Posted on 03/20/2011 7:03:47 PM PDT by TheDingoAteMyBaby
yes, queers are not leaders nor truly christians...until they repent.
That sounds pretty much like what happened at our church. The two met and it was like it had been preordained. They appear to be very happy with three happy children and he is a pastor on the rise.
He very well may one day be president of the SBC.
“A lot of the married men may feel uncomfortable with their wives meeting a single man.”
That could be avoided by having a female staff member present when the pastor counsels women, or only having women counseling other women.
There are Biblically sound churches with successful singles ministries of long standing. Off the top of my head, the Vineyard Church. They may or may not be your theological cup of tea, they lean somewhat Pentecostal. But, they’re out there. Give it a look. No need to soldier on without fellowship because you’re single.
Thanks. I read Christian books and other material all the time but I also know I need to find a church.
I haven’t been in a long time. I used to go regularly. If someone were to invite me, I’d likely go. People used to invite all the time but that doesn’t seem to be the case much anymore. People run half way around the world to preach the gospel but don’t seem to do it so much in their own communities. Maybe it’s just me.
I know I should attend. Hopefully I’ll find a good church home in the not too distant future.
Uh, no. If a man is single (unless he's widowed, which is a different matter altogether), then he shouldn't have children. The qualifications in I Timothy 3 say what you have to be to even be a pastor or deacon. Sorry, but that seems pretty obvious when you read the Scripture simply for what it is, rather than what you want it to be.
if they did, then Paul himself, as well as many others could NOT have been leaders in the early church.
Paul was an apostle - that's another matter entirely, and doesn't bear on the qualification for someone who is a non-apostolic bishop. Further, you're argument is one in which we should ignore what Scripture actually says, and judge doctrine and practice on the basis of what some people somewhere have done or do. Frankly, it doesn't really matter what "the early church" did. They were just as prone to being wrong when they departed from Scripture as people are today.
Great point.
That could be avoided by having a female staff member present when the pastor counsels women, or only having women counseling other women.
Very true.
As I mentioned, a single pastor would be fine with me. I am a single man and I believe they would be less judgemental of someone like me.
“It seems to me everyone is hung up on something but Jesus was the only one ‘Hung Up’ on a cross.”
Oh, I like that! I’m stealing it. That’s most likely a sin, but I’ll risk it, LOL! :)
Give one of these a try, I assume you’re in Alabama from your state flag.
http://www.singlesoffaith.com/christian-singles-alabama-groups.htm
Consider it an invitation, lol
Why are you ‘looking for a job’?
You are experienced; you are ordained.
If you feed them, the flock will come.
Or is pastoring now ‘just a job’?
Jesus was a carpenter, so I can imagine his advice would be (assuming you do have a call from the Lord), “if you can’t find a pulpit to fill, BUILD one! I will supply the wood and nails; you supply the labor.”
Go ahead Di you don’t even have to give me credit. :>)
“Peter was married but they don’t allow their priest to be married.”
Catholics, Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox never have allowed priests to marry, but according to their sundry disciplines allow married men to become priests, just like Peter. There are many married men in the non-latin rites of the Catholic Church, and some exeptions in the latin rite, the Anglican clergy who become Catholic clergy being one example.
Freegards
Thanks.
Baptist “husband of one wife” ping!!!
I’m not the author of this post; I just think it’s an interesting issue for discussion.
“Almost all pastors were single until the time of the Reformation”
From which Divinity School did you get your degree?
Until the Reformation, there were no Protestants, Evangelical or otherwise.
Until the Reformation, there were no Pastors, only Priests.
Sorry but I disagree. God didn't give each of us what you consider a "family." Should a person be any less of a disciple of Christ because they don't have what you consider a family?
Having your house in order could mean having your "heart" in order. It could mean paying attention to the plank in your own eye instead of the speck in someone else's eye.
Many believe John was single. I cannot prove that and it's not worth the time trying to prove it.
Personally, I don't believe Christ to be as legalistic as you.
As a married man with children I would never join a church where the pastor is determined never to marry.
I most likely we not join a church where the pastor was not yet married.
If my wife and I want counseling regarding any issue concerning our home, we want it from a pastor who has family; the experience of family.
Is the pastor the only person who can council people? In a very large church, there are often counseling ministries designated for that purpose.
A single pastor in his 30's, assuming he's a heterosexual male who just hasn't found the right partner yet, would still be a wild card in a typical Protestant congregation filled with married women not all of whom may be entirely happy in their marriages, and the usual corps of high school age daughters still attending church as they haven't yet gone off to college.
The men in the congregation, including the ones serving on the governing board whose wives really run the place, are the fathers and husbands who might well prefer an attached and (figuratively) neutered pastor over one who might turn out to be a rooster in the hen house. Hence the safe choice, irrespective of any suspicions about sexual orientation, would be a married man.
Plus, the pastor's wife is usually expected to help provide the social glue that binds the pastor to his congregation. It's sort of hiring a team. One single man, without a supporting partner, may not be able to perform all the various duties expected of a full time minister as well as one with.
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