"I Consulted With Myself"

There is a place in the minister's experi­ence for consultation with God. The consecrated minister sees in Him the Mas­ter Weaver of his life pattern. His soul panteth after God "as the hart panteth after the water brooks." Prayer, like breath­ing, becomes a habit to such a man. It is his point of contact with Infinite Power. All men of spiritual power are men of prayer.

It is a wonderful thing that we can pray effectually; that unworthy, erring mortals possess the power of offering their requests to God. What higher power can man desire than this,—to be linked with the infinite God? Feeble, sinful man has the privilege of speaking to his Maker. . . . The prayers you offer in loneliness, in weariness, in trial, God answers, not always according to your expectations, but always for your good.—Gospel Workers, p. 258.

Consult the Brethren

There is a place in the minister's pro­gram for consultation with the brethren.

There should be frequent councils, and earnest, whole-hearted co-operation. . , . As workers, we need to counsel together over difficult matters. It is right that brother should consult with brother. And it is our privilege after we have done this, to bow together in prayer and ask for divine wisdom and counsel. . . . No one is to strike out on his own independent judgment, and work according to his own mind, unless he has a treasury of his own from which to draw.—Evangelism, pp. 97, 98. (Italics supplied.)

Nor does he idly sit awaiting orders for the next advance while a thousand oppor­tunities die at his doorstep. To him, con­sultation with the brethren includes seek­ing counsel, an exchange of ideas, prayer fellowship, and decision for or against one's own pet project. Also included is the deli­cate matter of human relations, that of honoring the time-tested principle, "hon­our to whom honour" is due, it being rec­ognized that the church has not yet of­ficially titled its ministers "bishops," and that the "Chief" is still more readily identi­fied as the head of the police and fire de­partments.

Consult Our Companion

There is an area in one's ministerial life when he should counsel with his wife. The minister's wife is more than a hewer of wood and a drawer of water. Her years of living and working with her husband have qualified her to hold an opinion in some areas pertaining to his work—an opin­ion that can be of help to him. However, a man who permits his wife to dictate church policy and to decide whether he ac­cepts a mission appointment deserves OUT pity and prayers.

Consult Ourselves

There are some decisions that a man must make for himself. There are some areas of ministerial experience where God refuses to intervene, and that are off limits to wife and brethren. "Then," said Nehe­miah, "I consulted with myself" (Neh. 5: 7). Any organization that decides every­thing for its ministers and members has too much organization. A church must to some degree be authoritarian to maintain disci­pline. But few will deny that one of the gravest dangers of organization is the as­sumption by some of powers not granted under church policy. One of the by-prod­ucts of this "disease" is the reduction of the constituent ministry to pattern thinking and robotlike conformity. Long live free­dom of speech, with propriety, in the church of the living God.

The right to express an opinion is God given. This spirit must never be denied or discouraged. Neither environmental pres­sures nor inner fears should prevent a man from being true to himself as well as to his church. Who knows whether his is a heaven-sent idea if it is unexpressed? It is difficult to imagine Peter following the party line, or the other apostles being reduced to the impotency of the rubber stamp. Nor is there indication of John the Baptist parroting the opinions of the powerful to gain favor, or remaining silent because of its expedi­ency. John "consulted with himself."

A young minister was sent to a district as pastor. He literally bombarded the confer­ence office with requests for advice on all things. After the reception of the thirtieth such letter, the conference president wrote: "Why do you think we sent you there?" This man had failed to "consult with him­self." Said one author: "What one lacks in vision, someone must supply in super­vision."

"Diverse in mind, in ideas, one subject is to bind heart to heart—the conversion of souls to the truth, which draws all to the cross."—Ibid., p. 99. The Christian church needs more men who, in a Christ-like manner, earnestly contend for their own convictions, but, when voted down, will work as fervently with the majority as if their own plans were adopted. Such a man has consulted with his God, his breth­ren, and himself.

The preservation of one's individuality in the face of the mounting obligations of the church program is a real problem to more than a few pastors. No responsible leader can counsel neglect of any phase of the program, for with all our promotion we have not harnessed 40 per cent of the total resources of our church membership. To by-pass certain assessments is not the an­swer. Nor can the minister do it all himself. Those who try usually lose their health, or vision, or both. How then can the minister save himself for the God-given responsibil­ity of personal evangelism? "He, in his private and imperiled existence, must fight for wholeness and depth and against ero­sion. By a sheer, violent effort of will he must seek to become his calling, submit himself to be shaped in his life from the center outward," says Joseph Sittler in his article "The Maceration of the Minister." (The Christian Century, June 10, 1959).

"He need not," continues this author, "see the visions and energies and focused loyalty of his calling run, shallowly like spilled water, down a multitude of slopes." In the final analysis, whether or not a man is mas­ter or slave to his program, depends on the man. While it is true that there is much from without to hem him in, there should be power from within to prevent it.

In the actual expectation of a truly stag­gering church program, some have turned to consecrated laymen in their pews for as­sistance and with good success. With their help the minister's load is lightened. Free to follow his vocation, the man of God with a message from God, goes his happy way, proclaiming that message with power and love.