Pastoring A Pastor

"Did I wake you up?" the caller said. It was 7:30 AM. We have been friends for 20 years. My response - 'How long have you known me; I get up at 4:30 AM!'

'I just need some one to listen to me' was the opening line of our conversation.

I took this man to Africa with me. I showed him how to pack after ten (10) days on mission. You put the suit case on the bed. You open it. You grab all your belongings. You chuck them in the suit case. You close the lid. You are ready to fly. It takes not more than 60 seconds.  His wife was mortified. He loved it. That brief anecdote is a snap shot in the Video of our years of friendship. Laughter, tears, prayers, anger, silence, frustration - - but always lunch on Tuesday.

In November 2012 we moved to AL from SC after ministry there for 20 years. The caller was another Pastor. We have been friends in the best sense of the word through those years. On one occasion I went to their home and told him "You WILL NOT QUIT!" His wife wept openly. They were 'fried' by the reality of pastoral ministry. He listened.

He told me "I lost my Pastor". Those words are priceless. I set aside my agenda to draft this BLOG. Every Pastor should Pastor another Pastor.

Our conversation was 30 minutes of perspective. I was able to walk him through the issues he was deliberating. We reached a conclusion that makes sense from a biblical, practical and emotional point of view. That call was not on my "Agenda" but it may well be the most important thing I do today or this week.

He read me a poem his 5 year old grandson had written for him upon his departure after their most recent visit. That is the stuff of real friendship. Loyalty wrapped in TRUTH, Honesty and Integrity.

A question for every Pastor - - 'Do you have another Pastor who regards you as his Pastor?' You should. The joy of that role is abundant. I also find it much like the way the Good Shepherd meets with me in every circumstance. His promise to us "I am with you!" Who is your Pastor? Who are you Pastoring?

Words & Their Meaning

I write this post with some level of uncertainty. My motivation and purpose is to make our deliberations in the BLOG world fruitful and productive. I trust that this will be the result.

First, several Principles that guide the development of this material:

1.  Words and their relationship give meaning to language.

2.  Words are symbols and those symbols convey meaning.

3.  Unless and until we define what I/we mean by our choice of words/symbols, there can be little if any progress in our understanding of one another.

4.  The languages of the OT & NT are ‘dead languages’. As such the meaning of words does not change and we discover the correct meaning of words through the use of credible lexical sources. Cf. the interview with Mr. Joe Aguillard on this matter; listen to the definition he offered of election. There is no credible lexical source to support what he declared.

5.  Unity is not something we develop or produce. Rather, it is by the clear expression of the text of Scripture a reality that we are to preserve, guard, protect (Eph. 4:1-3) I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3)

6.  The Principle of Non-Contradiction. Scripture is perspicuous, clear. It does not say one thing in one place and contradict that in another. There is one and only one correct interpretation of each portion of God’s Word. This leaves us with the following options: 

A. One is correct and the other incorrect. 

B. Both are incorrect. 

C. But, we cannot come to opposing interpretations and declare that BOTH are correct.

In recent exchanges in the BLOG world some have said “I am not – a Calvinist; an Arminian; a Semi-Pelagian, etc. Simply saying I am or I am not this or that does not make it true. Exegesis of the text, Systematic Theology and the historical unfolding of the beliefs, practices and doctrines of the church determine whether a particular belief or conviction fits or is properly characterized by a particular definition. Church history has had multiple Councils that deliberated these matters, often for years, and the conclusions they reached shape the theology the church embraces today.

Therefore, if what I express as a conviction or belief is determined by the criteria stated above to be true and accurate, I should not take offense when others correctly apply the label that has been established by accurate exegesis and the history of doctrine. 

True unity is a theological issue. We have unity when we align ourselves with the correct understanding of God’s word. God is not schizophrenic and neither is His Word. We cannot embrace diametrically opposed interpretations and say that both are correct. That is not unity as defined by Scripture.

We must be irenic, gracious, humble and civil in our discourse. We must also not capitulate to a pseudo unity, one that sacrifices accuracy and integrity in dealing with God’s Word for a “Rodney King Theology”, can’t we all just get along?

I do not claim to have all the answers to our differences but I believe what I have stated in this post is consistent with the character and nature of Truth. We can and must strive for an accurate interpretation of God’s Word and simultaneously with passion, prayer and persistence bring this Truth to the world around us.

Right Answer - Wrong Question!

Life is always challenging us to make the best investment for the greatest return. Recently the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) invested 12-18 months to produce a statement that basically tells constituent members not to 'play nasty' and denigrate one another in BLOG postings etc.

The statement they produced is irenic in tone. Several obeservations.

1.  The SBC is a Convention of Churches voluntarily working together not a denomination. As such no one has virtually any authority to do anything to anyone who may choose to violate the intent of the statement (and I certainly hope they do not).

2.  The SBC like so many other evangelical organizations is loosing ground faster than a land slide in California on a rainy day.

3. The purpose of the church, every church, is to make disciples. The SBC has no exegetical substantive and operative definition of what a disciple is. What you have not defined you cannot measure.

4. The SBC continues to promote an illusion or an outright lie - they claim to have 16 million members. However, on the best Sunday of the year less than 40% of that number attend services.

The following is a reproduction of an AP article on the current statistics from the SBC.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Membership among Southern Baptists has fallen slightly for the sixth straight year.

¶   The nation's largest Protestant denomination released in-house statistics Wednesday showing that total membership dropped 0.66 percent in 2012. The annual report prepared by the Southern Baptist Convention's Lifeway Christian Resources and reported by the Baptist Press news service says there were 105,000 fewer Baptists in 2012 than the year before.

¶   Baptisms fell by 5.5 percent after a slight increase in 2011. That's considered a particularly important measure of growth for a denomination committed to evangelism.

¶   The Southern Baptist Convention did add some 270 individual churches in 2012. And the Nashville-based denomination still has nearly 16 million members.

¶   Southern Baptists are gathering next week in Houston for their annual meeting.

Here is a graph projecting the membership in the SBC in the next several decades.

A ski slope in Vail is less acute in the angle of decline. This represents a trend and trends are very very difficult to turn around.

Wisdom would dictate that we ask a different question.

What must be done and NOW to see the churches of the SBC become Healthy and Effective, making disciples fully formed in the image of Christ?

I am not suggesting we ignore the text of Scripture that speaks to the governing principles of our speech and our conduct. I am not saying we should be nasty.

I am saying that unless and until there is a courageous and intentional effort put forth to bring correction to the bad theology that has produced this trend line, it will continue and accelerate. Every aspect of the church is theological. Therefore this is a theolgocial problem and it must be solved by applying sound theological paradigms if resolution is to be achieved.

My prayer and my labors are dedicated to seeing this become a reality. I invite others to join this remnant, and like Joshua and Caleb, take the land.