I spoke to a ministry aquaintance recently who admitted to certain feelings regarding people who leave their ministry. And this was my response: My husband and I have only been in this for 4 years now. Weve had people come and go, or refuse to connect. Some people you know are supposed to go. Some you know are supposed to stay. But no matter the choice, it is our responsibility to love them in or love them out. If you vilainize people, run their name down, preach on them in your sermons, and make them the black sheep of the flock, if for some reason later on they realize that they made the wrong decision, and should in fact be in your church, Will they really feel comfortable coming back? At the end of the day every pastor should be refreshing vision, evaluating what changes need to be made, focusing on the next step, faithfully loving and pastoring the ones that are connected, and connecting to the ones that are coming. Membership does not mean ownership. We counsel and speak the truth in love, praying that every heart is receptive. If you are following the spirit, some people will be offended by it. But most will be blessed. And knowing that youre doing whats right makes it easier to see people come or go without taking it personal. You get attached to people. And sometimes the ones that youve done the most for will be the ones to leave or be the most disgruntled. But if youve done the right thing for the right reasons, you dont even sit and ponder just how much youve done for them and How dare they leave after all Ive done.......You love them out the same as you would the ones youve done little for. Pastoring the right way MUST be done through leadership from the Holy Spirit. He gives so much wisdom and insight. And he certainly keeps you focused on what truly matters.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 17:10:23 +0000
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