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Paul D. Adams's avatar

As always, appreciate your thoughts, Matt. This especially caught my attention and any discerning reader will stop to consider how to make the necessary structural changes to address these concerns. I wonder, are there any biblical examples (perhaps in Acts) that actually show the better way you speak to? Maybe a subsequent post will provide some? "I think it’s safe to say that most churches fail to effectively leverage the potential in the sisters and brothers in our Christ-centered communities who are empowered and called by the Spirit. I also think that most pastors genuinely want the task of ministry to be shared by others. But maybe they don’t realize that the structures they uphold take that very possibility out of the hands of the brothers and sisters who make up the church. Just about everything about the way pastors are expected (and expect) to function screams, “I don’t need you!” They are trained, paid, called, and empowered to lead, preach, cast vision, oversee, pray, discern, and perform nearly every spiritual task that matters in the church. It wasn’t meant to all fall on the shoulders of pastors."

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