Ora Missionary Baptist Church is located 6 miles out of Huntington on FM 2109. It is the second church I have been privileged to pastor. We are beginning somewhat small, yet we did have 50 in attendance last Sunday (the Thanksgiving meal probably didn't hurt attendance any :)
Most of the adults at Ora I already knew and most of the youth I have taught in public school. It is interesting to note the looks on faces when you do things a bit differently than the previous pastor or what the church is used to. I've tried to keep that to a minimum, but the fact is, every pastor is a bit different. Thus far, the transition has been very smooth and we have a had good services.
Sunday Services 11:00 and 5:45
Bible Study 10:00 and 5:00
Wednesday 7:00 P.M.
Congrats. Bro. Something a little different does not hurt. It is a fact that all Preachers are not alike and should not be expected to act as tho they were.
ReplyDeleteMay God bless you all as you labor together.
ReplyDeleteThanks brothers.
ReplyDeleteA theory to which I hold (not biblical, just a personal opinion) would show one pastor's weaknesses are recognized by a church and so the new pastor shall come in with new strengths in that area. For example, one pastor may come in and help a church see their need for soul winning, but be weak in Biblical worship. He builds the church in soul winning, and then the LORD moves him. The next pastor comes in, and sees a major lack of sound Biblical worship from the heart, and focuses on that, because it is one of the things into which he has invested much study. He, however, may not be as strong at soul winning, and so he helps the church grow into one which truly worships from the heart. When God has helped the church in most the areas of his strengths, God moves him. The next pastor may be weak in worship, but strong in the area of loving one another and genuinely connecting as a church family. So on and so forth. This is a theory to which I hold, and one that helps me know when God moves me somewhere or wants me to stay somewhere, it is best to follow Him. He has that perfect bird's-eye-view... or should I just say God's-eye-view from which He sees the whole picture. Trust in Him and the differences will help the church, not harm it.
ReplyDeleteLikely so. I submit that God knows who is best to pastor a church through certain phases of its existence. I believe you are so right on the "bird's eye view" perspective. Spirit-led moves within God's kingdom work (by pastors or members) are not always understood by everyone.
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