People sometimes ask, “What’s your leadership style?” Typically, I respond by saying, “I have no style.” The question is legitimate, but the responses are elusive. The question wants an answer from a leadership book, is looking for a leadership method, or wants to hear a leadership mantra. But I’m not a leadership style guy. I learned leadership at Northern Frontier.
My father sent me to Northern Frontier in 1970 because he trusted men who trusted the Lord Jesus Christ and had dedicated their lives to working with young men to forge Biblical leadership in us. Men like Capt. Bruce Baker and Capt. Mickey Sammons expected that the Lord would do great things in our lives as they led us through Scripture and challenged us with leadership responsibilities. They knew young men could grow into godly men with strong support and the Lord’s guidance.
Northern Frontier is a laboratory for godly Christian leadership because at NF we expect that young men can actually be “bright and keen for Christ” inside and out. We understand that the Lord expects more of us than the world and that He can equip young men to accomplish great things for Him.
I was so deeply blessed to be at camp late this summer at The Forge men’s retreat. The greatest blessing was to once again experience the unusual quality of the young men who served as NF staffers through the summer—serving and leading with quiet intensity, a great sense of humor, and real joy in their work. It’s Northern Frontier, I explained to my son-in-law, where the Lord begins building the high-performance, low-maintenance men He uses to advance His gospel work in every generation. What a wonderful Lord we serve! Because boys will be men.