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In Reply to: Re: ministers... posted by Pastor Don on September 27, 2008 at 15:09:20:
Well, I could/should let it rest here...as it happens to be a believe-system & people of same feather gather together..in most cases...I really haven't found 100% my niche, as I think people
like the statos quo, but I wonder, what they teach in many universities...not to speak of Yale & such (unbelief is much worse in Europe/Germany) but even at the mainstream...colleges...hardly any one would rock the boat,I suppose, as everybody is comfortable with the normal set up...
I mean in the denomination I am in, there are oodles of jobs performed of "lay people", from the various music-teams, childcare, homepage-maintenance...the technical-set up...all the liturgical-"supply"...besides some outreach here & there...to say, that for a pastor etc. it's 24/7
job sounds very idealistic & altruistic & I believe it is...but the same a manager or owner of a company says...a doctor...a nurse etc. ...
so it really depends on how good the dedicated doctor is & how good the pastors are...a lot of churches happen to be empty in Europe...one reason is the "Zeitgeist"...on the other hand, there are few churchpeople who do enough resisting
& otherwise the majority rather does the "nonsensical" in going with the "vogue"...for me it's anyway rather quality not quantitiy... a lot of people prefer "Christianity light"...you know of the surveys they do in some countries, whether people know, what Eastern & Pentecost is all about...few know the answer & since some time the answer is similar about Christmas, especially among the younger people.
But the doubting started in many "modern" seminaries...so if the "studied" pastors have many doubts (some anglican pastors & some of other denominations denied the resurrection of Jesus...the percentage is not very comforting)what
to expect of the ones, they're supposed to lead?
You might say, that yours is a congregation of staunch believers...may be.Frankly, I've seen too
much "glamour", outside/materialistical "shining" & not enough warmth among many believers.There is sufficient love & warmth were I go to, but the teaching could be stricter, but then I think they'd fear to loose some sheep of the fold...so they compromise.That's what many churches do, who have a paid clergy.
I made a very deep study 4 years back on the subject on seperation/divorce & remarriage.Go & visit the websites of the diverse congregations.The majority allows it,e.g. remarriage under certain circumstances, if both of the married couple are still alive.One website-author pointed directly to that problem, that a good many pastor, who came idealistically from college/university just tilted...changed the view, when he was confronted with the problems of the church-people & also confronted with the "might" of the church-elders, those who hold the bag.It's pitiful...therefore & for other reasons I am rather against a paid clergy, because in a way you are then also a bit of a servant to those who pay you...so congregational-statutes could be one thing, church daily life another...those who don't compromise might find themselves moving around a whole lot???
