I had to share this article....it's a tear-jerker, but in a very good way!
Coming Home...What I Learned in IraqEnjoy!
More is finally here :P
I was having a conversation with a good friend a few days ago, and in that conversation I was describing a former pastor of mine - Tim Clements - and the qualities that made him the best pastor I've ever had.
Pastor Tim was what I'd consider a true shepherd...he treated those in volunteer leadership as equals, respected their ideas, ran the singles ministry as a team, seeking input and going with ideas from everyone, not just his own. He was in charge of the singles group yet he never lorded it over us but brought us along with him and looked to all of us for ideas and trusted us to do our jobs. It was OUR ministry, not his.
I'm so not putting this into words well...maybe describing the leadership style of his successor will be helpful. The successor singles pastor to Pastor Tim had a style that was 'my way or the highway'. His ideas were the only ones that seemed to be considered, and the contributions of the singles leadership team were ignored and barely considered. It felt like a dictatorship.
Where is this leading? Well, as I was talking about Pastor Tim to my friend and describing how wonderful it was to serve with him as part of the singles leadership team, a realization dawned. Pastor Tim was the authority in that relationship, and I submitted to that authority without resentment or anger. Pastor Tim's successor was also the authority in that ministry, and I became hurt and resentful and finally left the singles leadership team because I felt belittled and as if I was a child who wasn't allowed to have an opinion.
I think the ministry relationship I (and the other singles) had with Pastor Tim is an example of what God intended in the marriage relationship. Both are equal, but both have different roles. And when both are fulfilling their roles as God intended, there's no domination, no dictatorship, but a team working together, supporting each other, honoring each other.
I'm still ironing this out with the help of my friend, and articles like this:
Egalitarian MarriageAs always, comments are welcome :)
