Dear Sir,
Richard Underwood, in his article ‘A band of brothers’, November en, refers to pastors who feel ‘isolated, under-supported and are struggling with their prayer life’.
An answer, he suggests, is the ‘band of brothers’ concept of the FIEC Pastors’ Network. Clearly, it meets a real need. Many struggling pastors would undoubtedly have left the ministry long ago without it.
But a notable absence from the article is any reference to a pastor’s most important band of brothers, his fellow elders. Ideally, any support or networking provided by email, telephone or even long-distance travel, ought to be first looked for within the local church. There must be pastors who can testify to the benefits of this approach.
The FIEC Pastors’s Network and the like will always be needed, especially where a pastor’s particular problem is the church elders themselves. But it would be sad if such bodies were seen as the ideal solution, rather than focussing our efforts on establishing, training and developing scriptural, mutually supportive, elderships.
Yours sincerely,
