| Praise God for Real Ministers
I've wanted to make this thread for a while now, and I'm finally getting around to it. God revealed the depth of the blessing to me that is my church.
On a Wednesday night, I listened to our Minister of Music give a topical lesson on the role and nature of the Church. That may seem ordinary. God reminded me that it is not. In how many churches is the Minister of Music a capable and real elder and minister of the gospel? How many of them are really capable of teaching and not just 'leading worship'? Almost none! That's how many.
On that same Wednesday night, when leaving the room we were next to an air vent in the wall, and on the other side our Minister of Youth and Families was preaching a sermon on the exclusivity of Christ.
Since when do "youth pastors" preach sermons like that on a regular Wednesday night?
I now view their titles as wholly inadequate. And I don't like referring to our "Youth Pastor" or our "Music Minister" because those title fall FAR short of who these men are. They all have counseled people in broken marriages. They all can preach and teach well. They can all lead in very diverse ways, far outside of their on-the-books job description.
In short, and maybe this is a surprising revelation, they are actually pastors and ministers, not functionaries in their small area of pseudo-expertise as most are.
The "of X" in their titles only refer to the duties they take care of most often. In the VAST majority of churches I know, the music "minister" is just the lead music guy. And the youth pastor is just the cool, not-quite-serious-enough to be head-pastor guy.
Although these men have their particular gifts and strengths, I am almost certain that they could all switch job titles and duties with each other for a year, and we would be fine. Very, very few churches can say that.
So this is a long way of saying: Praise God for good elders and pastors, who are all fully qualified for the office. We are blessed beyond measure.
__________________
Jeremy Gage
First Baptist Church
Durham, NC
"No heart can conceive that treasury of mercies which lies in this one privilege, in having liberty and ability to approach unto God at all times, according to his mind and will." - John Owen
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