Monday, May 30, 2011

a (dangerous?) precedent

there's been a few odd incidences here & there but this is the one that got me all riled up....

it was already arranged months ago to have leaders' training session last friday & all CG leaders are required invited to attend. then, earlier in the week, the pastor emailed to all leaders involved to enquire if the session could be brought forward to thursday instead, because it clashed with a charity dinner (on fri) which the church contributed but isn't even directly involved with.

in reply to the email, i wrote : has there been a precedent when a church-sanctioned training was displaced by a charity event?

only J responded, emphasising on setting our priorities right with God.

Paul wrote to the Hebrews:

Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. (13:17)

i've had several disagreements with the pastor before but just let him be because of Paul's admonishment to the church, but now, i'm not so sure. i just feel that one shouldn't rush in where angels fear to thread.

it's times like this that i think i may have Pharisaic ancestry.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

well, dissagreement with leaders and especially with pastors should be taken as not respecting them. You hv a sound reason to disagree in this particular case so do not feel bad about it. sometimes, church leaders are not even aware that events such as fund-raisinactivity is worldly. we should trust God to provide for us.

Unknown said...

You see,there is a danger when those high in position in a church setting,refuse to take in the suggestion or even the arguments from fellow church members, then i don't think it is nice...

If you so proclaim that our lives are anchored to or with God,then our priorities should be carried out as such, otherwise we just don't walk the talk, kan?

having said that, we are human..

Yvonne Foong said...

But the pastor was enquiring, wasn't he? Then, perhaps, he was seriously asking if you all were agreeable to it. If that is so, then you are free to disagree and tell him why you think it is not a good idea.

Pastors are humans too. Who knows, maybe he thought some key members would like to attend the dinner. This idea to bring forward the meeting was just that, an idea. Maybe.

But it's good that your pastor actually asked the leaders' opinion.

doc said...

Anonymous,

thanks for your comment.

you'd think that the pastor would be the 1st to prioritise church activities over all else.

just goes to show he is human after all.

doc said...

Eugene,

perhaps our expectations of church leaders are too high. or maybe, it's just mine.

doc said...

Yvonne,

the dinner isn't important; if you want to contribute to a good cause, by all means, contribute but you don't need to attand the dinner, esp. since the training session has been arranged months earlier.

like Eugene said, it's about priorities.