Quote:
Originally Posted by nahkoe
I have spoken to my pastor now. He knows enough about my situation to already know why I went visiting yesterday. He has no problem with it and has encouraged me to go as often as I'd like. He only asks that I let him know where and when I'm going so he can answer to the other pastor who'll be calling him when I do go visiting.
I guess that's "permission" in a way. He gave me "permission" to do whatever I want to do w/o having to ask his permission.
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I must have missed the part that he had foreknowledge of you visiting the other church to seek out fellowship. He sounded like a good pastor and not one of those that micromanaged their members. I wrote that you should have his permission to attend services at another church, because some pastors want to know such things and it would be expected that you received permission in such cases.
I attended what most would label an ultra-con church in the San Fransisco Bay Area in the mid 1980's where everything about the lives of the members had to go through the pastor. I hadn't been a member there too long when I went to VOP in the city on off service night. I had mentioned to a friend what a great service I had attended at VOP and he immediately asked me if Brother P knew that I had went to that church.
The brother told Brother P before I had a chance and I was told that I couldn't attend that church at anytime, so I stopped attending until I was able to leave that church. It was many years for me to readjust my thinking about leadership/pastors after I left, but I don't harbor any hard feelings whatsoever.
Some people need the strict boundaries from a pastor and they shouldn't be bashed for that need. I came to appreciate the liberty of serving God and the revelation of his grace.
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