It happened every third time...
Illustration
It happened every third time the group of ministers met. For two monthly meetings they attended to community business and planned combined services. At the third meeting, however, they would drift into a discussion of those who weren't there. They never thought of this as gossip. The ministers were, as they would have told anybody on the outside, just sharing perceptions.
The strange thing was, though, the perceptions were always negative. The ministers really got quite good at it. They could spot an irresponsible attitude here, an authoritarian nature there. And invariably they wound up focusing on the so-called fringe groups, new denominations coming into the area and growing while their own churches leveled off or declined. Vigorous head shaking always accompanied these discussions. Though never stated directly, the implication throbbed through every word: it was too bad these others were not as responsible as those engaged in the tri-monthly lament.
Newcomers can be dangerous. At length one showed up, a bright young pastor fresh from her first parish. She attended faithfully six meetings in a row. That came to four business meetings and two laments. As the last of these drew to a close, she decided to speak, choosing her words carefully. "I know we can spot what's wrong with these others, or at least what we think is wrong with them. Wouldn't it be better, though, to attend to ourselves? We can slip up just as easily. Perhaps we already are doing so."
The strange thing was, though, the perceptions were always negative. The ministers really got quite good at it. They could spot an irresponsible attitude here, an authoritarian nature there. And invariably they wound up focusing on the so-called fringe groups, new denominations coming into the area and growing while their own churches leveled off or declined. Vigorous head shaking always accompanied these discussions. Though never stated directly, the implication throbbed through every word: it was too bad these others were not as responsible as those engaged in the tri-monthly lament.
Newcomers can be dangerous. At length one showed up, a bright young pastor fresh from her first parish. She attended faithfully six meetings in a row. That came to four business meetings and two laments. As the last of these drew to a close, she decided to speak, choosing her words carefully. "I know we can spot what's wrong with these others, or at least what we think is wrong with them. Wouldn't it be better, though, to attend to ourselves? We can slip up just as easily. Perhaps we already are doing so."
