Thomas Chalmers once asserted, "The task of raising up a new generation of leaders may not evince the energy of many of today’s reformers, but it is far and away more vital."
The years surrounding the nineteenth century Scottish Disruption produced some of the most remarkable servants of God in the history of the church. Thomas Chalmers was the leader of that galaxy of brilliant preachers, writers, and missionaries which included the Bonar brothers--Andrew, John, James, and Horatius--as well as Robert Murray McCheyne, William Chalmers Burns, John Milne, Alexander Moody Stuart, John Urquhart, Robert Nesbit, Alexander Somerville, Rabbi John Duncan, David Ewart, Alexander Duff, David Livingstone, and William Sinclair Mackay. Faithfully discipled by Chalmers, they were bound together by a common cause, in a common time, with a common vision, by a common love. Their pursuit of sanctification and their passion for evangelism--both at home and abroad on the mission field--marked these men as the “Evangelical Prodigies” and helped to change the character and nature of Scottish national life for the better part of a century.
Anyone who has ever heard me speak or read one of my books probably already knows of my great enthusiasm for Chalmers and his cohort of gifted students. They probably would also be able to guess that the ministry of King’s Meadow is a conscious attempt to walk in their vaunted footsteps. Folks have often asked, "What is the overall mission of the Study Center?" The implication is that our apparent aims are all too fuzzy when reduced to bullet points or brochure copy. My best answer is simply that this is it; this Chalmers-like vision; raising up the next generation of leaders--and all that such a task entails. So, there you have it--for all of its fuzziness.
