As this post makes its way to THE CAPRANICA front page, I will be getting into Pastor James Billings’ car headed to meet Pastor Stacy Johnson (Lord willing and he is feeling better), and we will together make the hour and a half to two hour trip to LAX to catch a plane and an all day trip (with the time zone changes) to Louisville, KY, to attend the Together for the Gospel Conference.
The link below is to the article C.J. Mahaney recently posted about pastors taking time to make such trips for team building. I couldn’t agree more with his comments. In fact, our team has tried to do exactly as he has suggested and take a trip or attend a class together each year for the purpose of building our relationships as a team and taking in some great material that helps sharpen us and our ministry.
We will laugh together (we normally do – but these times will contain more than the normal hilarity), eat together (again, not uncommon for us – but our weight loss plans will be savagely abandoned this week), pray together, sing together at the conference, talk, talk and talk some more about every conceivable element of ministry and life that comes to our minds.
Not everyone may appreciate our taking the time this week to go to Louisville. I know that we leave behind a needy flock that all three of us love passionately and will look forward to being with again this Lord’s Day. Our wives and children (well, for two of us), will be left behind and we will all miss one another immensely. Some may feel that our taking the trip is unnecessary, unwise and unhelpful. I understand some of their concern. I also could not disagree more.
One of the things I value most about ministry at this juncture of my life is working together with brothers who are more than fellow elders, they are wonderful friends. I treasure the impact they have in my life. I am more aware of my personal sin and selfishness, more aware of my need to be more aware of the needs of others because of the relationship I share with them. I am a better preacher, teacher, shepherd, administrator, husband, father, friend, community member and citizen because of them. And honestly, I think they have such impact in my life because we spend intentional time together building such relationships. Our times away for concentrated fellowship, encouragement and spiritual stimulation have proven to be an integral element to what I think has kept us working strong together over the past five years. In truth, I believe the strength of our relationship contributes more to the health of our congregation.
I am praying that this same sort of effect will take place with us this next week as we travel to T4G. We look forward to the many brothers we will fellowship with this week. We also will value the time we will share together. I believe we will come back to our flock and our families more refreshed and focused. I pray we come back more committed to the Lord and the ministry his has blessed us with to share in together.
