Vintage Ken Nydam!!! I usually ask in reply, "Do you really want to know?" If they affirm then I say, "I am blessed and thankful!" And then I ask in reply, "Would you like to know why? And they affirm I then give a testimony. Keep up the good work, Ken!
Thank you, Ryan, for those words. I have been a pastor for over 50 years, and the words that thrill me and humble me the most are: "Thank you, Pastor, for coming; and for that prayer. It was just what I needed."
Hi Shane: Thanks for the perspective, it is much needed. I refer you to an excellent article by Mark Buchanan, pastor of New Life Community Church in Duncan, British Columbia found in the Summer 2012 Leadership Journal. The article is titled "When Clean and Unclean Touch." He comments on John 1:16,17 "From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Buchanan finds here a "revolutionary reversal." It was in grace that Jesus embraced sinners, and that embrace often led to their embracing the truth which He declared. He touches lepers (Mtt 8:3) and He feasts with tax collecters and "sinners"(Mtt 9:9-13). Buchanan sees Jesus reversing truth first and then grace into grace first and then truth. The ultmate example of this approach is found in Romans 5:8: "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Very interesting! I like your analogy of dancing because it responds to Psalm 149:3: "Let them praise His name with dancing." If the dance is the tango then we are to be graciously "en-tango-ed" with others in the wilderness!
Sam, a solid affirmation and resounding "Amen!" to your article. I retired from fulltime CRC ministry in 2002. I wanted to continue for one more year to round out a full 10 years in my last charge. The Lord, in some very loving ways, made it clear that it was time to move on, and I did. In the 11 years since that decision. my wife and I have co-pastored 16 congregations in interim ministry. What a great joy that has been! A failure to personally recognize that the Lord often doesn't intend to accomplish anything additonal in a current pastor's ministry can be detrimental to the health of the congregation and the pastor. Yes, there is life after fulltime congregational ministry. Congratulatons, Bill, on your upcoming move to Anchorage. We served Trinity on interim and fell in love with them and Alaska! Watch out for the moose in your backyard!
Ken, you are right on the mark and this direction is long overdue. Many of the members of our church councils are professionals who are regularly held to such a standard in their respective professions. The demise of the Day of the Dominee has happened and the calling of a pastor demands the highest level of integrity. Mutual Censure in Councils is becoming a hit or miss affair; Pastoral Relations committees often never get to the heart of matters; and in many places Church Visiting on a regular basis is virtually non-existent. Article 13a does not prevent a council from using another kind of professional as it carries out its responsibiliy for supervision. So let's raise this up a notch or two and build in a stronger and more effective accountability for pastors of the greatest institution on the face of the earth - the Church of Jesus Christ.
Posted in: Flippant Greeting Disorder
Vintage Ken Nydam!!! I usually ask in reply, "Do you really want to know?" If they affirm then I say, "I am blessed and thankful!" And then I ask in reply, "Would you like to know why? And they affirm I then give a testimony. Keep up the good work, Ken!
Posted in: The Other Side of 'Quitting Time'
A solid "Amen" George, to that! I retired in 2002, had 16 interims since, and am open to however the Lord wants to use me.
Posted in: The Unnecessary Pastor
Thank you, Ryan, for those words. I have been a pastor for over 50 years, and the words that thrill me and humble me the most are: "Thank you, Pastor, for coming; and for that prayer. It was just what I needed."
Posted in: The Edge of This Wilderness
Hi Shane: Thanks for the perspective, it is much needed. I refer you to an excellent article by Mark Buchanan, pastor of New Life Community Church in Duncan, British Columbia found in the Summer 2012 Leadership Journal. The article is titled "When Clean and Unclean Touch." He comments on John 1:16,17 "From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Buchanan finds here a "revolutionary reversal." It was in grace that Jesus embraced sinners, and that embrace often led to their embracing the truth which He declared. He touches lepers (Mtt 8:3) and He feasts with tax collecters and "sinners"(Mtt 9:9-13). Buchanan sees Jesus reversing truth first and then grace into grace first and then truth. The ultmate example of this approach is found in Romans 5:8: "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Very interesting! I like your analogy of dancing because it responds to Psalm 149:3: "Let them praise His name with dancing." If the dance is the tango then we are to be graciously "en-tango-ed" with others in the wilderness!
Posted in: I Don't Want to Be One of Those Pastors
Sam, a solid affirmation and resounding "Amen!" to your article. I retired from fulltime CRC ministry in 2002. I wanted to continue for one more year to round out a full 10 years in my last charge. The Lord, in some very loving ways, made it clear that it was time to move on, and I did. In the 11 years since that decision. my wife and I have co-pastored 16 congregations in interim ministry. What a great joy that has been! A failure to personally recognize that the Lord often doesn't intend to accomplish anything additonal in a current pastor's ministry can be detrimental to the health of the congregation and the pastor. Yes, there is life after fulltime congregational ministry. Congratulatons, Bill, on your upcoming move to Anchorage. We served Trinity on interim and fell in love with them and Alaska! Watch out for the moose in your backyard!
Posted in: Do Pastors Need Professional Supervision?
Ken, you are right on the mark and this direction is long overdue. Many of the members of our church councils are professionals who are regularly held to such a standard in their respective professions. The demise of the Day of the Dominee has happened and the calling of a pastor demands the highest level of integrity. Mutual Censure in Councils is becoming a hit or miss affair; Pastoral Relations committees often never get to the heart of matters; and in many places Church Visiting on a regular basis is virtually non-existent. Article 13a does not prevent a council from using another kind of professional as it carries out its responsibiliy for supervision. So let's raise this up a notch or two and build in a stronger and more effective accountability for pastors of the greatest institution on the face of the earth - the Church of Jesus Christ.
Posted in: Retired, but Still Productive
Thanks, Sam, good suggestions. Marie and I have had 15 Interims since retirment in 2002, and we also have done work with CRWRC. Bert VanAntwerpen