Why Shepherds Feel Like Pastors (1)
I have an old friend who I have known since bible college. When I first came to study in Australia, he came around the same time as well, and we experienced living in the same house. We also each started a church around the same time.
He has recently become a member of House Churches.
In the past, since he was a pastor who had the character, faithfulness to God, and service to the lost, I thought he would do really well with a House Church model. So, I recommended him to transition into a House Church. Although I tried to persuade him for 10 years, he would not budge. On the contrary, despite my long-standing persuasion, he had reasons not to do House Church. It was because he was already doing really well in his ministerial work.
Then, experiencing unexpected difficulties in his ministry, he finally attended a House Church seminar for pastors. I think my prolonged time of trying to persuade him finally wore him down so he resigned to participating in the seminar.
In order to help my friend, I held an additional local meeting (a house church meeting for pastors) and continuously provided him with coaching on House Churches.
He spent three years preparing to transition his church into House Church. And now, after gaining confidence in House Church ministries, he is eager to introduce the experience he has had with other pastors. Recently, another pastor came to one of the local house church meetings after being introduced to it by my friend. The reason he was asked to come to the house church meetings was because he had opposing ideas to what House Church actually represented.
My friend said, “I thought I was doing ministry for the glory of God, but when I became part of the House Churches and saw the spirit and mindset of House Church, I realised that I have been doing ministry for my own glory and my own growth.” “I feel that there could be many pastors who think and lead the church this way,” he confessed.
My friend once attended an All-Shepherds meeting at our church as he was dropping off a guest speaker for our church. He was shocked to see the Sydney Crystal Church shepherds and shepherd’s wives who had been changed and displayed character that felt like that of pastors. He said that when he had met many of the current shepherds and shepherd’s wives at a time when they were new believers, they didn’t seem enthusiastic about their faith. In fact, he even thought that it would be difficult to pastor people like that. But he said they were now not the same people he knew before. He had been doing the same duration of ministry, but as time passed, he was now amazed at how much these shepherds and their wives had changed so much.
Word of the week
The 308th House Church Seminar for Pastors begins this Tuesday afternoon. In particular to note, this week's Wednesday Service will be held like the three-stranded cord prayer meeting for all house church members to attend. I hope it will be a time for all to gather together and pray for the house church’s prayer points.
윗글
아랫글
이동주 2024.09.21 18:20
신고
I have an old friend who I have known since bible college. When I first came to study in Australia, he came around the same time as well, and we experienced living in the same house. We also each started a church around the same time.
He has recently become a member of House Churches.
In the past, since he was a pastor who had the character, faithfulness to God, and service to the lost, I thought he would do really well with a House Church model. So, I recommended him to transition into a House Church. Although I tried to persuade him for 10 years, he would not budge. On the contrary, despite my long-standing persuasion, he had reasons not to do House Church. It was because he was already doing really well in his ministerial work.
Then, experiencing unexpected difficulties in his ministry, he finally attended a House Church seminar for pastors. I think my prolonged time of trying to persuade him finally wore him down so he resigned to participating in the seminar.
In order to help my friend, I held an additional local meeting (a house church meeting for pastors) and continuously provided him with coaching on House Churches.
He spent three years preparing to transition his church into House Church. And now, after gaining confidence in House Church ministries, he is eager to introduce the experience he has had with other pastors. Recently, another pastor came to one of the local house church meetings after being introduced to it by my friend. The reason he was asked to come to the house church meetings was because he had opposing ideas to what House Church actually represented.
My friend said, “I thought I was doing ministry for the glory of God, but when I became part of the House Churches and saw the spirit and mindset of House Church, I realised that I have been doing ministry for my own glory and my own growth.” “I feel that there could be many pastors who think and lead the church this way,” he confessed.
My friend once attended an All-Shepherds meeting at our church as he was dropping off a guest speaker for our church. He was shocked to see the Sydney Crystal Church shepherds and shepherd’s wives who had been changed and displayed character that felt like that of pastors. He said that when he had met many of the current shepherds and shepherd’s wives at a time when they were new believers, they didn’t seem enthusiastic about their faith. In fact, he even thought that it would be difficult to pastor people like that. But he said they were now not the same people he knew before. He had been doing the same duration of ministry, but as time passed, he was now amazed at how much these shepherds and their wives had changed so much.
Word of the week
The 308th House Church Seminar for Pastors begins this Tuesday afternoon. In particular to note, this week's Wednesday Service will be held like the three-stranded cord prayer meeting for all house church members to attend. I hope it will be a time for all to gather together and pray for the house church’s prayer points.