carlos123 Posted April 2, 2005 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 61 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 1,015 Content Per Day: 0.14 Reputation: 97 Days Won: 4 Joined: 07/12/2004 Status: Offline Author Share Posted April 2, 2005 The problem is when people who want to see certain changes in style or tradition that exist within a given church begin, on their own to start "groups." The little groups then become antagonistic to the leadership, and start calling into question whether the Pastor is REALLY hearing from God or not. They start saying things like, "Is the Pastor the ONLY one who can hear from God? Is he and the elders the only ones who determine what goes on? Maybe we have heard from God, and the Pastors are resisting a move of the Spirit." They start planting seeds of doubt in the minds of the people, and pretty soon you have people talking against the leadership, and lines start to be drawn, and you have a pro-Pastor camp, and a "The Pastor is deaf to the Spirit," camp. That's the stuff Church splits are made of. You can destroy a Pastor's career for life by undermining his leadership. Many Pastors never recover completely from such an ordeal. What you have described Shiloh is an absolutely NASTY thing and I for one would have no part of it. God would not bless that at all and would stand opposed to anyone who encouraged such division. I would, as I have always done in the past, leave before such a thing even got a foothold. If I cannot agree with a pastor or receive his blessing on my endeavors the only option that I have in good conscience is leave peaceably and quietly. I have seen these kinds of things split families and wreck marriages. Either one or the other spouse might buy into what you say, and the other is resistant, and a good marriage that was doing just fine before, is now in a tailspin over something as trivial as wearing a headcovering or something else. I guess it is just that I have been through four church splits, I say WHOA!!! I have only ever experienced one. To have experienced four is a lot bro. I feel for you. ..and at least two of them were caused by people coming in and thinking they could effect change, It is my opinion that most Christians that try to effect change are much more interested in their own agendas than in God's. I would not side with Christians who try to affect change in ungodly ways no matter what kind of change they were trying to have implemented!! and they ended up causing people to challenge the Pastor, and then people took sides, some defending the Pastor, and others questioning whether or not he was really being led by God. It made families who once were friends into enemies. Neither church ever recovered, and are no longer solvent. That makes me angry to see Christians doing that. To split a church up like that over a desired change, however right or noble, is downright of the flesh and evil!!! Like I said bro I would have no part of such a thing or be the instrument of such division for if I was, God Himself would oppose me!! I am trying not to be overly sensitive to some of what you post, but I keep having flashbacks to those years. Perhaps bro it is possible that you are reacting to what you perceive of being just another change agent leading ultimately to division in me. I assure you before God Shiloh that I am not such a change agent. Far be it from me to engage in such a wicked attempt to institute change. I would rather stay the rest of my life without any fellowship at all than to cause such division!!!! Carlos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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