Welcome to the World of a Pastor also known as Pastoral Theology Course Notes Lesson Two

Dr. Dennis Carter Psalm 37:4

Index to Lessons Lesson One Lesson Two Lesson Three Lesson Four Lesson Five Lesson Six Lesson Seven Lesson Eight Lesson Nine Lesson Ten Lesson Eleven Lesson Twelve Lesson Thirteen Lesson Fourteen Lesson Fifteen Lesson Sixteen Lesson Seventeen Lesson Eighteen Lesson Nineteen Lesson Twenty Lesson Twenty-one Lesson Twenty-two Lesson Twenty-three Lesson Twenty-four Lesson Twenty-five Lesson Twenty-six Lesson Twenty-seven

Staff Members For Several years I had the privilege of working with Dr. John Waters, my father in law, at Faith Baptist Church. One day I was cutting through the main auditorium at Faith and three ladies pulled up with a big Christmas tree in a pick-up truck. They asked me if I would be a gentleman and put it in the lobby for them. I did. Dr. Waters arrived while they were decorating it and he asked who had put the tree in the lobby. They said, "Brother Dennis did." Dr. Waters called me and gave me a 20-minute lecture over the phone on why Christmas trees didn't belong in the Church. I didn't say a word about the fact that I was just being a gentleman. That night in my devotions I read, "For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God." (I Peter 2:19-20). We should suffer when we do wrong. But what about if you haven't done wrong? "But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God." As a staff member you should realize your Pastor carries a heavy load as Dr. Waters did. We should not be so "touchy" when rebuked. Dr. John Kent used to say that when Apostle Paul was exhorting Syntyche in Philippians 4:2 to be of the right mind and attitude, her name could be called "Soon-Touchy." Too many staff members and Christian workers are too "touchy" these days. Let's learn as we go into the year 2000 to take some things as "suffering wrongfully" for the cause of Christ. Thanks for the rebuke, Dr. Waters. I learned. Written by, Dr. Dennis Carter, Trinity Baptist Church, Spartanburg, SC.

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Contact writers:
Dr Dennis Carter, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church, Spartanburg, SC
Pastor Steven Mays, pastor of Faith Baptist Church, Laurens, SC