By Mark A. Taylor
“The temporary becomes permanent.”ย Dale McCann, senior minister at the first church I served full-time, repeated the proverb whenever I was tempted to slap something together till we could “do it right”ย later.
He was observing a tendency of human nature and long experience working with the local church: A cardboard sign announcing a room number might never be replaced with one professionally made. A haphazard approach to ushering or serving Communion will continue for years because no one tackles the task of organizing something more efficient.
When the temporary becomes permanent at home, we see an ugly extension cord where we needed a new electrical outlet. Or a makeshift shelf in a closet out of control.
My preacher was questioning temporary measures, and I quickly learned his point. But sometimes a short-term fix can lead to a wonderful permanent solution, and that”s exactly what we”re announcing today.
Kelly Carr, who has served this year as interim editor of our sister publication, The Lookout, isn”t interim any longer. She”s our editor, and we couldn”t be happier.
We were pleased when Kelly was available to step in, “temporarily,”ย after editor Shawn McMullen left us to become senior minister with LifeSpring Christian Church in Cincinnati. And the magazine hasn”t missed a beat”โor a deadline!”โsince then.
The inspirational and helpful features so many depend on have continued every week. And Kelly”s column has showcased her fresh perspectives and insights. She”s a good writer with a keen eye for what”s happening in the world and what should be happening in the church.
We had full confidence in Kelly when she took the interim role, and her work has proved that our trust was well placed.
But this was not a test. If she had been available, we would have called her onboard full-time from the outset. Now she is available, and now she”s here. We”re looking forward to her leadership in the years to come.
This is one time everyone can be glad a temporary fix led to a permanent solution!
See what”s happening at The Lookout this week and very week by visiting Lookoutmag.com.
Author: Mark A. Taylor
Mark A. Taylor, who served as Christian Standard editor from 2003 to 2017, retired in June 2017 after almost 41 years with Standard Publishing (Christian Standard Media).
