Thursday, June 2, 2011

What Would A Commissioning Minister Do?

This is based on the idea that just as pastors have the authority in the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive sins--the whole congregation, and individually--in the worship service, pastors have the authority to specifically commission, just as they generally commission, lets' say, using Matthew 28.

So, just before the general benediction and sending out, the commissioning, for those who beforehand have consulted with the elders, and all are in agreement, the commissioning minister could specifically commission, for example, Mrs. Jones to work with the younger wives, Dr. Smith to begin to plan for a pro-life pregnancy clinic, the McGuffey family to begin a multi-generational Big Project of X (I like the Texas-sized ocean of plastic between Hawaii and Japan), Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez to be Ambassadors to the Baptists and their feed-the-poor project. Ambassadors would encourage cross-congregational praying for specific ministries of other churches.

The possibilities are endless.

Even more exciting for the older man in ministry might be his opportunity to use his accumulated wisdom in a Jacob-like way, no longer moving the furniture but speaking wisdom that is acted by others. A big battle plan he could formulate. Are we in Bledsoe's 500-years shift to metropolitanism, JBJ's 3rd of the 700-year shifts since the Resurrection, this one emphasizing the Holy Spirit, ERH's sociological era in which the virtues of the tribe are emphasized, and perpetual war of the tribes is eliminated, as the empire/nation-state era eliminated slavery, and as the New Israel period eliminated exclusiveness?

This is in the Holy War area, and it moves us to specific actions and commissionings.

Think of a pilot's briefing before a big battle. Where is the enemy, what weapons do we have, where must we attack, where defend, where hold until relieved?

Love in King Jesus,

Chuck

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