Happy Friday to everyone. Hope your day has been blessed. It's time for PBC's annual Pastor/Deacon Retreat. This is an event that we have been doing for several years now and it's always a blessed time. I can also say (with all honesty) that this time of fellowship has helped unify our church body.
As I was preparing to blog today, I came across 1 Corinthians 4:1, "Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." What a compelling thought! When you consider all that the Apostle Paul could have stated here, this is an amazing verse. He could have said, "Consider us as Apostles of Jesus Christ." It would have been an accurate statement. Instead...he chose to focus on the mission that God had given them.
What I enjoy about our annual retreat is that it gives us time, as pastors and deacons, to focus upon who we are in the body of Christ. It's a time of encouragement, edification, and strengthening of the ministry that we all perform within the church. It's also a time to simply consider who we are in Him. Through this fellowship we have found a unity that would not otherwise exist. I have heard the horror stories of pastor/deacon relationships and decided that I didn't want to tell them. So several years ago we put this plan into action. Let's take some time to fellowship together, get to know one another, and share in some things that would better equip us in ministering to the people. The result: God has blessed our relationship together and allowed us to work together instead of apart.
This weekend will be full of fellowship, teaching, and sharing. We are able to share some things that will help our deacons better perform their ministry, and they are able to share some things with the pastors that help us as well. What I discovered in other churches is that this type of relationship did not exist. There was never any "down time"...pastors and deacons were always interacting "professionally" in the ministry roles. However, what I discover in the Word is that we are to treat one another like family. It's hard to operate as family if all we ever do is the "business" of the body without ever interacting on a personal level. I have encouraged several pastors to do this type of retreat with their deacons. My encouragement to them is that their churches would benefit from it.
And when you consider us...or anyone else who serves in the ministry of the body...consider us as "servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." Our positions do not define us. Instead, we are defined by the precious message that we carry - we are defined by the marvelous mysteries of God.
Have a blessed weekend!
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