The greatest challenge of a pastor in the south

[ampaterry]

In this post, I use a term not allowed on TFF.
But it is necessary in order to explain the challenge I face here.

We had an acquaintance here that wanted to buy my DeLavall Cream separator. He is a very nice guy, very friendly. He is an auctioneer, and a very successful one, and knew he could get a PRETTY penny out of that big old separator that was in perfect condition. He always drove a nice car, always wore a nice three-piece suit, and was very well spoken.
He would stop and visit every time he was in our area, and try to buy my separator, which I finally did sell to him.
Then we bought the old church adjacent to our property, and started re-building it so it could be opened for services once more.
On his next visit, we had managed to get it open even though there was a lot of work still on-going.
I invited him to come and worship with us.
He got a bit red in the face and said:

"I used to go to church.
"I was there every time the doors were open.
"Then one Sunday the preacher, RIGHT FROM THE PULPIT, told us there were going to be NIGGERS in heaven!
"I have not been in a church since, and never will be!"

We both stood there in shock -
I literally had my mouth open!
He walked to his car, got in and drove away, and we have not seen him since.

IF this man ever gets the opportunity to even SEE heaven, he has one heck of a shock in store for him.

And THAT was one of our first introductions to the rabid racism that still exists here in this area.

But I suppose everyone has SOME challenge, eh?

[jack404]

sad folks like that , miss out on a lot of things

correct em if ya can, ignore em if ya cant

i'm dubious of folks but it aint based on race ..

good onya Terry

[carver]

If you look really hard at God's Word, you can easily find something to get offended about, if you want to ignore the Word of God! How many times have we all heard, "I'm a Christian, but I don't go to Church, they are all filled with hypocrites"! When you judge God's people, and hold them up to ridicule, are you really a Christian?

[jack404]

Carver good point ,
I personally have seen too many churches i'd rather not attend , so i dont , why argue ?


yes thats a judgement , i'm bad .. but why did i judge so ?

when i was at little gaza i travelled a awful long way each week to where i did hear what i needed , i'm not big on Prosperity preaching , socialist agenda's renamed Christian goodness ( support for open borders etc) ..

i dont mind being told i screwed up , they'd be right over a week ...

but i wish to know for the betterment of my soul and my God , not for a political party , some agenda , to make a name for someone as a man of the people nuthin ..
and a preacher dont need a $800,000 mercedes ( sorry Terry , work for it or win Lotto and sure ) but not outta what folks donate .. aint we all seen enough of those types ??

i walk ....


the pulpit is the last place i need BS from ...

so is that good judgement or a judge not lest.... type judgement ?

[carver]

I'm like you Jack, I don't mind being told I'm wrong, cause I usually am! I want to learn, and I look to my pastor to teach me both the Word of God, and how I am to live it.

[ampaterry]

No troubles with me and a Mercedes, Jack -

I have been preaching for over 25 years, and have never taken the first cent in salary.

Not that I think there is anything WRONG with a preacher getting paid; not at all.
But for me, personally, we are getting by without it, and I prefer to NOT to get paid for doing God's work.

[jack404]

here thats hard to get , the Baptists Methodists Presbyterian and a few others all joined up to become the "uniting Church of Australia" nowdays ...appeasement , apologism and christlam reigns ... excuses for all, gay weddings ok , lady ministers , gay lady ministers.
and this one

we must be more accepting of our poor Islamic Brothers, they too believe in Jesus

Good Lord !! Give me Strength!!!!!


Terry, a fair days pay for a fair days work ,

the old minister , i had when a boy , i liked how he paid himself , cause like kids do , i asked..

he figured sunday was a full working day so he paid himself a days wages for that , and from there it was based on how much he did for the community or his flock , a visit to a elderly parishioner was a 1/6th of a days wage i remember ( he had a bloody big parish though , about the size of New York state )

he figured he was getting about half what a working man was getting but that just meant he had to do more ..

seemed fair enough to me ..

by the time i was in the Army, Coonabarabran had grown and he had a full church .. guess he was makin wages ..

good bloke eh , folks miss him , town does ..

[Old Grump]

The old boy is sure going to be surprised when he gets where he is going to end up and he finds out his neighbors are Crips and Bloods from the hood. It's sad to see otherwise normal likable people be brain dead in that one area. It's like a fly in my bowl of pudding, it just ruins the whole bowl.

[ampaterry]

Satan believes in Jesus also -

But I sure as *&%% am not going to be more accepting of him due to that!!

[jack404]

cheers Terry i got a new comeback ..

hey dont get me wrong, some damn good ministers still in the uniting church , but they are getting squeezed out or into "line" .. thankfully many are getting pushed to regional areas..

but the bosses of the uniting church here .. sheeeesh .. a gay lady minister, a gay lover or so he seems and a bloke who covered for pedofile priests and swapped churches ...

by their deeds shall ye know them springs to mind , supporting all the gay stuff , supporting all the open immigration and inti israel stuff

sorry , i hear it and i walk , no if's no but's

I'm harder on ministers than i am on many things but look at what i'm entrusting them with .. and the weird push to the left here inside many mainstream churches worries the heck outta me , so i'm picky , and i honestly try to dodge the "jack , you and this anti islam stance you have , we have to talk about that ... " then i hear how we started it all with the crusade and how it runs deep in their culture and we must be more understanding .... pass...

i know my history well , obviously better than them

but am i less Christian for doing so ?

[Double D]

Pastor Terry, you have short changed yourself. You are due your wages and nowhere does it say different. I think a pastor that is a honorable man should be paid well. I dont mean flashy cars and mansions but good a decent living. God does not want his servant begging bread. If you refuse to take your wages, although it may seem an honorable thing to do, it is not the right thing in my eyes. You have made your choice and thats up to you, but I would put up one LOUD fuss if my pastor tried the same thing. Poverty is a curse from the pits of hell.

[ampaterry]

Double D, if I were in poverty I would accept a wage.
But the fact is, I worked as a design engineer for most of my ministry, built up a 401 K, and when I retired we were able to pay off all our bills and have some investments left, plus we draw early SS from the years I paid into it.

I am not knocking pastors that DO draw a salary at all -
But for me, we get by fine without it, so the church has just that much more to help those in need.

[Juker]

There is a special sub-chamber of hell reserved for those who have profited in the name of the Lord. I look at these televangelists who fleece the flocks for personal glory. I keep thinking, 'Surely people will wise up, after the Jim Bakers and Robert Tiltons have been exposed...' but on it goes. God will surely have His way with them.

Soon enough this false doctrine of prosperity will cause a lot of megachurches to implode. Once people figure out they're following the 'rules', doing all the right things, and wallowing in debt, they'll come to their senses. I have given seminars and many, many classes on the issues of money in the Bible, and in a nutshell, we are entrusted with God's money in order to help others.

And Terry, we left a church we had attended for many years following Hurricane Katrina. I stood up during the prayer request in a Sunday morning service, and asked what we could do as a church to help. I was universally ignored - that "those people got what they deserved". THOSE PEOPLE. We were absolutely incredulous. That church had a big program of knocking on doors and handing out tracts, and every time a non-white came to a service, they got the cold shoulder from most and never returned.

[Double D]

I am happy you dont need to draw from the church and that you dont see a problem with it if you did. I have never understood the mentality that some members have that their pastors should be driving beat up cars and eating beenie wienies. While I dont agree with the prosperity mega churches, I certainly wouldnt want my pastor barely scraping by week in and week out. I couldnt attend a church that would allow that either. The laborer is worthy of his wages and god only knows the labor involved in pastoring a church.

[RunningOnMT]

I certainly hope there are no "niggers" in heaven, of any color. To me the word doesn't imply race but a mode of conduct.

[Juker]

Double D, are you stating here that you are an anti-beanie weanieite? I simply cannot tolerate that...

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by RunningOnMT

I certainly hope there are no "niggers" in heaven, of any color. To me the word doesn't imply race but a mode of conduct.

[ampaterry]

Double D, God indeed knows the labor involved.
In my lifetime, I have been a steam fitter, a lumberjack, an industrial electrician, a repo-guy, and a dozen other kinds of work. But NONE of these left me as completely drained and weakened as I feel at the conclusion of a REALLY GOOD sermon.

Bruce Thielemann wrote:
“The pulpit calls those anointed to it as the sea calls its sailors; and like the sea, it batters and bruises and does not rest…. To preach, to really preach, is to die naked a little at a time and to know each time you do it that you must do it again.”

Brother Thielemann knew whereof he spoke.

[Double D]

Originally Posted by Juker

Double D, are you stating here that you are an anti-beanie weanieite? I simply cannot tolerate that...

Oh no, just would hate to see my pastor forced to resort to a regular diet of them. An honorable man of god is deserving of at least a good fried spam sammich every now and then! You go preacher! P.S. Please stop talking about all this food. Since I have decided to stop eating and give away all my belongings, I am famished. I am sure it will be ok. I am taking small sips of kool aid every now and again.......but am beginning to fade....

[Juker]

LOL!!!!!

[Double D]

Originally Posted by Juker

LOL!!!!!

I was hoping pastor Terry would tell me that it would be ok. I mean, give me a reason to go on. Why would any of us go on? Why? I mean, the presidency and all else is a hopeless matter in 012 and there is nothing left to live for. Right? Right? I mean, if your a christian you certainly wouldnt worry about who is going to be in office in 012 or anything else for that matter, right? Stop eating now! Stop exsisting and quit your jobs now! Why toil one more moment? Why? I am getting weak now.........gulp.....

[gunguy25]

I hear you, I have to deal with racism just about everyday mainly from family. I have nothing against anyone no matter the race, I do not think am better then anyone else just because of color. The thing that gets under my skin is when people try to use the Bible to justify racism. All I can do is pray for these people and hope God will open there eyes to there ignorance.

[hunter29180]

people...its up to each Pastor to decide IF they desire a wage for preaching. the best ministers I have met are those who truly recieved the calling of the lord and do not accept a wage for doing what God has asked of them. now God also tells me to support these Called ministers in whatever way i can. if it be food, car repairs ect then I am called upon by God to do so. Just like some of use have been "called" to give cash to certian people, ( and we all on this forum said it was Gods way of providing) So to will God provide for out favorite pastor here! AND DOUBLE D, EAT STARVING YOURSELF IS A FORM OF SUICIDE! besides I dont think i could bear the sound of your final moments. so if you are determined to die some way,,eat ALL the food so those IDIOTS wont get any!! OR send to Ampaterry! im sure he would appreciate the change from beaneeweenies!!

[CampingJosh]

Originally Posted by hunter29180

AND DOUBLE D, EAT STARVING YOURSELF IS A FORM OF SUICIDE! besides I dont think i could bear the sound of your final moments. so if you are determined to die some way,,eat ALL the food so those IDIOTS wont get any!! OR send to Ampaterry! im sure he would appreciate the change from beaneeweenies!!

I'd probably just skip over that post.

[ampaterry]

I saw no reason to argue with you, Double D, as it seems your mind is made up.

I will watch you fade, then will preach your funeral.

And out of deference to your wishes, I will collect $$ from the participants, and spend it on myself.

LOL!!!!!!