Thursday, July 12, 2007

On Tables and Men

"I measure ministers by square measure. I have no idea of the size of a table, if you only tell me how long it is; but if you also say how wide, I can tell it's dimensions. So when you tell me what a man is in the pulpit, you must also tell me what he is out of it, or I shall not know his size" (John Newton, cited in Brian H. Edwards, Through Many Dangers: The story of John Newton, p. 174).
A pulpit ministry alone is not enough. Pastors must also be pastors on weekdays, in homes, coffee shops, street corners, front porches, or wherever else they may encounter the people to whom God has called them to minister.

I remember a college professor who said, "If all you want to do is preach, stay out of the pastorate." It is advice worth considering.

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