CONFLICT
In 1996, I was called to serve as pastor of Pryorsburg Baptist Church, located near Mayfield,
Kentucky. The Pastor Search Committee had informed me that the church was currently
experiencing a time of great unity, harmony, and growth. They further told me that my call was
unanimous. They said that the church had grown to the point that the last pastor had resigned, a
after a three-year tenure, because he had been promoted to Dean of Students at a nearby Baptist
college and could no longer serve as pastor of a church of this size.
I arrived at the church ministry field on a Saturday and preached the morning and evening
services on the next day. On Monday evening, a member came to my home and informed me
that the Pastor Search Committee had lied to me on several accounts. He said that my call was
not unanimous, and that he had voted against me because he "did not like it that that Pastor
Search Committee had rammed me down the throats of the church, and not given them time to
ask questions or pray about the matter." He then stated that the last pastor had not resigned he
had been forced out by "them," (a group of people who had taken over the church). He further
informed me that I was the third pastor in less than two years. He finished by telling me that my
call had been very strong, and that if I would preach the Word of God faithfully, and if I would
serve as pastor of all the people of the church, I would not find him behind me when the going
got rough I would find him at my side helping to hold up my arms.
I prayed to ask God to direct me to those who would be honest with me concerning the church
and its past. He led me ...
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...good that they did not return. All this was
the result of much prayer, and the church continues to be a family of "prayer warriors."
What suggestions might I offer to improve the resolution? Well, after much prayer and
consideration, I believe that the results were as good as could be hoped for, since the control
group chose not to repent, but to rebel. We tried to communicate with the control group the
evening they decided to leave, but they were not of an attitude that would allow productive
discussion. We attempted to bridge the gap a little later on, but they were unwilling to discuss
any resolution that would permit me to stay as pastor of the church. I prayed for God to allow
me to leave many times, but He told me to "stand in the gap." So I did, until He informed me
that it was time to resign and minister elsewhere.
he wanted to help me, that I interested him, and that, with God's help, he would
inform the clergymen about what he and his people are dealing with as a whole
Rev. Jemison was the pastor of the Mount Zion Baptist Church in Staunton, Virginia before accepting the call to pastor at the Mount Zion First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he served for 54 years before retiring in 2003. (Park and Church. 2013). Subsequently, he was elected President of the Louisiana Missionary Baptist State Convention, while also serving as President of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. from 1982-1994. Previously, he served as Secretary of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. for years, and Vice President of the Baptist World Alliance. (Park and Church. 2013). In addition, he was also a founding member of Southern Christian Leadership Conference together with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, and Rev. Fred.L. Shuttlesworth.
was....(179). Since that time, I have taken my place in the pulpit of a church
This paper is an attempt to do the impossible. In a handful of pages, I will dig into the Bible to build a theology of leadership, look at history to see important influences on the pastoral vocation, and build a personal structure for my call to the pastorate. Fittingly, this paper faces many of the challenges of ministry. The job description is massive in scope, the resources are scant, and the hope for success lies squarely on the work of the Spirit.
My first visit was a simple observation visit. I met with Gary and Dina at the Kingdom Hall for the 1pm Bible Talk service and the Wa...
After seeing though the eyes of my pastor I’ve come to realize the importance of faith and committing to one’s beliefs. Returning to church after two massive losses has helped my mother in many ways and it has also taught me as a young man how small things that I could do would turn to have a big impact on someone’s life the same way my pastor impacted my life and the life of my siblings.
One day was praying in the ruins of the church of St Damian when he had a vision of Christ saying, “Francis go and repair my house which is falling down.”
The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved February 21, 2010 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org
churches asked the question, “What do I need to work on to improve my functioning within the
I’m not going to lie to you (and I don’t think pastor Char will be opposed to me telling the truth) -I went to her in desperation. I don’t know what it is about the “pastor” title, but I guess you just assume that they will instantly make everything better. Alas my assumptions failed me, Pastor Char did not have an answer to all the problems consuming my life or magic prayer that cured everything ailing me, but she did have a good dose of something that I think a lot of people need-honesty. I know it sounds crazy, but Pastor Char does not know everything. Fortunately she does have great insight, and I as I have found that I am not the only one in a bit of a faith struggle I have decided to share what I found with you. Bad advice is still advice, so take it for what it is and enjoy my pearls of knowledge (with a little help form Pastor Char).
asked for strength to forgive myself for the mistakes I had made and for the wisdom to
Priests from post to post in the hope that they would discontinue the activities they were involved in. The failure of bishops to act on unfavourable reports was inexplicable, and represented a wholly inappropriate and inadequate response.
The morning sermons that I attended with my family taught me new Biblical principles. I also started attending the evening service with my dad occasionally. Around the time I turned seven, a new family attend the church, and they had a daughter about my age. She and I became great friends, and she also accepted Christ as her Savior. One Sunday, the pastor’s wife came up to us and asked us if we would take notes on the sermon for a prize afterward. The offer of a prize motivated me to start listening more closely to the sermons. After I wrote notes that were relevant to the sermon, I received twenty tokens. I continued to take notes until I saved up five hundred tokens. Those tokens along with memorizing Psalm 23 earned my first
calling from God, and if we stay faithful, God will lead us to that calling. Everybody