Quote:
Originally Posted by StMark
what I meant is this. It is mainstream thought amongst
preachers that musicians are much lower on the scale
then they are.In general, we have always been frowned
upon and that's just the way it is. It is also true that
the preachers on the other forums think that their forums
are much better and on a higher scale then AFF. AFF is
for the lowly. I guess I'm in the lowly class because i'm
not allowed to fellowship with the other elite groups
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Come on Mark...
They are only elite in their own eyes. Many of the things that happen in the lives of preachers are because they consider themselves to be on a pedestal, and that they have a higher God-given calling than anyone else. Those in music ministry, Christian Education, and even counseling have always been put down, underpaid, and ignored because it is all about the Pastor/preacher.
It is sad that the only goals men and women have in Pentecost is to be a preacher or a preacher's wife. Without that 'authority' they have no place/identity within our ranks. The only boost up the rungs of Pentecost is to be related to someone in a political position or that Pastors a mega assembly so they have some credibility.
Analolgy:
Our Pentecostal society has become as classless as our American society. We have the
'have's', i.e., those with multigenerational names/heritage, political clout, positions the consider to be influential
[the rich], and the
'have not's' ,i.e, those who have publically fallen and won't be allowed back up, those who are 'yes people' to those that
HAVE, those that struggle to be used and accepted and paid for their helping ministries at the mercy of those who get paid for their ministry and want the division of authority to always be in their favor
[the poor].
We have two forums because there is a distinct difference in those who think they have all the answers, power, and authority...and those who would question this paradigm are 'liberals', people who are real with real problems, and those who wish they were as the other forum in significance.
Come on Mark, the more things change - the more they stay the same.
Get real here: Pastors and preachers can't make it without the support of the praise teams, ministers of music, and the sunday school teachers, the outreach co-ordinators, the counselors, the church maintenance and janitors...just like those in the helps positions have no place to help if they don't have a Pastor preacher.
Biblically...we are all members of the same body with different functions. Jesus Christ is the heart, the life blood of the church - not the preacher/preachers. The preacher makes up the mouth piece and a portion of the brain, and the other leaders make up the other parts of the brain, and then we have the neurotransmitters that relay messages, and the arteries which flow through the body with the capillaries taking blood and ozygen to the extemities. We might thing we can live without the tonsils or the spleen, one of the fingers, toes, and ears...but how much better and functional a person is with all things working in unison and together. None thinking they are more 'important' than the other.
It is sad indeed that we teach our children the only way you can have a place in ministry is to be born into it or be related, or grafted in by some unforseen backhanded inheritance gifting after paying the 'dues' and submitting to those who are the
"have's".
Sorry about my intensity...been up half the night thinking about Sarah & Abraham and how their trying to work things out their own ...brought us Hagar and Ishmael and a lifetime of fallout!
Rhoni
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