The following is a confidential report :-) on several candidates your search team has considered for lead pastor:
Adam
Good man but problems with his wife. Also one reference told of how his wife and he enjoy walking nude in the woods.
Noah
Former pastorate of 120 years with not even one convert. Prone to unrealistic building projects.
Abraham
Though the references reported wife-swapping, the facts seem to show he never slept with another man's wife, but did offer to share his own wife with another man.
Joseph
A big thinker, but a braggart, believes in dream-interpreting, and has a prison record.
Moses
A modest and meek man, but poor communicator, even stuttering at times. Sometimes blows his stack and acts rashly. Some say he left an earlier church over a murder charge.
David
The most promising leader of all until we discovered the affair he had with his neighbor's wife.
Solomon
Great preacher but our parsonage would never hold all those wives.
Elijah
Prone to depression. Collapses under pressure.
Elisha
Reported to have lived with a single widow while at his former church.
Hosea
A tender and loving pastor but our people could never handle his wife's occupation.
Deborah
Strong leader and seems to be anointed, but she is female.
Jeremiah
Emotionally unstable, alarmist, negative, always lamenting things, reported to have taken a long trip to bury his underwear on the bank of a foreign river.
Isaiah
On the fringe? Claims to have seen angels in church. Has trouble with his language.
Jonah
Refused God's call into ministry until he was forced to obey by getting swallowed up by a great fish. He told us in the phone interview the fish later spit him out on the shore near here. We hung up.
Amos
Too backward and unpolished. With some seminary training he might have promise, but has a hang-up against wealthy people--might fit in better in a poor congregation.
Melchizedek
Great credentials at current work place, but where does this guy come from? No information on his resume about former work records. Every line about parents was left blank and he refused to supply a birth date.
John
Says he is a Baptist, but definitely doesn't dress like one. Has slept in the outdoors for months on end, has a weird diet, and provokes denominational leaders.
Peter
Too blue collar. Has a bad temper-even has been known to curse. Had a big run-in with Paul in Antioch. Aggressive, but a loose cannon.
Paul
Powerful CEO type leader and fascinating preacher. However, short on tact, unforgiving with younger ministers, harsh and has been known to preach all night.
James & John
Package deal preacher & associate seemed good at first, but found out they have an ego problem regarding other fellow workers and seating positions. Threatened an entire town after an insult. Also known to try to discourage workers who didn't follow along with them.
Timothy
Too young!
Methuselah
Too old . . . WAY too old!
Jesus
Has had popular times, but once his church grew to 5000 he managed to offend them all, and then this church dwindled down to twelve people. Seldom stays in one place very long. And, of course, he's single.
Judas
His references are solid. A steady plodder. Conservative. Good connections. Knows how to handle money. We're inviting him to preach this Sunday. Possibilities here.
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Last night, a wonderful man and his wife came to town and had dinner with much of the leadership of our church. I am on the edge of my seat today wondering..."What wonders is God up to even now?"
Whether or not this family is the one God is personally calling to be a part of our Church Family, I can't say, of course! But I do know this: God is not sleeping! He is not napping until the moment when decisions are made by the humans on earth! In fact, I am optimistic that even now, he is about the business of our healing.
We have been 8 months without a "Lead Pastor." There is a *reason* for this! God has been laying on my heart the blessing that comes in resting in His will and right now, his ordained, perfect, holy will is that we not have a Lead Pastor. His ways are definitely not our ways. (Again, I am soooo thankful for Pastor Dean and Pastor Tony and the other people who God is using! :-))
I keep wondering if our King and Lord--the God of the Universe--doesn't want me, you, all of us to be about some business that needs doing. He wants to heal our wounds, to challenge us to rise up. He wants us to mend bridges that have been broken down, to break down barriers we have allowed to arise between us.
Am I willing to wait in this moment for Him to touch my heart, to heal it, and then to reach out to another? To be kind when I don't feel like being kind? Am I willing to put a lock on my lips when a criticism seems ready to slide out?
Am I willing to go deeper, even, than these things...and to be still and know that He is God? If I am driven by an inner neediness that says we must have a lead pastor--and NOW!!!--am I willing to bring that insistence to God? To ask *Him*..."God, what is driving this neediness? Somehow, like a young child who refuses to stay still to have a cut doctored by his loving momma, all my drivenness and busy-ness may be keeping me from experiencing that which the Balm of Gilead desires to do in my life!
Even now, the Lord desires to do great things in our midst. Sure, once we have a lead pastor, we will be ready to go into hyper-drive, but what about now? Our God isn't still. He isn't silent. He is busy, active...what wonders is he performing even now?
It has occurred to me...I am not sure this blog is appropriately titled. Sure, most of us at Cool Community Church would agree with the statement that we "need" a pastor, but I think the Lord must disagree with that sentiment at this time! If we truly "needed" a pastor, we would have one!
As I think about it, we really *don't* "need" a pastor, perhaps. Or at least not in the way we might have thought initially. As I think about it, right now we have EIGHT "pastors!" WOW! That is a lot of men who are willing to serve and lead our church. There is Pastor Dean--what a blessing this man is as he faithfully preaches Sunday after Sunday! And Pastor Tony...what a shepherd he is as well--not just for the youth. He has a passion for our congregation as a whole and prays---OH! Does Pastor Tony ever pray for us!
But beyond that, we also have SIX men who "pastor" our church as elders. In fact, when we look at the greek words for elder, overseer and pastor, they are all used to describe the same persons in the New Testament. These men and Pastor Tony and Pastor Dean, ALL "shepherd" us, the sheep here at Cool Community Church. Really, we are SO blessed to have these 8 men serving the Lord and our Body here at our Church!
Thank you, Lord, that you have chosen these men for this season of life to lead our Church. Please continue to give them wisdom and strength to lead and direct according to your plan for us. We pray that, in your time, we will have a man who you have called to join us as "Pastor" here in Cool, but until then (and beyond), may we be grateful for the men who you have placed over us, according to your will. In Jesus' Name and for His sake, Amen.