I haven’t been in a church that had a pastoral change in a good while. Do ministers still “try out” or is it more a cut and dried formality where the AB puts in who he wants regardless of the congregations preference? I know how it used to work and I also know how the congregation’s choice wasn’t always honored. Just curious if the organization has dispensed with the try outs and voting________________“Hell will be filled with people that didn’t cuss, didn’t drink, and may even have been baptized. Why? Because none of those things makes someone a Christian.”
It differs for each situation________________
That is very true. And it works and don’t work well, unless a lot of time is given to prayer by our leadership________________Some facts but mostly just my [email protected]/
It has often been to appoint those whom the church chose. Why? Well, for one thing, the burden is now on the church. If they start acting up immediately, the overseer can come in and say, OK, now we do it MY way. If all goes well, well, what’s not to like for the overseer? He looks good, the church is performing well, etc.If he forces the issue, it makes things more likely to go downhill, I would think (unless he has a clear word from the Lord, which is likely no more than 5-10% of cases, if that). HOWEVER, what the overseer can do is find a medium, and that is to provide a number of candidates–any of which he would be happy to place at a particular church (maybe because he needs to, owes someone, or has been approached by an acceptable pastor about a change, etc.), then give the church the opportunity to choose whom they would like to have.
That is very true. And it works and don’t work well, unless a lot of time is given to prayer by our leadership! And there in lies a great cause for concern. When things are left up to an individual’s discretion, no matter his title or position, things can go bad in a hurry and the congregation is left to suffer. It’s an imperfect method for sure, and there are times when unpopular decisions are made, and whether or not a great deal of prayer goes into the decision is open for debate. IM________________“Hell will be filled with people that didn’t cuss, didn’t drink, and may even have been baptized. Why? Because none of those things makes someone a Christian.”
I agree my friend and I too think Aaron has hit the nail on the head and it should work….. Let the church decide….. Always been my thinking.________________Some facts but mostly just my [email protected]/