Where Did You Come From?

Local Pastor's Meeting today~

Church hopping and church shopping.  We've conceded: the majority of church growth we're seeing is folks shuffling back and forth between our local congregations.  We get it.  We know that Pastor A is "too liberal" and the music at Church B is "lame."  We understand that Pastor C's church "doesn't relate well to families with children" and that Church D "is nothing more than a clique."  We've heard about your "run in" with Pastor E, and how Church F is, well... (insert your own obscenity).

Here's a sad reality: this week marks my tenth anniversary at Christ's Church and I am second in seniority in the local pastoral fellowship.  Average shelf life for a local pastor in our neck of the woods seems about four years.  That's actually better than the national average.  Pastoral ministry in this culture can be so discouraging.

A few of us old timers (the few of us who have been here together the longest) were lamenting the old days when all of the local pastors knew each other well enough that we'd ask a family showing up on a Sunday "Where did you come from?" and we could answer someone who came from the congregation down the road, "Oh, the pastor there is a very good friend of mine.  I know him well."  We nipped any bad-feelings (or people peddling disharmony) in the bud.

Picture L to R: Pastor Darin Shaw, Pastor Ron Tannariello, Pastor Mike Sacco and Pastor Nick Manha.

Guess what?  We've won the newbies over! 

We're ready to become intentional again about our pastoral relationships and the relationships between church leaders across our community.  Don't show up at Church A with complaints about Church B any longer.  Don't expect Pastor D to entertain your complaints about Pastor E in our community. We're not going to tolerate it.  We're on to you.  We're done playing.  We're shoulder to shoulder again.

We're collectively called to bear the gospel to our community.  It's time we put the distractions out to pasture and get back to what matters most.

You see, we're not many churches.  We're many local expressions of ONE CHURCH.  And we're getting back to acting like it.  You with us? 

Comments

[Jackie]

Pastor Ron is Ben Cartwright? : )

[Darin]

He is definitely 'Pa' where our group is concerned.