Name: Randy Millwood
Hometown: Owings Mills, MD (From ATL, GA, originally – long, circular route to find ‘home’ in the Mid-Atlantic)
What I teach at Rockbridge Seminary: Students! [Seriously, I work with our 'fellowship' department courses, and lead the small groups course]
My family: Adele (my administrative assistant, ministry partner, high school sweetheart, best friend and wife of 33+ years); 2 adult sons (Josh and Caleb) – both married to our ‘daughters-in-life’ (Josh to Elena and Caleb to Abigail). Caleb and Abigail are the parents of our first grandchild (a boy named Axel) and Josh and Elena are expecting our 2nd (a girl to be named KayLee… at least for now). We also cater to the needs of one old, spoiled Corgi.
My church: Horizon Church… a 7 year old congregation reaching, largely, 20 and 30-somethings in the burbs of Baltimore.
My ministry: In addition to working with RS, I am a coach/friend to leaders of churches in the ‘Baptist’ tradition, affiliated with the Baptist Convention of Maryland & Delaware. I work with those pastors/staffers in areas such as the nurture and care of their own souls, the development of ‘team’ strategies/equipping those teams, and continuing education. I also come alongside of their churches to encourage and offer assistance with relational spiritual formation designs and small group (off-campus) ministries. In my Church, Adele/I have been serving as small group leaders.
One word that describes me: oxymoron
In my spare time: I watch/follow major league baseball, count the days from taking down Christmas decorations until I can put them back up again, love a good wooden roller coaster, and dance around the house to virtually all forms of music. I am learning ways to use Twitter these days, and am a plodder when it comes to reading… but I plod along!
Favorite Bible verse: That is very dynamic, but right now I’m spending lots of time around the implications of John 14:26 — “But when the Father sends the Advocate (counselor) as my representative — that is, the Holy Spirit, HE will teach you everything and HE will remind you of everything I have told you.”
Spiritual hero: Barnabas (hands down)
Vision: I want to help… to help pastoral leaders find rhythm that recognizes the Voice of God, and courage to follow Him… to help churches think more organically and missionally rather than always ‘counting’ and ‘gathering’… I want to help.
Why I teach for Rockbridge Seminary: The RS strategy builds indigenous leaders for local churches… it provides a way for people who submit life to God in Christ to rise up through a local churches discipling strategies to own the vision of that Church – to equip their friends, neighbors, work associates and family members. I like that! The strategy is also built around solid adult learning pathways (the focus of my own personal study has been in adult learning and so few schools equip men/women for ministry informed by such). Third, mentorship and practice are weaved into every course… that means holistic growth rather than one sided growth. Finally, the peer learning community, born out of common reading and dynamic dialog, meets the Holy Spirit in His role as ‘Teacher’. Fantastic! Who wouldn’t want to be part of something like that?!
What I like most about Rockbridge Seminary: I am constantly surprised with the depth of relationships that are formed in these online courses and the power of lessons discovered (rather than ‘told’) through the dialogs. Students from all over the world wade out into confessional living and challenging learning dialogs and then carry those practices into their congregations. This cannot help but impact the health of those local churches. Anything that is so ‘Bride-building’ is a good way to invest life.
Related posts:
follow us on Twitter
Brad Mudgett said...
October 5, 2009
Greetings Dr. Millwood:
Good to read your Bio and learn about your ministry. My wife and I have had the most unusual working life one could imagine; working at the same corporation for 20+ years and now in ministry together.
Not sure if this is an applicable question in your area of interest and expertise, but here it goes: My wife and I are on staff in the Pastoral Care department of CBC in San Antonio. Recently, our department head has asked us to develop a leadership developmental program. I believe we currently do a good job of training and taking care of our leaders, but we want to take it to the next level. Some of the topics we have thought of include servant leadership, speech 101, need to take care of yourself & family and spiritual formation.
It seems like it would be a two side program; how to be an effective leader and to grow spiritual on a personal basis. Do you have any suggestions or thoughts?
Brad Mudgett
Completing 9th in MDIV
Randy Millwood said...
October 5, 2009
Brad:
It’s great to work with your wife, isn’t it? Adele and I have served together in a variety of places/roles for decades and wouldn’t give anything for the experience.
Your comments about the two-sided program is a good observation. In my current work in leadership development we actually use a 3-legged stool approach (with throw pillows all around!). Let me explain:
The three legs we keep addressing repeatedly are (1) skill development; (2) self awareness; and (3) soul care. We roll in/out of different resources, but choose them based on these 3 clements. Now, I’m ‘Hebrew’ enough (or so-little Greek) that I think more in terms of the whole person than these various parts. But, resource writers don’t always develop things that way. So, we insert spiritual exercises (soul care) into the other 2 categories as a ‘must have’ (at least trying to keep people from thinking of their soul as a separate part of their whole).
The three legs imply that participants have some degree of health. But we all know that leaders, whoever they are, sometimes face crises of all kinds. The throw pillows I mentioned are responses to those crises… counseling services, family support, etc. They are always available to catch folks when they fall, but are not designed as part of our on-going development strategy.
Peace.
randy
Brad Mudgett said...
October 5, 2009
Thanks Doc:
Excellent, I like the three legged stool approach w/pillows. I’ll share this with Marguerite. She is a visionary, so she probably run with the concept.
Larry Baxter said...
November 1, 2009
Thanks for introducing yourself on Meet a Rock’r, Randy! I really enjoyed your Rockbridge class on Building a Small Group Ministry. So, you’re starting to learn about Twitter? What’s your username there? I’m @ltbaxter
Randy Millwood said...
November 2, 2009
Hello Larry!
Great to hear from you, my friend. I hope all continues well on your journey with Jesus, including that part that is RS…
As to my Twitter deal? Well, I’ve bought into the notion of using the service, but I’m not yet totally into the complete social network deal. [That means I've found a way to use Twitter, missionally, without letting people know I'm clipping my toenails right now
]
One passion of mine is spiritual formation for people who are in some form of pastoral ministry. So, I send out (3, sometimes 4 times a month) short ‘Sabbath-Tweets’… a spiritual exercise idea for the day (sometime for the moment). And that’s the only way I’m using it right now.
The account is RestoreMySoul.
See you on the virtual super highway!!
randy
Scott McNeal said...
November 3, 2009
Rev Millwood
Hmmm…let’s see. September 1987. Adult Education course at NOBTS. I did a paper on Polly Cooper’s How to Guide Adults. In the paper I referred to the author as “Polly.” You busted me! Make for a great story 20+ years later.
Still can’t handle redbeans and rice. Too much gas. Can I say that on a blog?
Press on….
Keith Lowry said...
November 1, 2010
Well, well, well, but can he TEACH? Time will tell, I suppose! I’ll have to see him in action…
Hope to hear from you soon, Dr. M!