“Baptists-We’ver never met a fight we didn’t like”
I spent my young years in a Baptist Church. I have heard, and could even sense at that young age, that those members meetings were awful at that large traditional church. Dysfunctional, controlled by a few squeaking worms, gatekeepers.
I did not become a Christian till I had gone right away from the church.Then I spent my early formative Christian years at Albany Church of Christ, with Pastor Mark Randell as my Pastor. He was a exciting and brilliant communicator. I still have some of the tapes from his messages on Jesus. Unfortunately it all went pear shape for him at some later part of his life. Yet his life, message and methods inspired mine.
All that to say that although I am a Baptist Pastor, and am in fact the chairman of the Baptist Pastors Association (much less impressive than it sounds), I dont really consider myself a Baptist. I am a Christian. My denomination happens to suit me, and at the moment the WA denomination is going through some significant and good changes in philosophy and practice.
But that whole thing about Baptist and fights is changing. The traditional Baptist model and perhaps more importantly method of congregational government is open to abuse, mistrust and can lead to inneficient churches lacking purpose and direction.
I believe in the Spirit speaking to and through the body of believers. But I also believe in leaders leading. I think we see this tension, paradox in the scriptures.
The trick is applying the “speak the truth in love” principle with the “without a vision the people perish” principle and the “It seemed good to the Church” principle.
Who would be a Pastor eh?
I’ve been reflecting on this whole ‘hearing Christ speak through the members meeting’ thing lately. It seems to me that it is far more likely that we’ll hear Christ speak in the prayer meeting! And now I think of it, I don’t remember seeing too much of that happen in many members meetings.
At our last members meeting, in fact our only one in the past 15 months, we celebrated communion after sharing a meal. We then sang, heard from Gods word, and then before we voted on the budget we broke off into small groups for prayer.