Enduring Values

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ENDURING VALUES 2008

PREFACE

The tone for this 2nd

edition of Enduring Values: A Role for Faculty, was set by theposition paper I wrote on January 18 th. Entitled The Uniqueness of ORU and theSearch for a New President, it contains ideas expressed in my thank you letter to OralRoberts dated March 7, 2007. This paper and letter are the first two documents in thisrevised edition.

When the shaking began at ORU last October, I went back to the original EnduringValues papers and began sharing them with a few colleagues. Encouraged by theirsupport, I began to reprint them. That 1987 Enduring Values publication was inspiredin part by the 1985 Conference on Faculty Excellence and Effective Teaching (now theannual faculty retreat). Two seminal papers from that 1985 conference are thefountainhead for my subsequent writings on ORUs founding values. Verbal Snookwrote about ORUs first 20 years, focusing on the essential need for Relationships .My part followed with a projection for the next 20 years entitled Possessing theLand: The Quest for Excellence. I have moved these core documents from theAddenda to the third and fourth items in this second edition. I believe they provide aroadmap for ORUs future success.

The last item, two visions by David Ford, came during an especially turbulent winter of1990. As John Korstad and I revisited these visions and other writings from thatperiod, John helped formulate a clear vision of what we believe God wants OralRoberts University to be:

A city set on a hill A light to the world

A pure, crystal-clear fountain a well of life-giving water.

I am amazed by the relevance of these earlier documents to our situation today. Ihumbly offer this revised set of papers -- my understanding of our Enduring Values --to all who share the vision and calling from the Holy Spirit to build what truly can becalled, Gods University.

On behalf of our students, Gods precious little lambs,

Nathan Meleen, PH.DProfessor of Earth Science & GeographyOral Roberts UniversityTulsa, Oklahoma 74171 February 2, 2008


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CONTENTS -- 2008

The Uniqueness of ORU and the Search for a New President - - - - - - - - - - 1

Thank you letter to Oral Roberts, dated March 7, 2007 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3

Relationships, by Verbal Snook, ED.D - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7

Possessing the Land: The Quest for Excellence - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9

Letter of transmittal and Abstract for the 1987 Enduring Values paper - - - - - - 14

Part I, 1987 Enduring Values My Vision for ORU Faculty - - - - - - - - - - - - 16

Part II, 1987 Enduring Values The Task Before us- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 21

Addendum No. 2, 1987 Enduring Values -- Oral Roberts remarks to theBoard of Regents about accreditation and the importance of thePrayer Tower, November 21, 1986 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 30

Addendum No. 3 A & B, 1987 Ideas About Our Fundamental Values - - - - - - 35

Addendum No. 4, 1987 Ideas About Our Pastor-Teacher Calling - - - - - - - - 38

Dr. David Fords visions, January 18, 1990 and February 8, 1990 - - - - - - - - 39


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THE UNIQUENESS OF ORUAND THE SEARCH FOR A NEW PRESIDENT

A Position Paper by Nathan Meleen, PH.D.January 18 & 26, 2008

From the beginning I have rejoiced in the involvement of the Green Family. Now thatthe offer of new governance and vital financial help is imminent, why am I so troubled?Change is always difficult, especially for those imprisoned for many years, but more isinvolved here. We now face the possibility that the founding values established by OralRoberts during ORU's first decade will evolve into something different, and that ORUwill become just another Pentecostal Christian university. That possibility haunts me,for I believe ORU is a special jewel in the Kingdom of God, a jewel that if lost would bea colossal tragedy. This is not an attack on the Green family or the new board. It is aplea for great sensitivity to the unique character of ORU, established during its foundingdecade.

One of the two great threats to ORU's future is now past: the very real prospect ofbankruptcy. We now face the second great threat, erosion or outright loss of ourfounding vision and distinctive culture. This threat is best understood in the differencesbetween Oral Roberts and denominational leaders. Oral has always been an enigma,but his success is directly traceable to his emphasis on the Foursquare gospel, the FourCardinal Doctrines of the Assemblies of God: Jesus is Savior, Healer, Baptizer in theHoly Spirit, and soon coming King. That focus on Jesus, and the minimizing ofdenominational differences, launched the early Pentecostal and Charismaticmovements.

Oral hated the constraints of denominational dogma, and wanted the same freedom for

his faculty, students, and administration. This produced distinctives that are directlylinked to the success of our graduates. It is mind-boggling to see the accomplishmentsof ORU alumni, for truly their work has exceeded Oral's.

The ORU mission is well known and easily could be embraced by new leadership:

1) "Build Me a university; build it on My authority, and on the Holy Spirit."2) "Raise up your students to hear My voice, to go where My light is seen dim, My

voice is heard small, My power is not known; even to the uttermost parts of theearth. Their work will exceed yours, and in this I am well pleased."

3) Whole person education aimed at vocational penetration (going into all the world-- going into every person's world, (David Green's testimony).

But unlike the ORU mission, I'm concerned that the founding values are not wellunderstood, even within the ORU community. Twenty years ago in a paper entitled"Enduring Values: A Role For Faculty," I tried to challenge faculty to identify these corevalues and use them as guidelines for everything we do. At no time have I felt the listwas complete. I tried to articulate the major ones in my thank you letter to Oral (March7, 2007, also the impetus for an annual founder's day), but I missed a most importantone: teamwork. This is an ongoing challenge for all of us. Of the five topics I did


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discuss, I believe we are most in danger of losing academic freedom, diversity, andSeed Faith. Few Christian schools have true academic freedom, but Oral by his verynature embraced it. Concerning diversity, I'm convinced that Oral Roberts University isby far the most diverse campus on earth. We are an exception to the mostly Caucasianmakeup of many Christian universities and colleges. Seed Faith (or as I like to call it,

The Eternal Law of Sowing and Reaping), has been so badly abused by the evangelicalcommunity that we could easily discard the baby with the bath, and yet it is essential foreffective Christian ministry.

The Presidential Search . Many in the ORU community are looking for a president witha national or international reputation to provide 21st Century leadership for ORU. Butwho can replace Oral, this truly unique, enigmatic, iconoclastic, 20th Century Apostle?Healing televangelists are now horribly tainted in the public's eye (see Jack Hayford'ssermon of April 24, 1988 entitled: "Where Have All the Flowers Gone)." Oral publiclystated his desire for the ORU president always to be a healing evangelist. But who outthere is qualified, having sufficient stature to stand above the current public perceptionof such ministers?

But the alternative troubles me almost as much. What national or international leadercould take on the ORU presidency without fundamentally altering the cultureestablished by Oral Roberts during the first decade (1963 to 1973)? It would be easyfor a denominational leader to move from one college to another within thatdenomination, or for someone steeped in Christian higher education to lead anotherChristian university. Under either type of leader, ORU could continue to produce highquality graduates, but would we keep our distinctive reason for being?

The core of my thesis is that ORU is truly unique , raised up by God for high destiny,for a very special mission, to fill a highly specialized niche. Based on that premise Ibelieve it is essential for the next ORU president to have roots in ORU's first decade,either as an alumnus, administrator, or faculty. This person needs to understand thefounding vision, work to instill or restore it throughout the fabric of ORU, and collaboratewith Trustees and Tenured Faculty to cement this vision as the blueprint and road mapfor the future.

Among other qualities, the next ORU president must be a skilled communicator, able toimpact all the ORU constituencies. This communication skill was one of Oral's greatgifts. We have a treasure trove of his messages from the first decade, such as his"Quest For the Whole Man" given during the first chapel service. We must identifyand revisit these core documents.

With trustees, faculty, academic leaders, and alumni, the new president must be a trueguardian of both the mission and culture -- the Enduring Values -- of ORU. We are trulya unique (one of a kind) institution, raised up by God for a special mission. We mustremain true to our calling to build God the university He has raised up through OralRoberts.


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NATHAN H. MELEEN, PH.D.PROFESSOR OF EARTH SCIENCE

AND GEOGRAPHYORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY

March 7, 2007

Dear Chancellor Roberts,

With the passage of the years I have felt a growing appreciation and awe for thewonderful gift you have given us through your incredibly wise founding of Oral RobertsUniversity. I know you will give the Holy Spirit all the credit, but that too just enhancesmy respect and admiration for you and your founding vision. Several streams havecombined to produce this growing appreciation, and it is my strong desire to thank youfor all the sacrifices and efforts you have made to bring ORU into existence. I enjoysharing with faculty and students the firm conviction that ORU has been incredibly well-

founded, giving us distinctives as a university that serve us well in carrying out ourmission and fulfilling Gods will.

I. Scholarship . In March 1990, I was privileged to accompany your son Richard on hisrevival trip to Guatemala. On the return flight he told me something about you that Ihave often shared with others. He stated that you read a book a week. I began toappreciate in a new way your great thirst for knowledge. You epitomized what writerGeorge Will stated. It is not necessary to know the origin of the universe; it isnecessary to want to know. Civilization depends not on any particular knowledge, buton the disposition to crave knowledge (emphasis mine). (Newsweek).

During my first visit to your home on a Sunday afternoon I heard you share with a groupof faculty that our scholarship must not be suspect. As I sat in faculty meetings it wasclear that you expected first class scholarship. As a Pentecostal who yearned for arespectable university, I embraced that. I remember well your sharing that the goal of auniversity was to collect the knowledge of the past, add to it, and pass it on.

As president of the Faculty Senate in 1986-87, I was privileged to sit in on the RegentsMeeting where you shared your conversation with the consultant sent to help you withaccreditation. Your concern was that the Bible be at the heart. Ruth Rooks providedme a copy of your talk, which I included in a paper I entitled, Enduring Values: A Rolefor Faculty. Your talk was an extensive and powerful statement about how we valued

learning. Doctor, if you really represent the North Central Accrediting Association inwhat you said, weve got a deal, because we are people of excellence to begin with. I,Oral Roberts, represent a segment of the most spiritual people in the world who are notdummies. . . we are scholars . . . we are searchers . . . We read thousands of books.Were listening all the time. Were advancing ourselves.

During the spring of 1968, you invited faculty to prayer meetings in your home. Duringone unforgettable evening you had a vision of Jesus where He gave you a word for


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each couple present. You asked us to come forward, couple by couple, stating that youwould not remember, but we were to embrace and hold fast to the word Jesus had forus. Years later Ray Lewandowski told me he also had a vivid memory of that evening.The word you shared with Judy and me was, Scholarship and students. It tookdecades for me to fully appreciate that, but I never forgot it. Now in my own ministry,

described shortly, I have come to fully embrace those words of Jesus as I strive tominister to ORU students.

II. Academic Freedom. Every semester in my earth science class I quote an editorialby Jenkin Lloyd Jones, entitled, My friend Oral. Responding to his query about howyou were going to teach geology, you gave him a profound reply. Anything that can bescientifically proven must be Gods work; how else could it exist. In that statement Ibelieve you set the academic course for ORU. We would be mainstream, not trying tosell some specialized viewpoint or novel interpretation. We would be participants inacademics, part of the solution, preparing our students to go into every persons world.

You gave us incredible academic freedom. John Korstad (Biology) and I have oftenshared with colleagues from other schools that we have more academic freedom herethan any other school we know of. You could do this because you trusted us to honorand live by the Bible, be constantly seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and bepeople of integrity. We did not have to line our views up with a denominational standardor line. Ive often quoted a statement I heard you say once in a faculty meeting. We ofall people should be the most free to handle controversy, because we have the HolySpirit to guide us. Our academic freedom is a great strength, one I pray we always willuse to enhance the Kingdom of God.

III. Diversity. I believe that ORU is the most diverse campus on earth, racially,culturally, denominationally. To me that is a great virtue. We are forced to work inharmony with students and colleagues from a wide variety of backgrounds and beliefs.This is possible only because we are centered, at your insistence and guidance, on theone perfect man, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. This truth became very real to me through aconversation God reminded me of with a fellow graduate student years earlier. I sharedthat the one thing hammered into us as Pentecostals was the four cardinal doctrines(the Foursquare gospel): Jesus is Savior, Healer, Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, andsoon coming King. I had heard Pastor L. D. Thomas of First Methodist shareessentially the same truth in his last sermon series: Jesus is the dividing line of history;the Holy Spirit is sent to unify the church; and the world has it all backwards.

Because these cardinal doctrines are the core of our shared values at ORU we cantolerate a wide diversity of views on other issues. To me this provides a healthyacademic setting, requiring us to think about and respect the views of others, and tohone our own world view more finely. This opens the door to racial tolerance, evenlove, and respect for all the cultures and peoples of the world. That fact makes me veryproud to have given my life to ORU.


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IV. My personal ministry . I never wanted or sought to have a personal ministry, butGod used my brother-in-law, an Assembly of God Revivalist-Pastor, to speak a word tome about pastoring. One year later (1988), while walking across the ORU soccer field,God gave me a clear word that resonates in my spirit to this day. Many can do whatyou want to do; few can do what I have called you to do. Care for My precious little

lambs. I knew instantly that God was speaking to me about pastoring my students.For this, Dr. Harold Paul was my model.

We struggled to develop an organization we named Petra (after rock) Field Camps.Eventually we were led to incorporate, seek IRS 501(c)(3) status, and to purchaseproperty in the Ozarks. As we experienced the miracles of Gods provision, I was oftenreminded of lessons and testimonies you had learned through your fund raising andbuilding activities (e.g., pay attention to your mail). In a very small way, I felt I wasfollowing in your footsteps, and appreciated even more what God allowed you toaccomplish through faith in Him. We now have a beautiful log cabin and 15 acres ofland in which to host ORU students for retreats and academic activities. The Oral

Roberts Evangelistic Association has given us $17,500 toward our building, for whichwe are eternally grateful.

V. Seed Faith. I continue to be in awe of Gods blessing as we have tried to put SeedFaith in action. By Gods grace I will build more houses for use by faculty, staff, andadministration desperately in need of spending time with family and God in thequietness and beauty of His creation, here the Ozark Forest. We are challenged by aprophetic word to Enlarge your coast, strengthen your tent, for many of My servants willrest and wait in this place says the Lord. You once told me that I had the gift ofencouragement. Because of my encouragement, many would not quit their work atORU. Now with retirement from ORU rapidly approaching, I expect to devote the rest ofmy life to this work. My prayer is that I may continue to encourage faculty and studentsto run the race with endurance, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of ourfaith.

I love to share key quotations by you that have impacted my life. My favorite is, GiveGod your best; ask God for His best . Every semester in earth science, when I teachabout artesian wells, I share your analogy of the Holy Spirit within as being like waterunder pressure. We control the valve, praying with the Spirit, and praying with theunderstanding, so different from what both of us learned in our Pentecostal churches.

I rejoice in the message of Seed Faith. God spoke to me one day that He would not bemocked. What He emphasized to me was the assurance that if we sow to the Spirit,we will of the Spirit reap life everlasting, and that we are not to grow weary in well-doing, for in Gods due season we shall reap if we dont faint. God will not be mocked.That truth, rooted in the Seed Faith message (God is your source, Give and it shall begiven to you, Expect a Miracle), has profoundly impacted my life and my ministry tostudents.


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Words fail to convey my deep and abiding appreciation for your impact on my life. I amtruly blessed of the Lord. In heaven we will have the joy of sharing about our triumphshere and Gods faithfulness through the years. I honor you, I respect you, I love you.Working with you has been the greatest and richest experience of my life. For that I willbe eternally grateful.

Your partner always,

Nathan Meleen, PH.D.


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RELATIONSHIPS

Dr. Verbal Snook, Professor of Mathematics

Presented at the Annual Conference on Faculty Excellence and Effective Teaching,

Camp Loughridge, August 19, 1985.My assignment is to give a five-minute review of our first 20 years. I will not go intodetail. Just enough to address my conviction of the importance of integrity ofrelationships between us.

The first three years were more confusing than the last three. Even though we were aheterogeneous bunch, there were three well-defined groups. There was a group ofretired professors. They were in control. A second group was populated by those whohad just finished, or were finishing, their Ph.D. programs. This group wanted control.Then there was a group of ex-high school teachers. Our high-school experience had

taught us not to expect control.Each of us had a story to tell about bur calling to ORU. We shared the challenge.Perhaps as many as 80% held widely varying views of how to build a university. I wasamong the 20% that had no idea what to do. Regardless, control passed from the oldprofessors, who established a solid liberal arts base, to the younger group within threeyears, and we were on our way.

Individual ambitions had to be subjected to the greater task of building a university.While this sounds elementary, it created a lot of frustration, since a composite ofindividual plans had to evolve. Now, the frustration was not bad. It created opportunityto learn. We learned as we resolved our frustrations. This learning took place in endlesscommittee meetings. Those unable to resolve their frustration began to leave. It was asif many' were called by the vision, but few were chosen by the learning process.

My involvement was first with financial aid, and then tenure. At first, I was intimidated bybig words and smooth phrases. Slowly, I learned I could dialogue with others in theirdisciplines better than they could with me in mine. I became aware of politicalstructures, observed political activities, and most importantly, developed an awarenessof the importance of relationships.

As we worked together on committees, we developed respect for each other. Weaccepted what others were doing even when we failed to understand their methodology.This mutual respect, coupled with competence in our disciplines, made us effective.

By the early 70s, we had excellence within our grasp. Not because of scholarly activity,but because a nucleus of adequate scholars with adequate funding developedcompatibility, and congealed solidly behind the challenge to build a university worthy tobe called Gods university.


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Then we entered an era of rapid growth as we prepared for graduate programs. Anearly project was a Cross-Pollination Task Force to study ways to preserve existingesprit de corps and extend it to the graduate programs and the larger university. Butindividual domains had evolved. We protected ourselves by criticizing others.

I came away from that experience convinced that what we were discussing wasnoticeably missing. (Surely the essential ingredient of cross-pollination is respect,mutual respect for others, their disciplines, their thoughts, and even the way they think.Before I reject your idea, I am obligated to you to think it over with you. It is necessary,but not sufficient, for me to listen to you express it). By the time of the cross-pollinationmeetings, we had lost our ability to even listen. While one was talking, the rest werethinking about what to say when it was their turn. In retrospect, I think we failed becausewe tried to work our way through the problems in three weeks of concentratedmeetings. More time would have been necessary for working relationships to develop.

My concern is for the present, since relationships are still deteriorating. We spend little

time with people outside our department, because we are consumed by the immediatetask of teaching; and we take pot shots at various aspects of the curriculum undercontrol of others. We do this even as we teach our classes and advise students. We willnever regain what we have lost if we continue our critical ways. As a matter of fact, it isnecessary that I defend you when I hear someone criticize you.

Collectively, we are weak. Anyone of us could be replaced, almost immediately. On theother hand, relationships are not readily replaced, since they take so long to develop.They may be weak or strong, good or bad, but they are uniquely ours. Good, strongrelationships are the key to our success. Whenever we come together with a groupspirit, establish mutual respect for each other and each other's work, and unify about asingle purpose; then we will alter our destiny and again accept the challenge of buildinga university worthy of the title, "God's University."


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"Possessing the Land: The Quest for Excellence,"by Dr. Nate Meleen.

Presented at the Annual Conference on Faculty Excellence and Effective Teaching,Camp Loughridge, August 19, 1985.

In planning this conference, the Committee on Faculty Excellence focused on thequestions: "Where have we come from? Where are we going? What does all this meanfor us in the classroom?" We recognized the transitional character of our presentsituation, with 20 years of history behind us and an uncertain future ahead. As thesuggestion was made to have someone consider the next 20 years, I leaped at thechance, then cowered under the magnitude of the task I had accepted. I hoped toproduce a thoroughly prepared, carefully written, much critiqued, position paper on ourneeds for the next 20 years. Those desires lie in the ashes of a long, hot summer, spentin too many hours pursuing extra income.

Nonetheless, four key areas of need have emerged which I feel are highly worthy ofconsideration. I see these as a triangle (or circle) of "leadership," "vision," and"resources," surrounding the bonding force of "unity."

Leadership

Dr. Carl Hamilton spoke prophetically as he told the tenured faculty in the fall of 1983that they were the only enduring element at ORU. Students come and go;administrators can be replaced on 30-days notice. Only the faculty have contracts.

I am convinced that ORU will never be the university God envisioned when He

burdened Oral Roberts to build it until the faculty have an active, vital role in all aspectsof university life. This is an enormous responsibility. We, more than any others, shouldbe the ones most committed to the superordinate goals of ORU.

As a young faculty member, I experienced the pain of feeling unwanted in nonacademicareas of campus life. I came with much higher hopes. I survived by the typical ostrichapproach. My work with Faculty Senate has been pivotal in changing my attitude. I haveseen what can be done when people care enough to try. I have seen what faculty cando if given a chance. I am convinced that the faculty represent the greatest untappedresource on this campus. Students want our leadership, want to spend time with us,value our friendship and counsel.

I believe Dr. Jernigan when he says there is a fresh wind blowing. As the attention givento the School of Arts and Sciences has waned, the need for faculty to move into theleadership gap has grown. Please understand, I am not talking about a rebellion againstthe administration. Ralph Fagin is a faculty member who came up through the ranks. Isee the need for collaborative leadership where faculty work with administration andstudents, alumni and regents toward common goals.


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How can we lead? Broadly the three areas of need are: academics, campus life, andspiritual life. In the classroom we can lead by example. What role model do we project?How does our performance fulfill the goals of ORU? Do we provoke students to anger,or do we admonish them in the Lord, sharing the scriptural tools essential to a life ofintegrity, of character, of Christlikeness?

We can lead by active involvement in campus and spiritual-life activities, wedging openthe door whenever opportunity strikes. We are needed. For whatever reasons, we arenot being used.

My dream is to see faculty used especially in policy formulation and planning, throughcommittees, with followup through hands-on involvement at the grass roots level.Committees are much maligned, yet they are the only viable substitute to the townmeeting (or assembly of the whole) within a body trying to function in covenantrelationship. Committee failures can be traced to lack of or inadequate vision,leadership, resources, and unity. Successful committees demand a strong leadership, a

clear agenda (vision), and committed participants.I dream of active faculty participation in the planning and doing of chapel services, dormlife, student government, alumni relations, student admission and retention, etc., etc.,etc. I dream of the day when regents, administration, faculty, students, and alumni willwork in concert toward making ORU a truly great university for God.

I must not close this section without addressing the issue of leadership style. The fingerpointing, voice command technique will not do. I like the Israeli Army model ofleadership. You get promoted by leading the pack into battle, out front where the actionis. And we must never forget the words of our Lord that "he who would be the greatestamong you must be your servant" (Matt. 13:12). As we demonstrate our faithfulness,integrity, effectiveness, and unity, we, as faculty, have every right to expect to berewarded with more responsibility, the very thing I see as essential to the futureprosperity of ORU.

Vision

This seems almost an overworked theme. We have often heard the verse, "without avision, the people perish." I have prided myself on my enthusiasm for George BernardShaw's words, "Some see things as they are and ask 'why'? I dream of things that neverwere and say 'why not'!" Yet I have succumbed to the fading of vision under the stressof too many hours laboring in Tulsa's high summer heat and humidity. I have felt therising anger over why this is necessary, and have been personally admonished by theLord for voicing the desire to just quit. Such a mood saps our spiritual energy, andmakes us hostile to students and administration alike. Through this experience Irecognize more than ever the vital necessity of vision, of hope, of esprit de corps.

We need a fresh and continuing understanding of our founder's vision. Statements inearly publications are instructive and worthy of our attention today. Perhaps we need to


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reassemble some of these. ORU was born out of the fires of evangelism, a healingministry raised up to address the hurts and needs of the masses. The call upon OralRoberts' life, which we share, is to take God's healing power to our generation.

We have distinctives we must not ignore. We are the only major charismatic university

in the world. If we fail, God has no backup.We have responsibilities to the partners of the Oral Roberts ministries, millions of "littlefish" (in the words of one elderly black lady I helped at a partner's seminar) who havecontributed generously to make ORU possible.

For the present and the future we must believe that we will overcome. I have beenchallenged by President Roberts "faith-talk" message precisely because I am at a placewhere fear is a real enemy. We must keep the faith; we must persevere (Hebrews10:36). We need a strong dose of Hebrews 11 faith.

ResourcesIn Proverbs 30:8-9, Agur prayed: "Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with thefood that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you, or lest I be poor and steal, andprofane the name of my God." For me (and I suspect most of us), my two scarcestresources are time and money; they are related. For me, all academic work and muchfamily life has ground to a halt in the face of 60-hour weeks at an exhausting summer

job, trying to stay ahead of creditors. This has become a painful annual ritual for me.There is no way we can exercise real leadership under the pressure of outsideemployment.

Last May, I believe the Lord showed me that much of the successful ministry found inmany large churches today can be traced to the abundant, even lavish remunerationgiven to pastors. They are essentially free from personal financial concerns, with theresult that they can give their full energies to their ministry. By contrast, their pioneeringpredecessors often had to work at secular employment, with consequent stress,reduced effectiveness, and numerous church splits. I cannot help but wonder how muchour effectiveness is reduced by inadequate resources. If this issue is as fundamentalas I suspect, then it can no longer be considered an economic issue: it is aspiritual one .

As I pondered these points, I remember clearly how the Lord impressed on me that theanswer was not in pointing fingers at the administration. For years I have heard suchcriticisms, and I have not seen it have any impact at all. The Lord clearly revealed to methat the answer is to be found in 2 Chronicles 7:1415: "If my people, who are called bymy name, will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from theirwicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal theirland. Now mine eyes shall be open, and my ears attend to the prayer of this place."


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I don't like to think I need to humble myself and to repent, but the hostility resulting frommy summer job has shattered my complacency. It is painful for me to admit this, but I doso under divine directive. Our great need should be a catalyst for deep self-examinationand repentance. It was such self-examination and prayer that saved Christian Chapel in1980. It is now a healthy, vibrant fellowship, literally raised out of the ashes of hopeless

debt and pastoral need. For me the issue is clear: the solution to our vital need forresources lies in our concerted commitment as a body to prayer and repentance .

Unity

As the Holy Spirit gave me the four categories for this paper--leadership, vision,resources, and unity--I grappled with the problem of how they fit together, and theappropriate order of presentation, especially unity. I ultimately came to believe that unitywas central to all. This biblical principle is found in John 17:11: "That they may be oneas we are one," and Ephesians 4:13.

I see three areas of need for unity:1) Unity in faithfulness to our founding purpose, including the founding vision and

present ministry of Oral Roberts, the honor code, and God's call on our lives here. Ibelieve God is using our current troubles to shake out and refine those who do notshare this fundamental call.

2) Brotherly love, especially in the words of Verbal Snook, "faculty congealing."This takes time and effort, so difficult when stress is high. Respect is a key ingredientof love, as is understanding. If we try to pull down another discipline, part of the rubblefalls on us. And the Bible tells us that God calls "not many noble, but chooses the"foolish things to confound the wise" (1 Cor. 1:27-29). So let us be careful to honor andappreciate those whom God has called, fellow workers in His harvest field. Ralph Faginhas said, "If you want respect, give respect."

3) The third area of unity may surprise you, but I believe the Holy Spirit showedme a relationship between personal integrity and unity. The tie-in comes from themathematical designation for whole numbers: "integer." Both come from the Latin word"integer," meaning untouched, intact, entire. We need unity within ourselves, where wesay, do, and believe the same thing. It is another way of describing wholeness--integration of calling, performance, and character. As a part of that, I believe personalintegrity at ORU includes commitment to the code of honor.

Conclusion

The task before us then is to truly become one people, to keep the faith, to lead, toidentify needs and formulate strategies to meet those needs, and to pray and covenantwith God in order to bring it to pass. We are on the precipice, the same as ChristianChapel was in 1980. As a church board we had vision, we prayed, we formulated a


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strategy, and we stayed open to God. Concerning our search for a pastor, Greg Davis,one of our deacons, said:

"At that time we could have decided to move in a lateral fashion and getsomebody who would come in and bring about a kind of return to some

kind of normalcy and smooth everything over--just kind of abide and moveon. But the Spirit of God would not let us do that either. It was a time tostep forward. And of all times, out of probably the darkest hour of ChristianChapel, the Spirit of God was telling us it was time to take a large stepupward toward Him. It was such a critical turning point, and God would notlet us fall back or slide laterally. He said we had to move forward, and wehad to take a significant step upward."

For ORU to be excellent, faculty must lead. To lead, we must have vision. Both must besupported by adequate resources to do the job. To obtain resources we must humbleourselves, repent, and pray as we have never prayed before. To please God and get

the job done, we must be unified: unified within ourselves, unified with each other, andunified as a ministry raised up by God for this hour.


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ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY

FACULTY SENATE - ACADEMIC AFFAIRS AREA

April 28, 1987

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

Dear Colleagues,

Would you take the time to prayerfully read the attached position paper? It representsthe culmination of what the Holy Spirit has been birthing in me through 20 years ofservice here, including three terms as Faculty Senate president. Your response will beappreciated and considered in the final paper. We pray it will become a permanentdocument; any suggestions and revisions you have are welcome and needed.

In writing like this I sense a flow in the Spirit. Embarrassed by Verbal Snook's incredulityat how I could find the time to do it (I really did do most of my other work) I jestinglywrote him: "I'm not an Oral nor a Verbal; I'm a pencil." I owe a great debt to Verbal andto Hugh Morken. Next to my dissertation this is the most challenging assignment I haveever undertaken. Like dissertation advisors, they have challenged, corrected, advised,and encouraged me, giving the hope and support needed to keep plugging awaythrough the tiring revisions. They share any success; the errors are mine.

I am also deeply grateful for Ralph Fagin's support. We started together in 1982 whenhe became Associate Dean and I began my first term as president. He has been pivotalin my success. His leadership has inspired and emboldened me to think on a grand

scale, to believe we really can make a difference.I strongly recommend President Roberts' message to the Regents (Addendum No.2).All who have seen it have been blessed.

These are exciting days; God is moving. I pray this paper will stimulate and bless you,and that we will all be open to the voice of the Spirit. Thanks for sharing my burden andfor all your kind support through the years.

Respectfully yours,

Nate Meleen, PH.DFaculty Senate President

Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV)


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ENDURING VALUES: A ROLE FOR FACULTY

A Position Paper byNathan H. Meleen, Ph.D., Faculty Senate President

Academic Affairs Area, Oral Roberts University

Tulsa, Oklahoma, 74171April 1987

Summary of Key Ideas (Abstract written by Dr. Verbal Snook)

God's command to Oral Roberts to "turn the Medical School around" is also a pointedchallenge for self-examination by the entire ORU community, in order to make certainour goals are being realized. This paper addresses the continual need for faculty toevaluate progress toward ORU's goals by participating in a self-examination process.This need is great, since the faculty have the awesome responsibility of guarding ORU'sfundamental reason for being.

There are two basic needs. First, the faculty needs to identify once again ORU'sfundamental purposes, examine them in detail, and use them to formulate a coherentvision, an integrated philosophy, by which to assess everything done. Even a superficialexamination of this challenge suggests a further need for a faculty that is empowered bythe Holy Spirit, obedient to spiritual authority, united by a common vision, and anxiousfor opportunity to participate in a team approach to problem solving.

Second, the faculty needs to accept a pastoral calling to raise up students to hear God'svoice. Just as the pastor of a congregation must teach and defend the Christian faith, sothe faculty must teach and defend the fundamental purposes for which God raised upORU. Understanding of the pastor-teacher calling is crucial to our mission. It balancesChristian compassion and academic discipline, and generates and directs classroomactivities designed to produce graduates that are both intellectually and spiritually alive.

Firm leadership and teamwork is the constructive combination that launched ORU. Thissame combination is needed both for preparation and operation of healing teams. Whatan opportunity to teach by example! Let us model leadership and a team approach asour modus operandi here at ORU.

Two essential components of an effective model are obedience and authority. In itsideal form, obedience to spiritual authority is an incredibly powerful tool for theaccomplishment of mission. Unfortunately, the potential for abuse is great. Let ussearch the scriptures for perspective, exhibit proper submission to authority, anddemonstrate subsequent benefits to our students.

This paper is a call for dialogue, even a task force to study strategies. It seems clearthat the Holy Spirit is calling us to action--the kind of action involving careful evaluation,thought, and prayer about where we are now as a University, and where we need to goto fulfill Gods commands.


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Part I - MY VISION FOR ORU FACULTY

I believe a direct outgrowth of God's initiatives in President Roberts' life this past year isa call upon us to integrate our vision, focus, and activities. As Faculty Senate president,I have written numerous memos, and undertaken a number of initiatives toward that

end. This has allowed only a piecemeal approach to problems. Under the Holy Spirit'sleading, I have recognized a need for a more systematic approach. That is the focus ofthis paper.

I have a deep concern for faculty effectiveness and morale, coupled with a strong senseof responsibility with President Roberts for building God a university. My year as FacultySenate-president is culminating in two dominant themes: the delineation of our enduringvalues, and a recognition of the pastoral calling of ORU faculty. In essence then, thispaper is my end-of-year report. I pray it will stimulate much thought and discussion,personal self-studies, concerning our goals and purposes.

This, my third year as Faculty Senate president, will likely be my last. As such, I sensean urgency in the Spirit to write what I understand to be the keys to a strong Senate.Toward that end, allow some reminiscing as I briefly describe my spiritual-intellectualpilgrimage. When I read again my 1985 paper, "Possessing the Land: the Quest forExcellence" (Addendum No.5), I was moved and blessed to see the consistency of thevision the Holy Spirit has birthed in me. That vision is offered here in the hope that it willcontribute toward an edification of faculty, and a strengthened, spiritually-alive Senate.

Goals for Faculty Senate

When I first ran for Faculty Senate president in 1982, there were only seven candidates

for six Senate offices. There was talk of disbanding Senate because of its apparentmeaninglessness and low morale. I vowed not to be the last president. In that climatewe could afford no major mistakes. For that reason we adopted an operating principlewhich has proven its value many times: start small and build from success , principlesvital to long-term stability.

In the course of my three terms as president, four goals have evolved: morale,relationships, involvement, and guardianship. They are discussed below, followed by alisting of personal ideals, concerns, and influences relevant to the writing of this paper.

1) Morale. Of paramount importance was the need to build faculty morale

through a strengthened Senate. We gave primary attention to the structure of meetingsand the effectiveness of committees, needs vital to any organization. I see a strong,positive, well-run Senate as a key ingredient in faculty unity and morale, both of whichare essential to the ministry goals of ORU.

Low morale is deadly to an organization. It manifests itself in vicious cycles of apathy,disengagement, and outright rebellion. Thus, I consider the efforts to strengthen FacultySenate to be a holy calling, essential to our mission; the same applies to all activities


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which edify faculty. That is why I have fought so hard for protected meeting times, andfor programs which foster unity within the ORU family.

2) Relationships. I have long desired for faculty to be able to minister to oneanother in the spirit of Hebrews 10:24-25. The Annual Conference on EffectiveTeaching and Faculty Excellence, and subsequently the Faculty Excellence Committee,

were direct outgrowths of this goal. This year the Thanksgiving Communion Dinner andthe Dr. Harold Paul Faculty Lecture Series were products of that same desire. Therecent faculty-led, Good Friday Eucharist service, was a direct outgrowth of thatThanksgiving dinner, as David Ford caught the vision of faculty serving students in aministry role.

At our August 1985 retreat at Camp Loughridge, Verbal Snook emphasized theimportance of relationships. In response to this need I have often wished that facultyhad a larger role in faculty chapels. These were established so that President Roberts,and now Larry Lea, could have a set time to share with us. They meet a vital need andare one of our strengths. Still, there are times when faculty need to minister to one

another. That kind of interaction is a prerequisite to our trust, respect, and responsibilityfor each other (i.e. brotherly love). A key symptom of this lack of trust is ourunwillingness (including myself) to share openly one of our most common and deepestneeds--finances. Another problem is that even well-meaning efforts to educate facultymay be ineffective if presentations are given by persons who lack classroom experience(the trenches so to speak). We need to strengthen and expand our efforts to havefaculty needs addressed by faculty.

3) Involvement. A third goal was to seek an active role for faculty in the fulfillmentof God's call upon ORU. Perhaps because of my obscure discipline (geography), theabsence of advisees, and the many years of dissertation labor, I often felt more like astudent than a faculty member. (In fact I was a student under the tutelage of PresidentRoberts, and I have thought long and hard about the implications of his teachings).Through my pilgrimage, it has become clear that for ORU to be the university Godordained, it must have faculty who understand and model its enduring values, and whothen, with that understanding, pastor students and are involved in university leadership.Carl Hamilton's admonition that tenured faculty represent the only enduring elementhere only heightened my sense of concern. I continue to believe that the facultyrepresent ORU's greatest untapped resource, but we must earn the right to be heardand utilized. Support for President Roberts and the enduring values of ORU areessential. But if we do the job well, and are given the encouragement and organizationalstructures necessary, we can be prime movers in bringing students, administration,faculty, and staff together.

The only viable way for us to have an enhanced involvement in university leadership isthrough committee work. Here our diversity is a strength, for a well-structuredcommittee will reflect an accurate sampling of the whole. I have found good committeesto be highly useful. Furthermore, such committees are golden opportunities for cross-pollination. Concerning the early years Verbal Snook wrote: As we worked together oncommittees, we developed respect for each other. We accepted what others were doing


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even when we failed to understand their methodology. This mutual respect, coupledwith competence in our disciplines, made us effective." To be effective committeesmust have a clear agenda, leadership, committed participants, and unity. Willingness to labor on committees is essential if we are ever to have a key role on theleadership team here.

4) Guardianship. The fourth goal, an outgrowth of the third, has only recentlybecome clear: the defense and proclamation of our enduring values. That in turn hasled to resolution of a long-standing internal conflict: the pastoral nature of the call toteach. My own calling to teach has long been clear, but I have wrestled for years withwhether it involved pastoring a congregation. I now believe that the Holy Spirit hasalways intended a faculty position at ORU to be that of a pastor-teacher to thosestudents under one's sphere of influence. Just as the pastor of a congregation mustteach and defend the Christian faith, so we are called to teach and defend thefundamental purposes for which God raised up ORU.

The ramifications of our pastor-teacher calling are revolutionary, but that calling isessential to an understanding of this paper. I cannot expect faculty to immediatelyaccept what has taken me years to resolve. However, I do hope that we can open ourhearts to this calling and grow in our understanding. There is strength in our diversity,as we model our understanding of God's nature and demands through our variedpersonalities. I expect modest changes in classroom activities, but substantial changesoutside the classroom. This whole concept is so new, we will likely have to evolveworkable strategies and models.

I want to emphasize the value of diversity here. There is no desire to squeeze facultyinto a preconceived mold. If men and women who love God and love students, and arecalled to teach here, will just let their light shine and be obedient to the Spirit, we will bewell on the road to success. Many are doing that now; we just sense the Lord wants togreatly expand our vision and effectiveness.

One new strategy, and an area where my mind is exploding with possibilities, involvesgiving and fund raising for specialized faculty programs, such as Ralph Fagin'srestricted account and Faculty Senate. We have not heretofore considered such givingto be a spiritual option, yet activities like our retreat and the Good Friday service arehighly worthy of support. Funding of awards (including cash prizes) and refreshments atmeetings contribute in subtle, yet powerful ways to faculty morale. We need to gear upour specialized faculty funds to handle the resources I fully expect God to be sendingour way. As ministers of the gospel in the office of pastor-teacher, we have everyreason to hope for increasing kingdom resources. We may be shocked at what God willdo for us here, as we develop strong relationships and covenant together in unity.

Ideals, Concerns, and Influences

Last September, I was able to articulate my goals for the year: "light candles;" "breakdown walls;" "enhance leadership." I believe they are keys to our mission as faculty.


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I have given inadequate attention to the fact that, as President Roberts stated in hisaddress to the Regents last November (Addendum No.2), we are raising up leaders forthe charismatic movement. The Holy Spirit has been dealing with me about how I viewstudents. It troubles me sometimes to observe the leadership models we are projectingfor them. We need to seriously evaluate the impact that we, as faculty, administration,

and staff are having on these future leaders.In the 1968 commencement address, Senator Jennings Randolph from West Virginiaspoke on the subject: "ORU: Our Responsibility Understood." What is ourresponsibility? In this paper I share my conviction that God's call on our lives as ORUfaculty is far larger than any of us dreamed. As the Holy Spirit tries to implant in us anew vision for world missions, we need 'to reexamine our prime directive: "Raise upyour students to hear my voice. . .." For me, that includes helping them find their callingin God and their place in His service. That effort is truly a ministry of lighting candlesand enhancing leadership.

Disagreements over the role of faculty concern me. A commonly held view is that facultyshould be involved mostly in the classroom. Universities seem to be caught in adynamic tension between a teaching role for faculty on one hand, versus aninvolvement in everything on the other. I believe our role here includes a responsibilityto guard our enduring values, essentially a pastoral function. But our efforts in theclassroom alone can easily be undermined by those who deal with students innonacademic areas. For that reason, we need opportunity to speak out if we see thosefundamental purposes being threatened. It seems clear that President Roberts hasplaced this guardianship responsibility on us.

Many of us share a deep desire for President Oral Roberts to see and enjoy the fruits ofhis labor. For ORU that means producing graduates who are effectively prepared forministry. I believe the founding vision is sound and worth giving my life for. (I say thatafter careful soul-searching). That could include risking my job in order to call thePresident back to that founding vision, should he waver in response to theoverwhelming pressures of the ministry. Lee Braxton, in defense of the Prayer Tower(Addendum No.2), could do that because he had earned the President's trust throughhis faithful service and support. No less is required of us if we expect our voices to beheard. I dream of the day when President Roberts and faculty come into such a unity ofthe faith that he can securely rest his confidence in us. The best hope for achieving thatis through our commitment to the fundamental purposes he has laid down through theyears. I have a growing burden to see them identified and solidified while he is still withus. The solidification I seek is in the form of the printed page, and in organizationalstructures that demand accountability to these enduring values.

The ideas expressed in this paper have been heavily influenced by four key spiritualleaders. President Roberts' teaching and ministry are the whole basis for myunderstanding of our fundamental purposes. My thoughts about pastoring are steepedin Jack Hayford's rich teaching on leadership and pastoring (leading people into God's


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presence). My brother-in-law, Evangelist Phil Lindvall, has shared, prodded, andencouraged me in the growing understanding of my calling as a pastor-teacher.

Larry Lea has had a remarkable impact on me, given his short time here. I have beenespecially influenced by his optimistic, joyous, forgiving spirit, all rooted in the

fundamental discipline of early-morning prayer. I am personally challenged by his fourprayer goals for us (chapel sermon on 2/23/87).1) That the spirit of a warrior would rule our lives (Ephesians 6:12).2) That the Lord would impart to us the spirit of wisdom (James 1:5).3) That a spirit of intercession, a praying spirit, would begin to rule our spirit

(Matthew 6:33).4) That the spirit of success would be on our lives (running to win) (1

Corinthians 9:24, Psalm 1:1-3).I want to own and to transmit these values to my students. The Holy Spirit is stirring meto see our students through His eyes as the future leaders they are. This is opening awhole new chapter for me.

Lastly, I am committed to the importance of the printed page. What a treasure we havein our archives, where every recorded message or presentation by President Roberts istranscribed, as well as all the chapel sermons. Frank Wilbur, as President-elect ofFaculty Senate, gets copies of everything I write related to Senate. He has beenterrorized by the thickness of the file. But I have found that I soon forget what I hear.Ideas are mankind's scarcest resource, worthy of protection. When we put them onpaper, we tend to organize, clarify, and economize the content. Ralph Fagin keeps anidea file. Good ideas in such files may get buried for awhile, but like the stones in NewEngland soil, they have a way of coming backup to the surface. In reexamining VerbalSnook's paper from our 1985 conference, I was surprised to learn that ORU waslaunched through a team effort by President Roberts and faculty . I had not recognizedthat, even though I was affected as a beginning faculty member in 1967. That discovery

just rekindled my desire to recover what we have lost. We have excellent foundationalmaterial and victories. We must not lose them.

Conclusion

I sense a great need for a return to basics: in coaching parlance, to fundamentals. Forus that starts with faith, hope, and love (I Cor. 13:13). The relationship needs stressedby Verbal Snook, crucial to our success with students, must be rooted in love. Faith,without which we cannot please God, must be infused with joy, the source of which forme is prayer that hallows the names of God--faith declarations about who He is in me.Joy and hope are vital to our success. "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink,but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17):

Righteousness to cover us,Peace to surround us,

Joy to infuse us.


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Many of us fall prey at times to despair at ever seeing "God's university" establishedhere. But then that still small voice within reminds us that the battle is the Lord's, and"except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it." And so I take comfortand instruction from Proverbs 16: 3 (Amplified): "Roll your works upon the Lord- -commit and trust them wholly to Him; [He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable

to His will] and so shall your plans be established and succeed." Thank God for thepromise of success.

Part II - THE TASK BEFORE US

The Need

God's command to Oral Roberts to "turn the Medical School around" is also a pointedchallenge to the entire ORU community to get with God's program NOW! Our primedirective as a "ministry-with-a-university" is to take God's medical presence into the poorand needy regions of the world as a tool for evangelism. To accomplish this will requirea battlefield approach. Front-line troops need to be trained, equipped, transported,supported, and rotated. The home base must provide strong and effective supportthrough prayer and oversight. Vast resources need to be garnered for the operation. Wepray for the day when those students, alumni, and ministry employees who remain athome will be as much a part of the world-outreach team as those who are on the frontlines.

Of necessity, the development of ORU has been piecemeal. Now it is time, however, toformally identify our fundamental purposes and to use them to formulate a coherentvision as an integrated philosophy by which to assess everything we do. To accomplishthis we need:

1) A unified vision2) An empowered faculty3) A team approach4) Obedience and spiritual authority.

Although obedience is discussed last in this paper, it is an essential discipline withoutwhich the other three are meaningless. The battlefield approach cited aboveemphasizes the need for obedience and discipline.

A Unified Vision

Several years ago God ordered President Roberts to bring ORU into unity. The diversityof individual ambitions and dreams, so common among pioneers, is well described byVerbal Snook in Addendum No.1. His paper is a call for unity in relationships, rooted inrespect for one another.

Collectively we are weak. Anyone of us could be replaced, almostimmediately. On the other hand, relationships are not readily replaced,since they take so long to develop. They may be weak or strong, good or


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bad, but they are uniquely ours. Good, strong relationships are the key toour success. Whenever we come together with a group spirit, establishmutual respect for each other and each other's work, and unify about asingle purpose; then we will alter our destiny and again accept thechallenge of building a university worthy of the title, "God's university."

The more a group shares common values, the easier the task of unity becomes. If wecan identify our common values, we can make them work for us in directing our policy-making, job descriptions, and relationships. The vital task before us then is toidentify our enduring values, state them as fundamental purposes, and use themas guidelines for everything we do.

The enduring values we seek have already been articulated by President Robertsthrough his lifetime of ministry. Our task is to assemble them into a coherent systemwhere all involved can agree on and subscribe to them. The key to our list of enduringvalues lies in two areas: 1) the abundant life concept, and 2) key orders from God

concerning ORU. The concept of abundant living (3 John 2, John 10:10) has beencentral to Oral Roberts' preaching and teaching since early in his ministry. To becomeoperational, it requires a right relationship with God, including fellowship and obedience:

"And this is life eternal: to know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christwhom Thou has sent" (John 17:3); "Thou wilt show me the path of life; inthy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasuresforevermore" (Psalm 16:11).

When we truly sense the heartbeat of God, and sellout to His kingdom authority in ourlives, it becomes easy and natural to commit our destiny to the fundamental purposesfor which God raised up ORU.

It is important here to establish that our fundamental purposes have not changed. Whathas happened is that in our busyness and heavy financial pressure we have forgottencritical parts of them. This has allowed structures and attitudes to develop which arecontradictory to our enduring values. That is why we feel so keenly the need to followIsaac's example of restoration. ["And Isaac dug again the wells of water which had beendug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them after thedeath of Abraham; and he gave them the names by which his father had called them"(Genesis 26:18)]. We need to seek out and put into print those key messages byPresident Roberts which best elucidate the fundamental purposes God gave to him.

Our list of fundamental purposes is offered in an attempt to get dialogue started. Itbegins with the two primary orders concerning ORU, is followed by three key disciplinesrequired for abundant living, and concludes with two applications of the GreatCommission.

1. Evangelism: "Raise up your students to hear My voice, to go where My light is dim,Where My voice is heard small, My healing power is not known. To go. even to the


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uttermost bounds of the earth. Their work will exceed yours, and in this I am wellpleased."

2. Excellence: "Build Me a university; build it on My authority and on the Holy Spirit."

3. Prayer: The energizing, stabilizing force of the gospel.4. Wholeness: Spiritual, mental, and physical health.

5. Abundance: Seed-Faith as a positive expression of the eternal law of sowing andreaping.

6. Healing teams: Merging prayer and medicine, teaching abundant living, with signsfollowing.

7. Vocational Penetration: Going into every man's world.

It is imperative that we come into agreement on our fundamental purposes so that wecan systematize our efforts to inculcate these values into our students. To besuccessful, and obedient to God, we need graduates who share our personalcommitment to these ideals. How this value-transfer should occur is a key unresolvedissue. We believe all aspects of university life should be involved. It seems obvious thata key need is for a task force to identify, publish, and rally support for our fundamentalpurposes, and to implementing them through our diverse activities. Our effortsheretofore have been largely fragmented. This paper is a call for deliberate integrationof effort.

Some remarks by President Roberts at the November, 1986 Regents meeting arehighly relevant to this paper; they comprise Addendum No.2. Here he cogently balancesthe spiritual with the academic, calling for a marriage of a Bible school heart withacademic excellence. An expanded discussion of our fundamental purposes is includedas Addenda 3A and 3B.

An Empowered Faculty

As noted above, a primary need is to inculcate our students with our enduring values. Acritical element in this task is the understanding and commitment of faculty. Our role iscrucial because of the day to day influence we have on students. Furthermore, seniorfaculty provide a memory resource for the university. (I could not have written this paperwithout my 20 years of experience at ORU). Faculty should both act and be viewed asguardians of our enduring values. That awesome responsibility involves 1) a pastoralcalling, 2) a shepherd's heart, and 3) an integrated approach.

1) A Pastoral Calling. The guardianship of enduring values is essentially apastoral function: protection and nurture of the flock (2 Timothy 3:14-4:5). Ourascended Lord gave gifts to the Church in the form of apostles, prophets, evangelists,


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pastors and teachers--or as many prefer, pastor-teachers. These gifts, as recorded inEphesians 4:11-16, are for the specific Church needs of:

1) Training for service (v. 12)2) Maturity and perfection in Christ (v. 13)3) Protection from false doctrine (v. 14)

4) Edification in truth and love (v. 15-16)President Roberts has spoken of the need for leadership training in the charismaticmovement as a primary reason why ORU was raised up. Faculty are among the mostimportant workers in this task, yet here a major weakness exists, primarily through adeficiency in church teaching. It is clear that we as faculty generally do not comprehendour pastoral calling. The church has essentially ignored it, especially in comparison tothe professional ministry. But the understanding of a pastor-teacher calling is crucial toour mission; it will have vast impact on our approach to the classroom and towardstudents. We need major teaching on how to function as pastor-teachers, from suchknowledgeable colleagues as Harold Paul, Howard Ervin, Robert Voight, Larry Hart,

and Hubert Morken, among others.The urgent need then is to inspire faculty with an understanding of their pastoral role,stimulating and involving them in ways that help them recognize their importance to theteam. If faculty are to assume such a role, they will need to be convinced of, trained in,and committed to that concept. This may require substantial time for building thenecessary theological foundations and framework. (Some ideas are included asAddendum No.4).

A pastoral calling is both a great privilege AND a great responsibility. As pastor-teachers, the Holy Spirit has given us the major responsibility for inculcating ourstudents with our fundamental purposes, and, in the context of this paper, challengingthem to make a lifelong commitment to world missions generally, and to ORU healingteams specifically. President Roberts has clearly given faculty this same mandate. Ipray we can agree on the need for faculty to be pastor-teachers; and for hiring, training,promotion, and tenure policies which reflect that primary need. We, of all people, needto be skilled in BOTH our academic disciplines and the Bible.

As pastor-teachers we will be judged by a higher standard. Hebrews 13:17 admonishesfollowers (students) to "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority, for they watchfor your souls, AS THEY WHO MUST GIVE AN ACCOUNT " (mix of NIV & KJV). James3: 1 declares: "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, becauseyou know that we who teach will be judged more strictly ". Faculty need to beespecially sensitive to the dangers of intellectual arrogance and narrow vision (mindover spirit, pride in human wisdom, and discipline-dominated thinking).

The pastoral calling of ORU faculty differs from pastoring a congregation. It is not ourpurpose here to delineate those differences, but it is important to clarify our role at ORU.We do not preach, at least not in the classroom. We have a set group of mostly youngadults for a limited period of time. We have a specific curriculum based on human


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knowledge, to which we have the privilege of applying biblical principles whereappropriate. But our primary academic task, as defined by those accrediting agencies towhich we are accountable, is to pursue knowledge, add to it, and pass it on. We are notthe only pastor-teacher for our group; our ministry is shared among faculty with highlydiverse interests, policies, and ministry skills. That just makes the need all the more

pressing to come into unity on our enduring values and on spiritual truth.Discipline is required to avoid preaching in the classroom (the wrong time and place). Itviolates the academic process and reduces our effectiveness when we do haveopportunity to share a spiritual truth, or speak outside of class. Nonetheless, there aremany opportunities in most courses for mini-sermons, 1-minute applications of biblicaltruth that students devour. Also, there is much need for pastoral work outside of theclassroom. Solid, biblically based counseling on marriage, family, and career decisionsis greatly needed, especially in view of the confusion within contemporary society.

2) A Shepherd's Heart. "Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who

will lead you with knowledge and understanding" (Jeremiah 3:15). One mark of trueshepherds is a desire to impart to others what God has imparted to them. Realleadership involves making disciples. We need to see our students as God seesthem: not as flaky, immature 19-year-olds, but as future leaders, ripe withpotential . As we grow in our understanding of a shepherd's heart, we will giveincreasing attention to leadership training, a task dear to the heart of God.

The pastor-teacher calling gives legitimacy to our concern for fundamental purposes.This calling requires careful attention both inside and outside the classroom toguidance, correction, nurturing, and guardianship of students. Indeed, as with theresponsibility of a father, this task involves protection from both the enemies within(attitudes and behavior) and without (thieves and deceivers). Jack Hayford comparespastors to shepherds, noting how often God used the experience of shepherding astraining for Israel's leaders (Davids killing of the lion and the bear pointedly illustratesthe need for pastoral protection against external enemies. Paul voiced the sameconcern in his final exhortation to the elders at Ephesus (Acts 20:28): "Guard yourselvesand all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of thechurch of God, which he bought with his own blood" (NIV).

How does this apply to pastor-teachers at ORU? Many of us have counseled studentswho have had tragic experiences with dorm life, student services, or other faculty. Assecular teachers in the classroom alone, it would be easy to wring our hands and donothing. But the professor with a true shepherd's heart will fight to protect his students.How much better it would be, however, to utilize the experience and wisdom of pastor-teachers to anticipate and head off potential problems before they happen, or to reviewand correct policies which are currently hurting our mission. Unless we can beguardians of our fundamental purposes outside the classroom, it is highly unlikely wewill be able to provide the pastoral care our students need.


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Furthermore, there is a clear danger in the kind of thinking (whether by faculty oradministration) that faculty leadership and responsibilities involve only academicmatters. It is a multiheaded monster, where one head breeds apathy and laziness, andanother head, excessive involvement outside the University. Spiritually sensitive facultyare easy prey to the internal pressure Jeremiah felt--the "fire within his bones" - - if he

did not speak out (Jeremiah 20:9). Even Sunday School teaching can divert us from ourprimary responsibility, raising up ORU students. Many faculty need that outlet, and itdoes benefit the community; but if it diminishes our fire and our effectiveness here, canthe Holy Spirit be pleased?

3) An Integrated-Approach. Faculty have been told that it is our job to teach ourfundamental purposes, yet those purposes have not been clearly delineated.Furthermore, in this confused state, it is quite probable that students are hearing a widedichotomy of viewpoints whenever fundamental purposes are discussed. This is why anintegrated approach is so greatly needed, in which at least some chapels areextensions of the classroom in the sense of transmitting our fundamental purposes. We

have enjoyed a wide array of chapel speakers who have broadened our vision. But timedevoted to teaching our fundamental purposes has been limited, except as PresidentRoberts has responded to his burden and expressed his vision for the university.

Is there any hope? There is obviously little time in chapel, and other assemblies of theentire student body are rare. Still, there is no better forum for teaching our enduringvalues than all-school assemblies. A partial solution might be to publish an occasionalmagazine for students by the leadership team (including faculty). What a place for all toshare the fire of the Spirit within, especially topics and questions that relate to ourfundamental purposes. What a place for dialogue, for students to ask questions and getanswers.

In summary then, if we assume a pastor-teaching role, we cannot ignore nonacademicaspects of campus life. We can no longer just teach our classes and draw a paycheck.We must be involved in ensuring that a unified vision dominates university life. Nothing could be more vital to faculty morale, for that task gives high purpose andmeaning to our calling and labor. It also clarifies the crucial role of faculty, and the needto compensate them well (Hebrews 6:10, 1 Timothy 5:17-18; Galatians 6:6).

A Team Approach

Leadership styles have a profound influence upon the effectiveness of an organization.Models range from the highly centralized, strong-ruler type, to the widely dispersedauthority of the town meeting. The former accomplishes tasks quickly, but tends toabuse people and to make major mistakes because of inadequate counsel. The latteroffers widespread input, but has a terrible time getting anything done. The ideal, andwhat works well, is the combination of a strong leader with involvement of and supportfrom those within the organization.


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We have been blessed by strong leadership from President Roberts, one of thestrengths of ORU. Our course has been clearly set, with firm directives. However, asany sailor knows, keeping a ship on course demands constant attention to the helm.Without strong oversight from the top, policies at ORU tend to be modified by whoeveris in a position to exercise authority, including faculty. This is not good, for it breeds a

fragmented approach, in which the quality of decisions rests completely upon theintegrity, competence, and wisdom of the ones making those decisions. This has thepotential to destroy us, where "everyone does what is right in his own eyes" (Judges21:25).

We started well! It was enlightening to read Verbal Snook's description of the earlyleadership process at ORU. Under the Holy Spirit's guidance, a team effort evolvedunder the strong leadership of President Roberts. ORU was established under the idealcombination of 1) a firm leadership structure, and 2) team spirit in the form of numerouscommittees.

Such is the model needed by healing teams. However, if we are to achieve a teamconcept on the mission field, we will need to model it in our training and modus operandihere at ORU. Students learn by example. Such campus teams need to model godlyauthority in the very best sense of the concept.

It is unrealistic to expect the same intense level of involvement by President Robertsthat he gave in the founding years. Consequently, it is even more urgent that wedelineate our fundamental purposes, and implement them in our policies and practices.We greatly need the establishment of teams whose focus is an ongoing review of howwell our policies and procedures mesh with our fundamental purposes. With respect toacademics, we do this now for accrediting agencies. What is needed is a periodicspiritual review (self study) as an act of accountability to God. North Central BibleCollege in Minneapolis now requires this of individual faculty on a yearly basis.

There are some powerful benefits to ongoing team review. Clearly, one is accountabilityby those in the leadership structure to those under leadership (e.g. pastor tocongregation). Another is a healthy input of ideas by outsiders. A third is an earlywarning system for potential or real problems ("In many counselors there is safety,"Proverbs 24:6). A fourth, and perhaps most important benefit, is the building of esprit de corps. Full commitment demands at least partial ownership, an ownership based on theknowledge that one's wisdom, experience, ideas, and concerns are heard andconsidered. What better way to achieve a sense of partnership in the venture?

All areas of campus life need ongoing review. As teams are established, their first taskshould be to generate, in writing, an operating philosophy consistent with ourfundamental purposes and unified vision. These philosophical statements then need tobe reviewed and revised up and down the chain of command until all are in harmonywith their content. President Roberts should be able to give his stamp of approval toevery philosophical statement.


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A second task for teams should be a periodic review of existing policies and practicesfor their coherence with our fundamental purposes and unified vision. Frequency ofreview is a key issue to resolve. What may be most effective is a combination of lower-priority, ongoing review on a semester by semester basis, with a high-priority, spiritualself-study on something like a 3-year cycle.

Given the enormous problems we face and will face in the future, we need all theresources we can tap. There is tremendous strength in unity, especially under godlyauthority. As we prove our stewardship, we have every reason to expect God to rewardus in the form of greater responsibility and resources.

Obedience and Spiritual Authority

God told Oral Roberts to "build Me a university; build it on My authority and on the HolySpirit." In a recent sermon, Larry Lea cited ways to NOT grieve the Holy Spirit. One wasto gladly obey spiritual authority. There is an essential, yet misunderstood relationship

between obedience and authority, a misunderstanding amplified by the naturalrebelliousness of man and by the diversity of church and national governmentstructures. In its ideal form, obedience and spiritual authority are incredibly powerfultools for the accomplishment of mission, but they can also be readily abused. We see 4needs here:

1) A sound theological foundation2) Enlistment/commitment of faculty to sell the concept3) A balanced view between submission and accountability4) Godly models

1) Theological Foundation. Dennis Bennett said that if you don't have a goodtheology you will surely have a bad one. Few people give internal commitment blindly;indeed it is one of our protections (1 Thessalonians 5:21). A strong case can and mustbe made for the protection that authority provides. It is a covering, like the animal skinsGod gave to Adam and Eve, and Ruth's appeal to Boaz. Elizabeth Elliott entitled one ofher books, The Liberty of Obedience ; many testify to the freedom such a disciplinedlifestyle affords. Furthermore, we are engaged in warfare. Mankind has long recognizedthe need to sacrifice personal rights in order to win battles. A sound theologicalfoundation can be a powerful tool through which to influence our students in the causeof effective teamwork.

2) Salesmanship. Faculty are a key because of our strong influence on students.They will more readily accept doctrine on obedience from someone they admire andtrust. This can be used to advantage for the kingdom of God, an opportunity which onlyamplifies the pastoral nature of godly teaching.

3) Balance. Great effort is needed to balance obedience, authority, andaccountability. The writer of Hebrews (13:17) combines submission to authority with thefact that leaders will give an account to God. In Ephesians 6:1-9, Paul combinessubmission of children to parents, with nonprovocation by parents; service by slaves as


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unto Jesus, with a nonthreatening atmosphere by masters, who are themselves subjectto God, who is no respecter of persons. Ungodly fear must have no place at ORU .The Holy Spirit must be grieved when graduates leave with cynicism andbitterness over inconsistencies and unchristlike examples.

4) Godly Models. Some of our regent-pastors are especially gifted in modelinggodly authority. Men like Billy Jo Daugherty, Jack Hayford, and Larry Lea have much toteach us. Jack Hayford also has an excellent understanding of the role andresponsibilities of leaders. Faculty clearly need to understand the impact of our examplehere.

These four areas are especially important in the training of our students as futureleaders. Godly examples are crucial. By God's grace, may we all be able to say withPaul, "Follow me as I follow Christ."

Conclusion

In summary, this paper is a call to the Oral Roberts University family to seriously weighwhat God is saying to us through His current mandate to President Roberts. We believethat God is telling him to turn the entire ministry around, not just the medical school. Weneed to ask ourselves, what is OUR responsibility? Could God intend far more than weimagine here?

This paper is a call for solidifying our enduring values by identifying, examining, andthen implementing our fundamental purposes. Key personnel in this effort are faculty.We need to recognize them as pastor-teachers, with the responsibility under God toinculcate our students with these enduring values, to model Godly authority, and to leadour students in finding their place of service in His Kingdom..This paper is a call for a team approach to assure our present and longterm success,and the effectiveness of healing teams. Toward that end we need a clear understandingof how we are to function within kingdom principles.

Consider this paper a call for dialogue. It seems clear that the Holy Spirit is calling us toaction--the kind of action involving careful evaluation, thought, and prayer about wherewe are now as a university, and where we need to go to fulfill God's commands. Ourprayer is that by God's grace we can come into unity, and we pledge our full effortstoward that worthy end. May we all be listening for what the Spirit is saying.


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ADDENDUM NO.2

Remarks by President Oral Roberts to the Regents, November 21, 1986.Bible-based, God-centered, Holy-Spirit-anointed, academic excellence.

When God called me at 17 to take His healing power to my generation, I did not knowthe greatest movement of the Holy Spirit in the history of America was to be in the veinof the Charismatic Bible Ministries. Anyone who reads history knows the strength andlongevity of any movement revolves around its ability to reproduce leadership. Now Iknow why God ordered me to establish ORU with its seminary, medical school, and Cityof Faith. All the toil, sweat, and tears we endured by faith will become our great joy, if auniversity can be a vehicle to reproduce the leaders of the future. Without newleadership in the church, this great flow of the Holy Spirit will subside. For that I submitto you my life's work. When you and I are in heaven and we have the advantage oflooking back with clear vision and to understand what we tried to do, we will see that weare now forming the leaders of the future in a different way than is ordinary.

Now I mean by that--I believe that the Bible school in itself is the purest form of training--training people in the Bible, particularly bringing young people together in a Biblecollege. Two reasons. One is, that without a relationship with God and knowing theBible, we cannot get to heaven; we cannot live for God on this earth; we cannot be thesalt of the earth, the light of the world. But now in addition, if we can take the Bible-school concept and put it into the very heart of the university, and build upon it andaround it an academic program from which springs the different skills by which the worldis operated, we have the absolute best of what we as humans and as Christians can do,(as we seek to be) the salt of the earth and light of the world, and to release our ownpersonal calling.

Let me take you back to the beginnings of the university when we were dealing with theNorth Central Accrediting Association, which accredits hundreds of universities andcolleges all the way north and south of us in maybe a ten-state area. So you're dealingwith the highest accrediting agency in this part of America. Now there's been a basicfear of that group by what we call either the Pentecostal church or the Charismaticchurch. Those two are not very different. But also some non-Pentecostal/Charismaticgroups who are Bible-centered have a fear of what the government can do and whatsuch an (accrediting agency) can do which operates under the federal government.

I was in the midst of a healing ministry, a ministry of signs and wonders. I was furthering

my own education all the time, but I was in the midst of a people primarily sponsored byPentecostals. Then later, I was part of the founding of the charismatic movement bythose groups. We were trying to build our lives around the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and theworkings of God supernaturally through us. Now we up and announce we're going tobuild a major university. Not a college, though there would be an undergraduate school,but a university consisting of many colleges on the undergraduate and graduate levels.That's why we called it a university, even when we were just a college, because wefounded it to be a university.


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When the accrediting people came down they assigned to me, the president andfounder of the university, a small group to help educate me in what would be required tohave an accredited university. Then it came down to one person and myself. The deanof a prestigious university in the state of Michigan was assigned to us, and we had to

pay for his travel and his time. So he took me by the hand, in effect, and led me step bystep in what accreditation would entail. As you well imagine, his drift was whatacademics are, and he went out of his way to explain (them) to me because it wasnatural for him to think that I was not acquainted with academics on a higher scale. Itwas good that he felt that way. He didn't know at the time that I was a good learner anda good listener.

As he led me on and I began to see the picture of what higher education is all about, itconfirmed in my mind that it did not have a Bible-school base. It was not God-related. Itwas humanistically related, and they without apology advanced that to me because theypurely believed that it's man's own highest ability that makes life move forward and

improves human society. There wasn't any duplicity in the man. He believed this, andhe explained the whole American system of higher education to me. At that point Ibegan to introduce to him (that) I had no problem with that, providing they allowed us tosupply the heart: a Bible-based, God-centered, Holy-Spirit-anointed university. So hewas nice enough to ask me to explain that, which gave me a great opportunity. When Iheard myself explaining it, it made me feel better to hear what I was saying,

Enduring Values

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