Posted by
Bob Siegel on Monday, August 11, 2008 6:03:11 PM
I
didn’t go to pastor's meetings. That's
right. I was a pastor, but I didn’t go
to pastor's meetings. I used to make
excuses. I used to say that I was too
busy to go. True enough, but not the real reason. Eventually, I gave up on the right
sounding answer. Instead, I waved the white towel of truth: The reason I didn't
go to pastors meetings is that I didn't like them. Nothing holy. Nothing spiritual. I simply didn't like them.
If
you're not a pastor, you probably don't care.
But the pastors in my local Baptist affiliation cared very
much. I didn’t hear from all of them. But I caught enough
riff raff through the
grapevine to guess that my lack of attendance at the monthly breakfast
was
interpreted as disinterest in the denomination at the very least, and
an
unwillingness for accountability, at the very most.
Wrong
on both counts. I do need accountability
and I liked the Conservative Baptist movement at least enough to represent them
as a national evangelist, visiting and ministering to Baptist churches from
coast to coast (something I did for many years).
Why
then, do I not like the Pastor's Fellowship?
Because it's not fellowship. It’s
a time to sit and listen to yet another lecture.
When
I first became a Christian, I thought I'd committed myself to a
lifetime of
adventure; an adventure known as the refinement of the soul. In
no time at all, I realized that being a
Christian actually meant commitment to something else, something
seldom discussed and seldom
confessed; boredom. I'm sorry you had to
hear this from a pastor of all people, but somebody had to say
it. Uh huh. Boredom; that time when our mind says
"I'll be back to stimulate you in a moment. Can I put you on
pause?" Between hour long sermons, seminars, church
business meetings,
6 session retreats and pastors' fellowships, I had made an informal,
un-worded
pledge to sit and listen to people talk for the rest of my life.
Depressing,
isn't it?
Now,
I wouldn't mind, if people honestly had an endless supply of fascinating
conversation, but how many times in 12 years can we hear messages from John 16
and Romans 3? How many times in one week
can we hear about the importance of a quiet time? Quiet time. Gee, that has a nice ring...
Don't
misunderstand me. Nothing is more important
than the gospel. But it seems that in
the New Testament, Christian lifestyle consisted of actions, where as today our
lifestyle consists of lectures, which talk about actions.
Life
is awfully short. We spend 8 hours a day
sleeping. That's one third of the day;
which comes out to one third of our life.
I suspect that if we added up the sermons and discussions we would come
up with another third. Frightening, a
third of our life, sleeping, a third of our life feeling like sleeping. Not that I mind preaching, myself. That's
different. That's fun. Why? Because when
I preach myself, I don't have to listen to any one else. When I speak, I'm doing
something
but alas, my activity is made possible only by turning others numb and
docile. Of course, there are exceptions and wonderful
speakers. I'm sharing in generalities right now.
CONCLUSION: Sermons and lectures may be a part of the Christian
pilgrimage but I'm convinced they were never meant to be the largest part. On
the other hand, genuine accountability and fellowship are exciting, especially
when they take place in the midst of family type community. This is the authentic experience of Christ's
kingdom, a sanctuary, where masks are dropped, sins are confessed, and
unconditional acceptance is offered.
Such community is active, not passive.
Such community reaches out and demonstrates the love of Jesus. I do experience this community to a
substantial degree in my church. Our
church, like most, I suppose, constantly battles to remain a family and not a
social club. Perhaps the day will come when
Pastor's Fellowships do the same thing but I have my doubts. Many pastors feel they can't justify
activities unless they include spiritual agendas. And somehow, today's generation has bought
the idea that spirituality can't take place without lectures and business
meetings. But I have hope that things
will change. On that day, I'll return to
enjoy the Pastor's Breakfast and hope they have bacon and eggs to go with the
pancakes they had last time.
Other thoughts on Christianity by Bob Siegel
1)
Skeptical Questions About Christianity (Apologetics)
Can The Existence of God Be Proven?
If The Gospel Was Fake, This Would Have Been A Really Dumb
Thing To Include
Did Jesus Fulfill Bible Prophecy? Isaiah 53
Was
Jesus The Promised Messiah? Daniel 9
Just
What Is It About Genesis That You Find So Illogical?
Is The DaVinci Code Something to be Taken Seriously?
Try
To Follow This Logic: If God Exists, God is Real.
My Brief Time In the Occult
How Do We Know Which Manuscript Copies Truly Belong In The
Bible?
Why Are There Different Versions of the Bible?
Three Questions That Test Your Friend's Opinions
The Day God Gave Me One Hundred Dollars (And Believe Me; I
didn't Deserve It)
The Day A Scholar Said Scholars Aren't Scholarly
Why
Do Most People Think God Will Not Talk?
A
Biblical Case For Authentic Healing: No, I Don't Mean That "Name It, Claim
It" Nonsense.
Does the Bible Really Speak About the Future?
2) The Nature of God
Does The Bible Teach That God Is Everything or that God Created
Everything?
Of course the Trinity is Impossible! Haven't You Ever Studied
Math?
Does
God Have a Sense of Humor?
3) Questions About Jesus
Was Jesus Gay?
Was Jesus A False Prophet?
Did Jesus Really Claim To Be God?
Did Jesus Really Claim to be The Messiah?
4) Moral Objections to Christianity
Oh, That Horrible Christianity!
Subsiding All The Passion Over "The Passion"
Was Judas Forgiven?
If You Don't Like Her, Take It Up With Jesus
Behavior Not Even A Christian Apologist Can Defend
Evidently Christians Don't Hold A Monopoly On Stupidity
A Pro-Choice Christmas Card?
Are Christian Ministers Just In It For The Money?
Got
A Beef Against Religion? You May Have Something In Common With Jesus!
5) Questions About Church Life and Church Practices
My
High View of Church Kept Me From Church
Is Persecution Good For The Church?
Are Christians Expected to Keep the Sabbath?
Is Tithing Really Biblical?
The Prayer Game
Oh Yeah? Well David Did Alot of Stupid Things
I
Rolled Down The Window So God Could Hear Me A Little Better
Children
Cry and Parents Deny
Trouble
in Paradise
He
Told Me My Prayer Was Not A Valid Prayer
How Should We Pray For Healing?
6) Theology Questions
Cherry Picking Our Doctrines
St. Bob's Epistle To The Calvinists
Baptism:
To Dip Or Not To Dip
7) Christianity and Its Relationship To Other Religions
Is Mormonism Really a Cult? Let's Finally Settle This Once and
For All
How a Reformed Jew Became an Evangelical Christian Part One
The
Mystery of Anti-Semitism: Have You Heard The One About the Jew and the Nitwit?
How To Cause A Muslim Freudian Slip
Calling God Allah: What's In A Name?
Christianity, Judaism and Islam: Comparison
8) Christianity and Its
Relationship to the Rest of the World
Does
Jesus Belong on the College Campus?
Can A Christian Be Pragmatic?
The No Longer Sacred Santa
I'm Not Doing It For the Warthog and the Pine Cone
Now Kids, Keep The Name of the Holiday a Secret
9) Assurance of Salvation
How Does One Become a Christian?
Can't I Accept Christ On My Deathbed?
What is the Unforgivable Sin and How Do I Know If I've
Committed It?
Does The Bible Teach An Age of Accountability?