With their churches? No. With the "status quo".
Or so says John Piper. "Non-leaders have inertia that causes them to settle in and makes them very hard to move off of dead center. Leaders have a hankering to change, to [/b]move[/b], to reach out, to grow, and to take a group or an institution to new dimensions of ministry.
They have the spirit of Paul, who said in Phil. 3:13, "Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Leaders are always very goal-oriented people.
God's history of redemption is not finished. The church is shot through with imperfections, lost sheep are still not in the fold, needs of every sort in the world are unmet, sin infects the saints. It is unthinkable that we should be content with things the way they are in a fallen world and an imperfect church. Therefore, God has been pleased to put a holy restlessness into some of his people, and those people will very likely be the leaders."
Okay. Discussion:
Discontented Pastors
Discussion in 'Pastoral Ministries' started by Dr. Bob, Dec 18, 2005.
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General agreement
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I agree with Piper here.
The sad part that I see is that many pastors allow this discontentment with the status quo to fall over into discontentment with their church. -
I couldn't agree more.
Any Pastor that is content. Is in Danger. IMHO. :eek:
MH -
Why shouldn't I be content doing God's will (feeding the flock He has given me)? Why try to "grow" - assume numbers - and take my people to new dimensions of ministry??
I want to take them to a deeper RELATIONSHIP with God, not more "ministries". Big problem of our churches is that pastors develop PROGRAMS and then the people feel "spiritual" because they are involved in a gajillion ministries.
But their relationship with God and personal growth is anemic. -
I heartily agree. I ahve seen too many content to carry on "business as usual".
Accepting the "same old, same old" because "it's the way it's always been done" just grates on my nerves.
Maybe it's because I'm a Baby Buster, or just my mental makeup, but a Christian, and a pastor especially, should always be moving, looking, striving for any means to further the kingdom of God.
In Christ,
Trotter -
I measure the growth of a person when they begin to share their faith and then begin to disciple someone else and then watch that person they are discipling grow.
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John of Japan Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
Of course, the Lord DID put a whole book in the Bible about numbers.... ;)
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exscentric Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
The Lord did also say: Matt. 16.18 "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
I might be mistaken but this seems to be what Dr. Bob is getting at. Allow Him to do the building while the pastor does that which He is told to do.
Not to mean you aren't looking for ways to improve the ministry, but the groaning and grunting to get numbers seems to be ..... well anyway ;) -
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Jesus vs Piper
"I will give you rest" vs "I will give you restlessness." -
Aaron you are comparing 2 different issues.
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Piper nailed this one.
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Dr. Bob, if by "to take a group or an institution to new dimensions of ministry", etc. Piper meant developing new programs and gimics, I don't agree with him. I took it more as understanding that people and institutions are not perfect and we should always be desirous to better serve the Lord - not just studying about what new thing we can come up with. Maybe I read into it what I already believed.
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It is hard to ascertain WHAT John Piper was aiming at. But I just visited his church in October and saw it was in the midst of developing program after program in the ministry.
Granted, his preaching and careful exposition of the Word SHOULD make his church members some of the strongest Christians on earth and thus could be referring to THAT as his idea of "growth". -
Visioneers simply see what is and what should be...visionary leaders take people from where they are to where they need to be. I agree with Piper in the fact a true leader must be leading people to a different plane. That takes many different forms according to the giftedness and passions of the leader.
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Programs are only mehods that are used to carry out Biblical principles. Not all programs are helpful in doing this. Some are. I do not think we should see a demon under every rock here. There are some who have the attitude that everything churches do is bad these days. It is a different world with different needs. Yes, the world still needs a clear and effective gospel witness. Its just that the way in which we do effect this witness might change. Lets not criticize everything because it is different.
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Perhaps be content where you are, but not content with your spiritual state. You should always strive to walk closer to God and to help your people walk closer to God.
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