondered whether what we were going through was "worth it." It was liberating to conclude that we didn't have to determine the answer to that question. The only thing we needed to know was whether or not God was calling us in that moment to that ministry. Knowing that He was, I could carry on with joy because doing so was an act of service to Jesus. If my primary service had been to people rather than to the Lord, I might have quit.

I've also discovered along the way that the community of which I have been part is of utmost importance and value. People tend to give me credit for the progress The Mission Society has made during my tenure as president. But the truth is that most of the credit belongs to the team (including the missionaries) with whom I work, and not to me. I learned a long time ago that if something didn't work or didn't go well, the responsibility was mine as the leader. Conversely, when things succeeded, the credit rightly belonged to others. "Responsibility goes up; credit goes down." I've tried to live by that maxim, first, because it's true, and second, because it's one of the best ways I know to build a strong, healthy, loyal team.

Finally, my confidence in both the sovereignty and the faithfulness of God is stronger today than ever. The only way I can account for the blessing and the fruitfulness that I've experienced along the way is that God chose to manifest Himself among us, and remained faithful to us even when we were not fully faithful to Him.

I leave The Mission Society with deep gratitude for the privilege of having served with this amazing community of Jesus followers, and humble gratitude that God has seen fit to bring to the president's office Max Wilkins, our new leader. He is a great man of God. Throw him into the mix of the team called The Mission Society, and there's no telling what God might do.