I have been to fellowship meetings of pastors, and I have been to preachers meetings for almost a half-century. Fellowship meetings are almost a thing of the past. The following questions serve to illustrate my point.
- ·
Is it really a fellowship
meeting when you are invited to attend but you have to pay fore the privilege?
- ·
Is it really a fellowship
meeting when you are invited to attend but there is no interaction of any kind
with the host pastor, who keeps himself aloof throughout the meeting?
- ·
Is it really a fellowship
meeting when there is a fixed agenda, but the fixed agenda is not announced to
those attending, neither will it be revealed ahead of time to those who inquire,
treating preachers as children.
- ·
Is it really a fellowship
meeting when the purpose of the gathering is the host pastor’s interest in
persuading those in attendance to “Do it the way I do it”?
- ·
Is it really a fellowship
meeting when there is no meaty doctrinal preaching?
- · Is it really a fellowship meeting when attending pastors are provided no opportunity to speak, and when visiting missionaries are dismissively granted thirty seconds to present their calling, field of service, and life’s ministry?
Isn’t it about time men who identify as Baptists stop the nonsense of treating certain guys as if they occupied a position somewhat lower than apostle yet somewhat higher than pastor?
I have a proposal. What about a Pastors As Peers Fellowship?
1. A gathering of equals, not a meeting of lords and underlings.
2. A gathering to bless and promote godliness, not a meeting to listen to
“How To” recipes.
3. A gathering to cultivate humility, not an arrangement to bolster the
pride of any individual.
4. A gathering to sharpen discernment, not listen to someone and his
friends spout “How I Do It.”
5. A gathering to make and strengthen friendships, not a meeting to
establish pecking order or bragging rights.
6. A gathering for presenting and discussing Bible doctrines and their application to real ministry?
Would you be interested in this kind of fellowship meeting? Would it not be interesting to announce a time and place, to make the gathering free of charge, to suggest a topic or doctrine for consideration and discussion, and to allow those who have gathered to select from among those present a willing moderator for the meeting?
Let me know. John.Waldrip@GMail.com
Please forward this to others.
