Soul Searching and Fire Insurance

This week we’ll end our series of “Share the Well,” a set of lessons aimed at reshaping our idea of evangelism. 

I have to admit, though, that this series has been on the bottom of my concerns over the last few weeks.  My little family has gone through some pretty huge incidents over the past month and a half, and I’m still feeling (will always feel?) their effects.   However, I’ve re-examined my relationship with God and determined that I am being shaped for something special. 

Work has been a challenge.  Vocational Ministry is not as easy as it seemed to be when I was in full-time ministry.  Our church finalized it’s budget for 07, and I became disgusted with the amount of money that is being set aside for paying a full-time pulpit minister.  Maybe I’m jaded.  I just don’t think that a 30-something M.Div minister with 15 years of experience and 2.4 kids (I’m exaggerating, I know) can demand a 65K salary.  Two-thirds of the body does not make that kind of money.  I don’t want him to be in the poor house, but we need to get the “mush” out from between our minister’s ears to realize that there is a differernce between MINISTRY VALUE, and MARKET VALUE. 

So Richland Hills is going instrumental, eh?  I pray that a “unified eldership” has God’s Will at it’s center.  As a dear friend of mine said, “there might be a bunch of “unified elderships” that are left out of heaven.”  Jesus knew what he was doing when he prayed for unity in John 17.  We need all the help we can get.