God's Healing Power - Part Two

God’s Healing Power – Part Two

Several months ago, unexpectedly, I encountered a clergy colleague with whom I served in pastoral ministry in another city.  Theologically, we are first cousins in that he is a Presbyterian and I am Reformed.  At the time we served as pastors in separate churches in this Southern town, I was an American Baptist.  Nonetheless, respectively we were ideally-suited for the churches we served. As most regrettable circumstances evolved in our ministries, we both eventually resigned those pastorates.  He had given three and a half years.  I served nearly eight years.  My colleague faced opposition primarily from five elderly women who sought to punish him because he would not submit to their shifting personal preferences.  Whereas an overwhelming majority of congregants favored his retention as pastor, none of those persons challenged the recalcitrance of those five women. In fact, at his farewell reception, one of those women approached him and said, "We win." In my instance, I resigned after receiving a Memorandum of ultimata from the Board of Deacons and later acquiesced by the Board of Trustees.  These items were unreasonable, unbiblical, unethical and unprincipled.  In fact, the tone and content of the Memorandum were demeaning and belittling.  I absolutely had no intention of adhering to the Memorandum’s demands.  After three months of conversations following my resignation announcement, I left the church as the lay leadership, congregation and I clashed about a current vision and practice of ministry.  Combined, my colleague and I gave nearly a dozen years in two ministry settings in which we would not achieve success regardless of our efforts and dedication. What a colossal waste of time, talent and commitment!  Such a feeling is most understandable.  Who invests that amount of time into a calling or project that seemingly fails?  Knowing then what we know now, neither he nor I would have accepted those calls.  

 
My colleague and I reflected on our time at our previous churches.  We reaffirmed our decisions to leave were indeed best for us as clergy and within our personal lives.  His resignation also resulted in a broken engagement as his former fiancé would not consider living anywhere other than the town where we were.  Joyously, a wedding rehearsal for a close and longstanding friend of his happens to be the occasion upon which our chance reunion occurred.  A new friend with whom he seemed to be very much in love accompanied him on this trip.  They met in his new venue of pastoral ministry.  Actually, he had returned home in many ways.  Utilizing the lessons of his previous experience, he accepted a provisional call which he would not consider making permanent until the new congregation evidenced its desire and commitment to progress toward a new vision of ministry.

Interestingly, neither my colleague nor I violated our ministerial vows.  We were not guilty of any moral, financial, ethical or professional lapses.  Rather, we earnestly preached the gospel of Jesus Christ and emphasized the importance of establishing an intimate and vibrant relationship with Him. Although we knew clergy peers who had committed such personal and professional offenses, none of them had been disciplined by the appropriate adjudicatory within their local congregations or denomination.  Realizing this inexplicable fact actually compounded our grief.  Yet, the Lord Jesus teaches rain falls on the just and unjust alike.  It is difficult to ignore a very immediate and pressing question. "Why does God allow this particular rain shower in my life and ministry?" "If only He guided me away from that regrettable experience, then I would have more time and expertise to spread the gospel of Christ and successfully expand His kingdom on earth." 

As we talked further in anticipation of the wedding rehearsal, we shared where we presently serve in pastoral ministry.  He fortunately returned to a setting he associates with home.  Further, he establishes an arrangement with his new church to ensure they wish to partner with him as the Lord leads.  He was blessed with another woman whom he adored.  Equally, she doted on him and demonstrated unparalleled respect for him.  In response to my inquiry, he genuinely shared his thoughts and feelings about the Lord's gracious healing power.  Similar to the story of Joseph, God uses my colleague's adversity and agony as assets within his new ministerial assignment.  In the end, my colleagues gains more than he loses as a potentially compatible congregation and a most suitable and possible help meet enter his life.