tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35889031.post542603605331550861..comments2023-11-05T00:58:55.352-07:00Comments on A Peculiar Prophet: Major Moves in MinistryWilliam H. Willimonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002821401928222858noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35889031.post-37436274655388654642010-05-22T07:21:59.926-07:002010-05-22T07:21:59.926-07:00Sometimes we appear to be trying to hard to be den...Sometimes we appear to be trying to hard to be denominations or to quote the Bishop "main stream".Its always about what "WE" need to do or what "THEY" are doing wrong.However the truth of the matter is change is personal.Maybe the question is what are YOU going to do about YOU or I about ME.Its easy to opine on what a group needs to do but takes a lot of guts to talk about what I need to do.WE need to change this, change that, how about some I's.Stop trying so hard and look at the man in the mirror only Jesus can change the man and thats one at a time.rayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02700970034287333144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35889031.post-86501395698252354142010-05-21T11:24:29.603-07:002010-05-21T11:24:29.603-07:00Bill,
I am a forty-five year old pastor, and I re...Bill,<br /><br />I am a forty-five year old pastor, and I remember in younger days wanting bigger churches and being able to be more innovative.<br /><br />But I also realize that it is not always the niche for young guys. Primarily because such ships take forever to turn, and patience isn't always a virtue among the young.<br /><br />I think I've found a niche that is far more...interesting than in maintaining a mega church, it small to middlin churches that need care, and never have lived to their potential. The work requires incredible innovation, not just in outreach, or in creative preaching but in guiding people out of spiritual malaise and depression, towards looking to Christ and rejoicing in what He has done.<br /><br />Seeing healing done - seeing reconciliation occur, seeing the aha's moments when people are freed of sin, guilt, shame, the fear of death, and released from bondage to Satan - through word and Table... occurs in every small to enormous church. <br /><br />Pastors see it close at hand, and realize its power, when they know the people involved. That changes the pastor, even perhaps more than the people.Pastor DtPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14935097095652034259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35889031.post-78741045982080086522010-05-19T09:00:01.177-07:002010-05-19T09:00:01.177-07:00Bishop, there may not be anything in the Disciplin...Bishop, there may not be anything in the Discipline about seniority but when ever was the underlying systems story spelled out in an organization. You know full well that most appointments in the UMC are tied more to how long a pastor has served and how little he or she has rocked the boat or gotten in trouble than on how innovative they are. Otherwise we would have more and more younger pastors leading some of our largest churches without having to plant and grow one. Planting a church is about the only way a 30 year old pastor can lead a very large church in our system.<br />I will grant you that some Bishops have begun bucking the unwritten rules about seniority. I hear you are one of them. <br />Bill EasumUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09383103393914081658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35889031.post-68552275855156440932010-05-18T17:35:30.082-07:002010-05-18T17:35:30.082-07:00With possibly the exception of #4 all of these cat...With possibly the exception of #4 all of these categories seem to be mission focused. In my opinion only, most of the UMC's that I hang out at do missions pretty good right now. So in my opinion again, doing something better that we already do pretty good is ok. but not as innovative or productive as we can be. There are other areas, and some of these areas are working well for other church's, that we could incorporate into our thinking. I don't think that we are losing members and not picking up new because of a lack of mission mindedness.B'ham Billyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10269505709699543073noreply@blogger.com