tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5291591634697141288.post7062684525917585675..comments2023-04-26T10:22:33.141+01:00Comments on The Road to "Elder" ado: It is all about relationship! NEGATIVESUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5291591634697141288.post-80943934150118789712009-05-25T00:12:25.688+01:002009-05-25T00:12:25.688+01:00I agree it can go very wrong. I am part of a Newfr...I agree it can go very wrong. I am part of a Newfrontiers Church (17 years and counting) and I have encountered some very sad scenarios. I had one overseer (of two Small Groups) tell me that "no one has the right to expect care from anyone until they have made good friends in the Church".<br />When I tried to point out that Gods Word said otherwise he dismissed it by saying "I am dealing in reality".<br /><br />When I raised this with an Elder he agreed with me that this was not good, but then when he discussed it with his 'dear long term friend' the overseer all the overseer had to say was "oh, he misunderstood" and that was that, I was suddenly in the wrong.<br /><br />As a postscript to the above; some months and a few conversations later the overseer reluctantly admitted that he 'might' have got it a bit wrong.<br /><br />Some other overseers are only in the role because of who they knew and they were willing to take it on rather than because they had any pastoral gifting.<br /><br />Let me quickly say that this is not an outpouring of pent up venom (I am still in the same Church with the same overseer), but a real life scenario where 'relationships' worked against the situation.<br />Let me also say that there are many good gifted people filling roles that truly bless my Church and the wider body at many levels.<br /><br />As you have rightly pointed out it can go either way.Glennsphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18157051195736064330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5291591634697141288.post-66075619556616399252009-05-18T14:31:00.000+01:002009-05-18T14:31:00.000+01:00Does that risk it becoming more important to be ca...<I>Does that risk it becoming more important to be called / gifted or "well known"? Does that lead to people actually trying to "make themselves known" in a way that is based on ambition?</I>I don't think this is just a New Frontiers thing. I can think of plenty of situations where peopel 'get ahead' based on who they know.<br /><br />For example, someone appointed to a senior post in a Christian national charity who had no experience of managing at that level and no experience in the project area. Was it coincidence that she was married to the son of a famous church leader, a son who had spent some time as an intern at said charity and was quite chummy with the CEO because of his famous dad?<br /><br />Erwin MacManus asks the interesting question about whether churches appoint on the basis of perceived 'gifting' rather than character. I'd say a number of Christian organisations appoint on the basis of 'gifting' ie being well-known for what you do.<br /><br />Your sixth point is the worst one to have to endure (having left a relationally-focussed church where the relationships went horribly awry).Jongudmundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13355906920547912762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5291591634697141288.post-43028891593579139492009-05-17T17:55:00.000+01:002009-05-17T17:55:00.000+01:00Sometimes I need to be able to get a step beyond t...<I>Sometimes I need to be able to get a step beyond those I know to bring in some fresh perspective or to be able to go further than I could before</I>Spot on. I don't want "relational" to turn into "closed".Blue, with a hint of amberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17689914726284208496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5291591634697141288.post-24773165062622713192009-05-17T09:34:00.000+01:002009-05-17T09:34:00.000+01:00With UCCF I think most of our staff are recruited ...With UCCF I think most of our staff are recruited relationally, people who've been involved in things are the kind of people who will want to give years of service....<br /><br />...but once in a while an application process unearths someone who was only a friend of a friend of a friend... extending beyond the well known and the locality of friends and the result is brilliant, inevitably creating new friendships and releasing growth.<br /><br />Sometimes I need to be able to get a step beyond those I know to bring in some fresh perspective or to be able to go further than I could before...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02894433115379089423noreply@blogger.com