TRY THIS AT HOME (3 OF 3)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-12, Ephesians 4:15-16
This content is part of a series.
Try This at Home (3 of 3)
Series: W.A.T.S. - We Are the Sermon
Jeff Strite
Ephesians 4:1-16
OPEN: I read the following description of a preacher's job from someone who had known a number of preachers over their lifetime, and they had put together a synthesized view of a man they called ''Pastor Fetch.''
They said that pastor Fetch's job description looked something like this:
- Unlock the doors to the church before the services
- Turn on the lights
- Check the water in the baptistery
- Make sure all the pews have hymnals
- Type, print and fold the bulletins
- Preach both Sunday morning and Sunday night
- Teach a Sunday school class
- Teach a Wednesday night Bible study
- Lead the youth group
- Attend all class functions
- Be an ex-officio member of every committee
- Take communion around to the shut-ins
- Type, print, fold, and mail the church newsletter
- Attend the board meetings
- And, mow the church grass, if necessary.
The only person in the congregation - besides the janitor - who had keys to the church was ''the preacher.'' If he could not be there, meetings did not happen.
His role was to preach, baptize, hand out communion, visit the sick, bury the dead, marry off the young, and bring in new members.
He was to be every one's friend - and was to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
He was expected to return home from vacation if someone became seriously ill or passed away.
The members came first; his family a distant second because, after all he was the minister, the only minister, and that was his job.
This preacher did the ministry because he was paid to, and the members CONSUMED ministry because they paid for it.
APPLY: Now, that was not a healthy church.
That congregation was not the priesthood of believers described in I Peter 2:9.
They were just a bunch of people who got together once a week to observe somebody else serve God.
Ephesians 4 tells us that is NOT how the church should funct ...
Series: W.A.T.S. - We Are the Sermon
Jeff Strite
Ephesians 4:1-16
OPEN: I read the following description of a preacher's job from someone who had known a number of preachers over their lifetime, and they had put together a synthesized view of a man they called ''Pastor Fetch.''
They said that pastor Fetch's job description looked something like this:
- Unlock the doors to the church before the services
- Turn on the lights
- Check the water in the baptistery
- Make sure all the pews have hymnals
- Type, print and fold the bulletins
- Preach both Sunday morning and Sunday night
- Teach a Sunday school class
- Teach a Wednesday night Bible study
- Lead the youth group
- Attend all class functions
- Be an ex-officio member of every committee
- Take communion around to the shut-ins
- Type, print, fold, and mail the church newsletter
- Attend the board meetings
- And, mow the church grass, if necessary.
The only person in the congregation - besides the janitor - who had keys to the church was ''the preacher.'' If he could not be there, meetings did not happen.
His role was to preach, baptize, hand out communion, visit the sick, bury the dead, marry off the young, and bring in new members.
He was to be every one's friend - and was to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
He was expected to return home from vacation if someone became seriously ill or passed away.
The members came first; his family a distant second because, after all he was the minister, the only minister, and that was his job.
This preacher did the ministry because he was paid to, and the members CONSUMED ministry because they paid for it.
APPLY: Now, that was not a healthy church.
That congregation was not the priesthood of believers described in I Peter 2:9.
They were just a bunch of people who got together once a week to observe somebody else serve God.
Ephesians 4 tells us that is NOT how the church should funct ...
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