David Landrith made a significant impact on me in two very distinct ways. The obvious way, as a pastor, was the spiritual disciplines he taught. However, his leadership style left an indelible impression on my life.
David was without question one of the greatest leaders to ever exist. David could walk into the room and excitement, warmth, sincerity and laughter penetrated the silence. David was the type of leader that after a “State Of The Church” you wanted to charge the mountain. He not only was a great leader, but he was sold out on wanting to lead people to know the Lord, he never took his eye off the prize, an eternity with Christ.
I have never been around someone for an extended period of time that I grew to enjoy more as time went on like I have experienced with David. As a rule when you hang with a person for nearly two decades, they have a tendency to expose their shortcomings, cross boundaries that are off limits or go off on you in a way that severs most relationships, not so with David.
There were countless times when our relationship was strained, not as a result of he or I selfishly wanting our own way, but as a result of differing opinions as to what was the best route for everyone concerned. We would often fight it out and then hug each other, LOL.
What I loved about David was that no matter to what degree of controversy you were headed, or to the magnitude of the decision at hand or what the end result cost would be, David would be objective in his approach.
David taught me so much about the value of trusted advisors. He taught me the value of garnering a general consensus before you pull the trigger. He taught me to be a man of integrity and to have honesty at the forefront of all decisions. David taught me what it meant to be genuine.
David was a man’s man. He knew the value of faith, family and relationships and he was not bashful about expressing it.
David was my pastor; we lost him to a 22-month battle with cancer in November, David was 51 years old. I was fortunate to have been involved with him in a number of levels throughout the years as a deacon, leadership team member and a personal accountability partner for many years.
More importantly, David was just my friend. We were blessed to have David 17 years as the senior pastor of Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville Tennessee. David led us from a congregation of 250 to 7500 and he never lost sight of the mission.
All that is left to say is “David will be missed greatly.” As a result of knowing David Landrith my life will forever be better.
