agreed. and well said.

Ruth said...
Having been at the same conference, heard the same talks and discussions and felt the same disappointment, let me say that I don't think it's apathy. In my experience it's a closer cousin to defensiveness.
You've got a whole (generation? echelon? elite?) of mostly men who believe that they've had a 'call to full time ministry' that the rest of us haven't and the rest of us should be following their God given vision. If we don't, we're not 'respecting the leadership'.Discussions like the ones we had for those two days are a very in-your-face rejection of that system.
From the few 'clergy' who I heard speak while we were there, I heard good intentions and a recognition of the truth of the principles, but a misapprehension and misunderstanding of what it means to 'solid churches'. eg. "How do you change a solid church into a liquid church?" Answer: You don't!
I was thinking the other day that the solid church is like my grandma's house. When I go there, I'm welcome. She asks me how it's going, she gives me tea and date squares and we reminisce. Sometimes she gives me advice or $20 and she prays for me.
It's good to know she's there and I love her, but when the tea's gone and the date squares are all eaten up, it's time for me to get back to my life. And she doesn't come with me. Because it's not hers.
My ideal situation for a local church pastor who attended this conference would be to start preaching these principles from the pulpit and !actively! encouraging his congregation to pray and talk about who they are being sent to. Then to have a team of people go to the leadership and say, "OK, we know where we're being sent. But it means that Bill won't be playing the guitar on Sundays, and Sally can't teach the grade 5 and 6 girls anymore." Then to have the pastor say, "Go for it! We have a piano and the girls can sit through a sermon once in a while."
But I'm not holding my breath.
r

Lesley would add::

Well said.
and.
My pastor this Sunday gave a fantastic message, it was on the Holy Spirit, and living your faith... It was completely complimentary to what M.Frost had to say... and funny to hear it prefaced with "Now, I may be talking myself out of a job".
and.
Slightly off topic he used the words "by golly" and "gumption" in the same message.