Aaron J. Smith writes:
Kent: thank you. Jaredd: You are really missing the point of what some of us are saying. Maybe the pastor shouldn’t be getting other people to do what he wants. That doesn’t mean organization shouldn’t happen. Maybe it just means the community life is messy and people shouldn’t expect one guy to fix the hearts and action of other people. [...]
Aaron J. Smith writes:
This is an honest question, because I run into this quite often: Why do people end up thinking that I have an issue with leadership and authority when I start calling the CEO/Pastor a bad church model? I’m not anti-authority, anti-leadership, anti-elder, or any thing like that. I just don’t think the form those things [...]
Aaron J. Smith writes:
The man is not the system
Jaredd I truly wasn’t imagining a power hungry CEO/Pastor straw man. I was trying to comment more on the underlying assumptions we have bought as truth that create organizational structures that have to be pragmatic to survive. Most of my issues/criticism of the the CEO/Pastor model isn’t about the assumed character of a man on the platform. I think there [...]
Aaron J. Smith writes:
If a pastor empowering elders to work with mini-flocks of of 75 isn’t akin to what a CEO does, than I don’t know what we’re talking about. The fact that we assume the pastor empowers the elders just goes to show we have completely butchered the biblical concept of shepherding/pasturing to the point that we have no imagination of congregational organization apart form a [...]
Aaron J. Smith writes:
Jaredd’s last sentence is right on the money. Spend some time as the shepherd of 100 or more people and it’ll change your perception quickly. This raises two questions with me: Does that automatically mean a CEO model? If you say yes, I would venture to say you are entrenched in the American Chrisendome culture/mentality. should you be the Shepard of 100 people? What would happen if shepherding (elder [...]
Aaron J. Smith writes:
However, less than 50% of our congregation are in a small group, so suggesting that these strengths go across the congregation is dubious Why again are we so hell bent on doing things the way they have always been done if this is the situation we find ourselves in? A new pastor isn’t going to fix [...]
Aaron J. Smith writes:
Fear and guilt are great motivators, if we are trying to create good little moralists. I’m not trying to suggest we shouldn’t talk about (on the topic of virginity and sex) STD’s, pregnancy, emotional scars, broken hearts, and chaffing. But there is a difference between talking honest about conscienceless and fear mongering. When it comes to issues of morality, we should lean [...]
Aaron J. Smith writes:
Don’t bogard the can man
If you were a pastor in Colorado or Washington, how would you be handling the weed laws now? I mean, for years growing up I head “Drugs are bad. They are sinful. Pot will send you to hell… but first you’ll stop at the crack house and become a prostitute.” Sure, that may be a caracture of [...]
Aaron J. Smith writes:
I win internet (theology) arguments when the other side calls me a heretic. Bonus points for calling me a tool of the devil.
Aaron J. Smith writes:
Ephesians 1:3
Jaredd just a quick response, and I would love to go a bit more into this all… I think Paul is talking about the tension we live in as believers. We are promised salvation and we begin to see the first fruits of sanctification here and now. However, our salvation is now hidden in heaven [...]
