You will sit in this chair for the keynote. You will attend this sectional. You will eat at this place at lunch. How would that go over at your next pastoral or lay church conference? Sounds childish doesn’t it? Yes. It does. But then again there is a lot of childishness going on at these gatherings.
All the guys in clericals sit at one table. All the guys with Jesus’ first allegiance are at another. All the confessional guys are in one sectional. All the missional guys are in another. The sea again parts at every snack-time and mealtime.
And what is the result. But sides are often dulled by the absence of the other. We need men ardent about evangelism to be instructed by those passionate about fidelity to scripture and confession. We need those skilled at catechizing the baptized to be challenged to remember the spiritually blind and dead by those with an eye for those who have not been made wet with the Word.
It is easy for those in one group to mock the others if given the appropriate distance. I know this too well. It is hard to talk and study and come to a true understanding of what it means to be faithful to Jesus whose name we bear.
And if we will not grow up in this regard, then perhaps those entrusted to lead should assign seats to force such interaction and discussion. Then we can have faithful mission endeavors and mission-directed faithful pastors. May God grant it for Christ’s sake. Amen.
Amen. Amen. And again I say…Amen.
Beautiful post. Well-said.
This is a strange thing indeed. At my first pastor’s conference, I wore a collar because I am a pastor and thought that other pastors probably would too. About 5% of the other pastors were wearing their collars, and so these 5% of guys talked to me. I now only talk to these guys in my district. What am I supposed to wear and when am I supposed to wear it? I don’t get it.
Yea verily – point well taken and well expressed. – note to brethren: watch for “Koinonia Project” to be unveiled, and hop aboard!
I guess I never thought it was wrong to want to visit with your friends at Conferences whom you don’t see but maybe once or twice/year. I dislike it when people try to lay a guilt trip on guys that are just trying to enjoy themselves at conferences. Why would I go to a sectional that doesn’t interest me? Or one where I am pretty positive will not be nearly as engaging as another? I figure, I am taking the time away from my family to go, my church is paying for it, so I’d darn better well do what is going to benefit me and my congregation the most. And usually, that means chatting with my friends, going to good sectionals, and enjoying a few beers. I frankly could care less about what everyone else is doing. So what if the Jesus First guys want to do their own thing. Fine by me.
I’ll have you know, Phil, that I arrived and sat on the opposite side from my fellow collar wearing brothers, and went to two sectionals I had no interest in just to hear what “the other side” was doing. No one noticed.
More impressive than the divided sea, as you call it, was that our Lord joined together the many when He made us one Body, having participated in the one Bread. Not to be too harsh (certainly no more than your post) perhaps noticing the division is as divisive as participating in it. (Here’s the smiley face so you and everyone else knows that we’re still friends) 🙂
First, thanks to those who thought this post was a valid observation.
K Mietzner, I agree that it is odd that wearing a clerical to these thing is such a divisive choice. I totally agree that wearing a clerical should simply be a normal thing for a pastor to wear (though not required). I simply have noticed what you notice, that I do not get a chance to interact with everyone when I do wear one. I do not want people to assume where I stand so I choose to go incognito.
Paul Beisel – It is not wrong to want to do any of those things. I cherish those opportunities too. But, district gatherings are one of the few chances where all pastors are gathered and there could be some work towards true faithfulness and unity. I would challenge you that perhaps what you should do is not what is best for you and your congregation, but what is best for the Church at large. If you do not think there is a divide in our synod worthy of effort to resolve, that is a different matter. I simply am convicted we must work on this matter.
Mark, brother and friend, this was not meant as an indictment against every collar wearer or every guy who would never wear one. I have always noticed that you do mingle among all people at these gatherings. You are not content that only certain guys hold orthodox views. You are willing to persuade others. But there are many on both sides that are simply content to hold their own views and malign the others. They have no interest in engaging in the hard work that forms unity.
And indeed God’s work is always more impressive and powerful than anything we do on our own. And yet, unity is not worked among those who sinfully reject that work of the Spirit.
As to your last point, you would have to flesh this out for me to be persuaded on this point. The Apostle was known to point out division within the body regularly and urge people not to participate in it. And to your smiley face, I say, let share a beer soon. 🙂