A leading Alabama Baptist admitted recently he’s “often felt overwhelmed, but God has been faithful.”

Speaking at the final Intentional Leader event of 2026, Kevin Blackwell told the Sept. 15 audience, “I imagine many of you in this room arrived to find some surprises the search committee didn’t tell you about.”

Blackwell — executive director of the Mobile Baptist Network and special assistant to the president for institutional relations and assistant professor in the school of Christian studies at the University of Mobile — said strategic vision is a component of effective leadership.

“Many church members can’t answer the question, ‘What is God’s preferred vision for this church?’” he said. 

Where vision begins

“Vision begins with the pastor. What is God baking in your heart?” Blackwell asked. “You are the shepherd who leads the church down new paths to greener pastures. We can’t be comfortable with the ways things are but must constantly seek what kind of church God wants us to be.”

Blackwell defined a church needing a “new pathway” as one that has experienced plateau or decline for at least three consecutive years.

“Many churches are maintaining ministry rather than pursuing mission,” he declared. “In these churches, few are talking about the future of the church, ministries work independently of one another, and the congregation has lost expectancy. The church’s rearview mirror has become larger than the windshield.”

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This article was originally published at TheAlabamaBaptist.org.