My life as a minister has been full and fulfilling. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I have loved the pastoral ministry and now serving as the FCA National Coordinator working with ministers and churches. There are many things that have been intriguing to me over the years. Without sounding judgmental, snobbish or cynical I want to explore a few and ask if anyone else has observed these anomalies. Am I the only one who often questions these things?
Take for example the plethora of helps offered to us in ministry. I have subscribed to just about every Christian magazine that is published, for the past several decades and bought numerous books. I have read innumerable advertisements, offers, articles, and things that will enable my ministry to flourish, my church to thrive, and that will make me a success. And now we can get them on CD’s, DVD’s and online. An answer for every need.
I am sure some of them are right on. But I always want to know, has this person been in a real war, in the fox holes, able to identify battle zones, and dodge land mines from their experience or are they writing from their cozy arm chair, air conditioned office and insulated from harms way? Have they walked the walk or are they just talking the talk?
In other words, what they say may sound really good, but has it come from real life experience or is it mostly theoretical and hopeful. For example, I have noted over the years some of the marriage counselors’ marriages are a mess or they have gone through divorce, but now tell us how to do marriage. And writers on how to do small groups in the local church who have never pastored a local church. The list goes on and on; how to succeed in local church leadership, do local church worship, and prepare sermons, etc.
OK, I’d like to know what you think, what’s your response? Am I out in left field???
I think my greatest help came when we took our whole staff to visit a church larger than ours and we sat down face to face and asked questions, discussed ministry and let their experience speak into our hearts.
Don’t get me wrong, I spent plenty on books, CD’s (cassettes back then), attended conferences and read lots of articles, but some just didn’t ring true unless the person was sharing out of real life experiences.
We all need help, input, counsel, wisdom and lots more, but what do you think is the most reliable source?
Dr. Warren Heckman is the National Coordinator for the Fellowship of Christian Assemblies U.S.A.
