www.abc-nys.org

I share this outstanding reflection on the value of the Ministers Council, written by our Ministers Council Acting Executive Director, Joe Kutter:

“A morning cartoon showed a man and a boy in the yard. The boy is using a stick to turn over an object, not quite snake-like, that he has clearly never seen before. The tension is high when the man says, ‘It’s a newspaper.’

“Since the date of my ordination, Pentecost Sunday, 1971, I can say that things have changed.  From paper to the screen, from the post office to the Internet, from the front porch to social networking, from going to an office nearby to telecommuting to an office a thousand miles away, things have changed.

“In the little Florida town where I grew up, people would ask one another, ‘Which church do you attend?’ Church attendance was assumed. Now about 17% of the American population will attend worship each weekend and a significant number will not worship in a Christian setting. Do the math. 83% of our neighbors don’t appear in any worship setting. Things have changed.

“Jesus promised a ‘Paraclete,” the Spirit, a counselor and companion for the journey and I fully believe that the promise continues to hold true. But I’ve read the Scriptures and noticed that the Spirit shows up when Jesus’ disciples gather together. The Spirit is both a solitary experience and a community experience.

“So, this is both my belief and my experience. The Spirit who guides us through the seasons of transition and epochal change frequently shows up as we gather together as colleagues in ministry. As we talk, pray, study, and laugh together, as we learn to be authentic with one another, the Companion, the Counselor is likely to show up with the grace that we need.

“This is the reason for ‘Together in Ministry,’ and this is the reason for the Ministers Council.’”

If you find yourself wondering how to find your footing in your church leadership while everything around you is changing, I encourage you to become a member of the ABCNYS Ministers Council.  It is our mission to “advocate for and covenant with each other to deepen our spiritual journey and to increase our effectiveness…” as we seek to be faithful in our ministries.

You may become a member of the Ministers Council by sending $50 dues (for 2010) to Rev. Bud Adams, Treasurer, at First Baptist Church, P.O.Box 476, Central Square, NY 13036.

For all members and anyone with interest, plan to join us at the ABCNYS Biennial Ministers Council Breakfast, to be held on Monday, October 11th in Norwich, NY (time and place to be determined) where we will welcome Dr. Ed Hunt from the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Wappingers Falls as our speaker. He will share with us from his experience of building two churches in a short span of years, and bring a word of encouragement and challenge to pastors. 

Registration information for the Biennial Breakfast will be available online soon.