[RR] 79 - whole new can of worms

[David Topper]

No offense to our precious brother Stuart but.......   That opening statement kinda rubs me wrong and I don't think it should be ignored. I believe it went something like this:   "God's divine rule and authority in the church runs like this. Father Son Holy Spirit Pastor Ministry Leadership"     I do recognize the authority and added responsibility of pastoral leadership but I believe we tend to give it more authority and responsibility than the Bible does.   We do not need to go through a priest anymore we go directly to God and are responsible directly to God. If our kids are not raised knowing the gospel it's not the children's pastors falt. If our spouse is not being ministered to it's not the falt of WMs. If we are not involved in the ministry that God has called us to we will answer directly to God. Your Pastor or your "Ministry Leadership" have no authority or responsibility for you or your family. They are responsible for their family and their ministry but only you will answer to God for you and yours.   This may seem elementary but you may be surprised how many times we avoid our responsibilities by using this military chain of command leadership model.   Maybe you think I'm overreacting to what seems like a small point but I believe many Protestant churches have elevated the pastor to a level close to the catholic priesthood. No one moves without getting the pastors opinion or blessing. Pastors, lay pastors and pastoral staff taste this highly addictive authority and get used to so it's rarely discouraged.   (Did someone say "shepherding")     Whew.....glad to get that off my chest.   David Topper Vancouver, WA     BTW Years in RR 7 as a boy 5 as adult.