Comments on: Empty Pulpits http://www.joethorn.net/2005/08/01/empty-pulpits/ theology. church. culture. life. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:58:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Rodney McCarty http://www.joethorn.net/2005/08/01/empty-pulpits/#comment-590 Rodney McCarty Wed, 03 Aug 2005 04:11:36 +0000 http://www.joethorn.net/?p=146#comment-590 I wish I had been involved in a church whose pastor had your attitude while I was working through whether or not to become a pastor. Would have helped me alot. Keep it up Joe! I wish I had been involved in a church whose pastor had your attitude while I was working through whether or not to become a pastor. Would have helped me alot. Keep it up Joe!

]]> By: Steve McCoy http://www.joethorn.net/2005/08/01/empty-pulpits/#comment-589 Steve McCoy Wed, 03 Aug 2005 01:39:38 +0000 http://www.joethorn.net/?p=146#comment-589 Joe, well said and something every church should aspire to see, multiplying leadership following the call of Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2. If I'm going to have something on a big screen it better be football, not a rerun of yesterday's sermon. :) Joe, well said and something every church should aspire to see, multiplying leadership following the call of Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2. If I’m going to have something on a big screen it better be football, not a rerun of yesterday’s sermon. :)

]]> By: Jason Kovacs http://www.joethorn.net/2005/08/01/empty-pulpits/#comment-588 Jason Kovacs Tue, 02 Aug 2005 16:40:28 +0000 http://www.joethorn.net/?p=146#comment-588 Joe, Thank you for your post. I agree wholeheartedly. I have been on staff at a large church in Minneapolis that wrestled with this very issue and came down on the side of video feeding. They now have two campuses and praying for a third, all video feeding the pastor. In their case, the pastor is incredibly gifted and they wrestled with how to steward his gifts for the glory of God. Although, he is used of God to bless many through his preaching gift, the thing I observed then and now is that there is a lack of training, raising up, stewardship of the many men who are gifted and called to preach. This is intimately connected to succesful multiplication and church planting. I am now an outreach pastor at a plant from the mother church with a lead pastor who desires to preach 45 times a year. I have seen again the lack of training and stewardship of the other men in the church who are called to preach. If we are to succesfully plant churches by sending out able and qualified men how are we to recognize these men without giving them the opportunity (more than a couple of times a year) to preach and grow in that gifting. It is sad that many church planters are relegated to growing in their preaching call in youth ministry. I pray for more churches and more lead pastors that are willing to share their pulpits. Thank you brother! It's a joy to read your thoughts and be sharpened. Grace, Jason Joe,

Thank you for your post. I agree wholeheartedly. I have been on staff at a large church in Minneapolis that wrestled with this very issue and came down on the side of video feeding. They now have two campuses and praying for a third, all video feeding the pastor. In their case, the pastor is incredibly gifted and they wrestled with how to steward his gifts for the glory of God. Although, he is used of God to bless many through his preaching gift, the thing I observed then and now is that there is a lack of training, raising up, stewardship of the many men who are gifted and called to preach. This is intimately connected to succesful multiplication and church planting.

I am now an outreach pastor at a plant from the mother church with a lead pastor who desires to preach 45 times a year. I have seen again the lack of training and stewardship of the other men in the church who are called to preach. If we are to succesfully plant churches by sending out able and qualified men how are we to recognize these men without giving them the opportunity (more than a couple of times a year) to preach and grow in that gifting.

It is sad that many church planters are relegated to growing in their preaching call in youth ministry. I pray for more churches and more lead pastors that are willing to share their pulpits.

Thank you brother! It’s a joy to read your thoughts and be sharpened.

Grace,
Jason

]]> By: David Phillips http://www.joethorn.net/2005/08/01/empty-pulpits/#comment-587 David Phillips Tue, 02 Aug 2005 16:11:07 +0000 http://www.joethorn.net/?p=146#comment-587 Joe, I don't mind preaching 3 services, but I tell ya, go much more than that and I'll be toast :-D DP Joe,

I don’t mind preaching 3 services, but I tell ya, go much more than that and I’ll be toast :-D

DP

]]> By: Toby http://www.joethorn.net/2005/08/01/empty-pulpits/#comment-586 Toby Tue, 02 Aug 2005 15:47:46 +0000 http://www.joethorn.net/?p=146#comment-586 We are a smaller church 50-60 and are thinking about adding on to our current facility (if you could call it a "facility") - it seats 70. But, we're also talking a possible merger with the community church in town, which seats 150. But, they have 60-70 people, so we'd run into a seating senerio there as well. One of the things we talked about was a satelite service using both buildings. I don't much like the preacher on the big screen field, but if in your group of elders you have one who is gifted to teach/preach then what do you do? Personally, I believe the various guys should speak, but there should be one main teaching pastor. It brings continuity, association, etc to the deal. The dangers are there, and you laid them out well, Joe. We are a smaller church 50-60 and are thinking about adding on to our current facility (if you could call it a “facility”) – it seats 70. But, we’re also talking a possible merger with the community church in town, which seats 150. But, they have 60-70 people, so we’d run into a seating senerio there as well. One of the things we talked about was a satelite service using both buildings.

I don’t much like the preacher on the big screen field, but if in your group of elders you have one who is gifted to teach/preach then what do you do? Personally, I believe the various guys should speak, but there should be one main teaching pastor. It brings continuity, association, etc to the deal. The dangers are there, and you laid them out well, Joe.

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