Food for thought

I've had this in my inbox for over a year thinking about it...

 

"My discouragement largely comes from fellow pastors and associational leaders.  It seems that they bought into the latest fads of mega-churches, worship teams, gen-X churches, the emerging church, etc. and now look with scorn on simple local church pastorates.  

 

"I remember back 32 years ago.  I was the new young pastor riding in a car with 3 other pastors. One of the pastors in the front asked me a question.  My answer probably reflected my recent seminary training. The pastor who asked me the question replied, "that's what I like about you young pastors, you're so honest." What I remember about the incident was the reaction of the older pastor sitting with me in the back seat.  The older pastor asked, "what does that mean, that the young pastors are honest? When I hear that, I hear that us older pastors are somehow not honest."  The pastor then went on to describe the different types of ministry in which he had been involved.  Everything that he described was so out of the 50's.  It seemed clear that those ministries would not work in the 70's.

 

"Two thoughts were clear to me. First, ministries must change as the times change, but why do those who advocate the new ministries have to denigrate the old ministries to the point that those who were once very involved in them, and saw great response from them, are made to feel that they did something wrong and need to be replaced by new enlightened leaders.   My heart went out to that older pastor. My second thought was that someday the role will be reversed.  I will be the older pastor. That day has come.  My first thought still remains. "Why do those who are advocating the 'new paradigm' have to denigrate past ministries in order to promote the new ones?"