A
*There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:28 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians3:28&version=NIV
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So some guy says that God told him who to choose for pastor and the rest of the congregation is suppose accept this guy at his word? What if someone else then says the same thing, that God spoke to him also and he wants a different man to be pastor? What exactly is the practical application to choose an interim pastor?
My foundation in the Scripture was lain by three wonderful women of Christ. For much of my life, they were my go to for questions relating to Scripture. I have yet to meet anyone who understood the scriptures as well as they did. They would have made excellent pastors for any congregation. If any of them were alive today, and were asked to be a pastor of a church, without hesitation they would say "NO". They would cite 1 Timothy 3:1-7.
They would have no problem with Youth leaders, praise and worship leaders, prayer leaders, Bible study leaders, etc. being man or woman. The only exception that they would make is that a woman should not lead and all adult male group.
I believe that they were scripturally correct.
They would have no problem with Youth leaders, praise and worship leaders, prayer leaders, Bible study leaders, etc. being man or woman. The only exception that they would make is that a woman should not lead and all adult male group.
I believe that they were scripturally correct.
C
1 Timothy 3:5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?)
I asked a priest how they could tell someone how to parent or how to treat their wife if they were never married.
I asked a priest how they could tell someone how to parent or how to treat their wife if they were never married.
He did..... but most christians no longer have a clue as to what a prophet is or does. (Acts 2:15-18)
Doing what? Staying barefoot & pregnant in da kitchin'?
Really?..... Women preachers make up less than 10% of the preacher population, & waaay less in state/national leadership positions.
When I look at modern pastors/ministers, the MEN are seen feeding their vain desires such as bouncing from church to church looking for greener grass and climbing the religious ladder of power.
Sounds more like chauvinism than religion.
Doing what? Staying barefoot & pregnant in da kitchin'?
Really?..... Women preachers make up less than 10% of the preacher population, & waaay less in state/national leadership positions.
When I look at modern pastors/ministers, the MEN are seen feeding their vain desires such as bouncing from church to church looking for greener grass and climbing the religious ladder of power.
Sounds more like chauvinism than religion.
P
If that is true than what would be the criteria for choosing an elder to pastor on an interim basis. Who chooses the one(s) who get to choose? How is this different than voting?
I told him; "Dad I want to preach because God called me to preach, not because dad called me to preach".
He understood. He didn't like it, but he understood.
The preacher having one wife means he shouldn't have a string of exes, or be a polygamist.
And yes, that is intentionally meant in the masculine. A woman's desire to preach isn't the qualifier.
Study the scripture people.
Yet Jesus and the apostles "ticked"'off
many by them word so I guess they aren't of the spirit according to you. We are also not in a worship service on an Internet chat forum. I do have a right to speak and I am not usurping authority in doing so. Maybe you aren't understand long what i am saying as you've taken what I've said out of context.
many by them word so I guess they aren't of the spirit according to you. We are also not in a worship service on an Internet chat forum. I do have a right to speak and I am not usurping authority in doing so. Maybe you aren't understand long what i am saying as you've taken what I've said out of context.
A
Normally both husband and wife minister to the flock...everyone focuses on,the man but in truth you need a family unit to make it work as God intended.
Sometimes women need other women of God to talk to and men need men of God to speak with..a church is a body and all parts are important. Not just the mouth, which is what most preachers/pastors are...sermons on Sunday...Without a congregation, there would be no church.
Sometimes women need other women of God to talk to and men need men of God to speak with..a church is a body and all parts are important. Not just the mouth, which is what most preachers/pastors are...sermons on Sunday...Without a congregation, there would be no church.
D
Our denomination does church-plantings. Committees involved, people live in the area where they want to plant the church, making sure there are enough people and enough elders to get going, and finally they get the building and the resources to keep it going for three years. (If the church doesn't make it after three years, it wasn't meant to be.)
So, what does that have to do with a rural church? The best laid plans of mice and men.
Seven years later, we hear about the church planted in our part of Philly and we went. Who can resist a church that believes like we do and is within walking distance of our home, especially after going great distances to find such a church? (Two miles one way, but I did it on occasion.) The one thing people don't do in our denomination is gossip, so we never found out what happened -- only saw the aftermath. Some kind of argument/split/something that ended with the Teaching Elder (our version of lead pastor -- the man with the degrees and the testing that says he can teach) resigning and half the members leaving.
What was left was two ruling elders (our version of deacons and administrators, but there were probably more before the split) and between 50-70 people including the children. You can't pay a Teaching Elder's salary with that few people.
So we went without one, by asking men throughout the Philadelphia Presbytery to come for Sunday morning service to teach for $300. (Back in the 1990's, but our lives are such that we have no idea how much that is nowadays.) And by teaching, it is assumed he would spend between 35-40 hours studying and preparing for that one message.
Fortunately, four good men volunteered, so each one had a month to find that 35-40 hours to prepare for that message. (They all had full time jobs, and all but one were married, so 35-40 "spare hours" a month versus trying to shove that much time in one week really was a good thing.)
The rest of us did what we are supposed to do -- volunteered to help in the community, go out and evangelize, and help those who needed it -- whether members of the church or not.
Slowly but surely, more came. Unfortunately -- money-wise and future-wise -- as often happens, mostly it was people down and out needing help, so it didn't bring more money in tithes, because most of the congregation didn't have the money to give. We don't ask children to give at all, and about 75% of our congregation was on Disability and/or Welfare -- many with minimum level income. (For instance, one woman who had been disabled at birth and she had just become permanently wheelchair bound, had a ten year old daughter, and the two of them lived on $512 a month -- the minimum for SSDI back then. That tight on money, so we were telling her don't worry about tithing. Some of us were giving her money to help.)
When we joined, we were one of three middle-class families, so one of three helping out by tithing. The church was 150 years old, falling apart and had an old brick basement where mold and mildew collected and rose up into the sanctuary. Hubby and I are both allergic to mold and mildew, (ad the dehumidifier we donated to the church and the ionizer one of those Teaching Elders donated to the church didn't help), so after a third summer of choking when we stayed in the building for more than half an hour, we had to leave.
And they had to give up and close the door within the next 3-9 months.
BUT, if you can't afford a pastor, pay for sermons until you can afford one. I get it -- out in the country. But out in the country also means harder to find work, so I would guess there were men within 30 miles of that church with a willingness and the car to do that. Then the congregation works its way up from there. If it doesn't work out, then, yes. It really does mean close the church. If God's not raising a man to do the job, then it's obvious it's not a job God wants done right there.
I trust God can get what he wants, even way out in the country. That is my "transigent."
So, what does that have to do with a rural church? The best laid plans of mice and men.
Seven years later, we hear about the church planted in our part of Philly and we went. Who can resist a church that believes like we do and is within walking distance of our home, especially after going great distances to find such a church? (Two miles one way, but I did it on occasion.) The one thing people don't do in our denomination is gossip, so we never found out what happened -- only saw the aftermath. Some kind of argument/split/something that ended with the Teaching Elder (our version of lead pastor -- the man with the degrees and the testing that says he can teach) resigning and half the members leaving.
What was left was two ruling elders (our version of deacons and administrators, but there were probably more before the split) and between 50-70 people including the children. You can't pay a Teaching Elder's salary with that few people.
So we went without one, by asking men throughout the Philadelphia Presbytery to come for Sunday morning service to teach for $300. (Back in the 1990's, but our lives are such that we have no idea how much that is nowadays.) And by teaching, it is assumed he would spend between 35-40 hours studying and preparing for that one message.
Fortunately, four good men volunteered, so each one had a month to find that 35-40 hours to prepare for that message. (They all had full time jobs, and all but one were married, so 35-40 "spare hours" a month versus trying to shove that much time in one week really was a good thing.)
The rest of us did what we are supposed to do -- volunteered to help in the community, go out and evangelize, and help those who needed it -- whether members of the church or not.
Slowly but surely, more came. Unfortunately -- money-wise and future-wise -- as often happens, mostly it was people down and out needing help, so it didn't bring more money in tithes, because most of the congregation didn't have the money to give. We don't ask children to give at all, and about 75% of our congregation was on Disability and/or Welfare -- many with minimum level income. (For instance, one woman who had been disabled at birth and she had just become permanently wheelchair bound, had a ten year old daughter, and the two of them lived on $512 a month -- the minimum for SSDI back then. That tight on money, so we were telling her don't worry about tithing. Some of us were giving her money to help.)
When we joined, we were one of three middle-class families, so one of three helping out by tithing. The church was 150 years old, falling apart and had an old brick basement where mold and mildew collected and rose up into the sanctuary. Hubby and I are both allergic to mold and mildew, (ad the dehumidifier we donated to the church and the ionizer one of those Teaching Elders donated to the church didn't help), so after a third summer of choking when we stayed in the building for more than half an hour, we had to leave.
And they had to give up and close the door within the next 3-9 months.
BUT, if you can't afford a pastor, pay for sermons until you can afford one. I get it -- out in the country. But out in the country also means harder to find work, so I would guess there were men within 30 miles of that church with a willingness and the car to do that. Then the congregation works its way up from there. If it doesn't work out, then, yes. It really does mean close the church. If God's not raising a man to do the job, then it's obvious it's not a job God wants done right there.
I trust God can get what he wants, even way out in the country. That is my "transigent."
The bible is chock full of things that appear to us to be direct contradictions.
I think this was done by God on purpose.
So that hearing, they wouldn't hear and seeing, they wouldn't see.
The whole thing is a parable in this sense.
I don't know why this comes as a shock to me. It really shouldn't.
Makes perfect sense.
I think this was done by God on purpose.
So that hearing, they wouldn't hear and seeing, they wouldn't see.
The whole thing is a parable in this sense.
I don't know why this comes as a shock to me. It really shouldn't.
Makes perfect sense.
D
Heehee!! 
Just for you, young sister Demi, here's a tribute to Paster Women everywhere!
View attachment 146162
Just for you, young sister Demi, here's a tribute to Paster Women everywhere! View attachment 146162
So how do we get one of those? They're even smiling!
