At a recent conference for pastors and leaders of my denomination, there was a call to embrace change. The first plenary speaker clearly defined reality and I was optimistic about what was to come and was not disappointed. After having time to digest the event I feel there may have been one glaring omission, or at least something I didn’t hear.
You have been called to preach or serve in some officially recognized capacity in the local church. You start to work your way toward ordination. You take the classes, you serve the requisite number of years and now you apply to be ordained by the Church. Is the Church obligated to ordain you?
It seems like Christians love to rage. I get that it is easy and it makes us feel better inside but I think we can do more than rage.
I am a Nazarene Pastor and I love my church. I am a product of the love of my family, SS teachers and local pastors. I have been educated by our schools, coached by our professors and mentored by people I admire and respect. I love my church but our lack of fruitfulness in the US and Canada is breaking my heart.
It was Sunday afternoon and the football game was on television. I tried to dismiss the pain in my chest but it kept getting worse. I called the nurse whose mission was to care for her pastor’s health, and she told me to get to the ER immediately. I was ushered right in and given a nitro pill. It is a day that my wife never wants to re-live.
Gone are the days when we would get an anonymous note under the door of our office. If people want to complain about us now, they go straight to social media. We have all felt the sting of untruth and half-truth along with accusation and unfounded rebuke. We know what it is like to end the day feeling like we have been thrown under the bus. What do we do when we have been run over and how do we respond?
