Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack Shephard
That they have declared before God and all that they were called to be in to go somewhere else similar to a husband and wife divorcing? I know there are some people that have started many churches and moved on, but they were clear from the start they weren't going to be there forever.
I have seen through the year that some people are so called to an area to start a church and for one reason or another, whether it's hurt or a church split or even an Org split go somewhere else and start a church. I was having the convo with someone not too long ago and the person told me they thought it was similar to a couple divorcing. What do you all think?
For me IDK... that is why I almost always stop short of saying "God told me..." Because that boxes you and God into a certain situation or place.
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I will answer this as I am the son of a pastor.
There are many factors that will influence a man to start a church in a city. Sometimes it is the knowledge that God wants him to start a church, but is not specific as to where. Other times it can be very specific. On occasion, it is simply because the door of opportunity opened.
The same can be said of a pastor who leaves a congregation. It could be that he is retiring from active pastoring due to age or other issues, he is going to evangelize, another door of opportunity has been opened for him, he has been gaining experience before going to the mission field, he is going to start or take another church, he is out of the will of God, or he is backslid.
These lists were not meant to be exhaustive by any means. They are just some of the reasons that a pastor will either start/take a church or depart from being the pastor.
Further, a man who is called to be a pastor is always looking for the will of God. This does not mean that he ever has his eyes on the exit, but that he must be ready to move if God so speaks.
There are many ways that God will tell a man to go or leave a city. Some of those have been listed before. However, there are other times that He leads in other ways.
I will give this example from my life for an example.
My father was pastoring a small church in Burleson, TX. There was a friend of our families who left Texas to start a church in Lamar, CO. Our family helped his move, and during that time, my father passed through Syracuse, KS. He immediately felt a burden for the city, but did not wish to go. However, he started praying that if it was the will of God for us to go, then He would have to open the doors.
There were many things that transpired to facilitate our leaving. My parents started looking for a house to buy or rent, but there was not a single one to be found in the entire community. One night my father came home from work, and in a very firm voice gave my mother instructions to call a certain phone number, and then lay down to sleep. She did so, and then later told my father that the number that he had given her had led her to a house that they could rent there. He had no clue as to what she was refering to until she explained it to him. He had no memory of telling her to call that number.
After we had moved into this house, a lady asked my father where we were living (it is a small town where everyone knew everyone and had for many generations). When he told her about the house we were renting she was a bit irritated. She informed my father that her daughter had been wanting to move back for many months, but could not find a single place to rent, and my father who had never lived there before had found a place.
My family lived in this town for nearly two years. I could supply many details concerning the work that was attempted, however we shall simply say that the people God had sent us to had rejected the truth once before, and rejected it a second time after seeing it upon being taught by my father. This was the sign whereby my father knew that we were to be moving on.
Within a short time, there were preachers who were attempting to tell my father that God wished for him to come to where they were pastoring. However, that was not the will of God, and instead we moved nearly four hours to the East and joined ourselves to a pastor who had not attempted to tell my father about the will of God. This is where we remained for nearly 6 1/2 years.
I hope that this answered at least part of your question concerning the reasons and signals to a pastor that it is time to leave. God deals with everyone individually in their own way, and there have been those that have missed the will of God. Bro. and Sis. Freeman did once, as did my own parents. However, God works everything out according to His will as long as a person is willing to follow Him.
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