Posted by 2sense on June 5, 2002, at 5:08:32
In reply to Re: Mental Illnesses and Faith Communities, posted by Chris A. on June 5, 2002, at 1:40:33
Thank you for your post, it makes lots of sense. There is intellectual faith -- which is what you wrote of and emotional faith ... which takes longer to catch up when one is going through particularly difficult times, especially if they persist, and seem to bear down without stopping.
You wrote:
"My 2 Sense, is that if a person doesn't realize their own neediness, then they have no business to be in ministry or Christian leadership"
I do not know what this means, I understand the neediness part, though if I understand what you are referring to I would have choosen a different word (just my 2Sense). I am not the individual who posted about going into the ministritry or Christian leadership. If I have misinterpretted what you are writing, then I have been unfortunate to meet a lot of individuals who go into the ministry and/or choose Christian leader-ship and sometimes do "damage" to those who seek their counsel as we are instructed to do -- though James makes it clear we are to ask without doubt for God's wisdom, and I suppose God would not lead us to such people.
I do not have plans to go into the ministry, and at my last church was asked (not by those "in charge", but those who left for the same reasons I did) to play a role in the churches' Christian leadership -- this was not to be. It had nothing to do with my health -- it had to do that they have always done thing one way and were going to continue to do so.
Eventually things got bad enough that a company (who purpose is to do these things) was contracted to write a survey/questionnaire and send it to all church members and after they were completed and returned -- they would analyze and give suggestions either to the church itself or the body the presides over it (for the church itself). I was impressed by the survey because it seemed to ask about all of the things that were lacking (as you've eloquently laid out in your post, some of the things were on the survey in question form) and gave me hope that there was a 'parent' who might steer this church, its 'child' back -- I do not know.
2sense
poster:2sense
thread:19
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20020527/msgs/80.html