Pastor’s responsibility during Vacation Bible

If my son is involved in something I am going to be there. Sometimes you have to make a choice. Like I said it could have been all-stars and he did not plan for the season to run into Vbs. He should be with his son.

He had no specific duty at VBS. A minister's family time is priceless and should be important to the church. I am going to be gone 3 weeks this summer with other people's children. When I get back I am going to take a few days off. My church understands. I need to reconnect with my family.

I do agree with you in part but that child might grow up and resent church because his dad said that was more important than family. Our 2nd love and priority better be our family. I have seen people who hates the church becuase parents made it the a higher priority than family. Jesus then family in my ministry!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The pastor missed a wonderful apportunity to teach and speak into his son's heart. And yet he has, but the message I am afraid was not toward spiritual matters.

 

I'm new around here and nobody probably cares about what I say, but I felt compelled to share something that happened in my own church.

First of all, as a VBS director, I can see where his wife is coming from. I had an extremely stressful time this year because of people changing around the schedule that I had spent so much time on without even consulting me on it. Not to mention one of our teachers who was given 3 months to be sure she could take time off work to be at VBS only for her to wait until the last minute and not be able to get off leaving us without a teacher at all. Our congregation is so small we have to have EVERY worker there, or we don't have enough to cover the classes. So, for a pastor to pull out at the last minute, I can understand how stressful that can be on a director.

On the other hand, about 4 years ago, we had an older pastor. He was there every night, available for anyone that needed to talk to him, but he was also not in the best of health. On the second night, a boy was there who's parents used to be regulars at our church but had quit coming for some time now. He had missed the first night, but almost immedietely on the second night, he was wanting to talk to someone. A deacon took him in another room and he told him, with tears in his eyes, that he didn't want to go to hell if he were to die. The deacon counseled him and he prayed for Jesus to save him that night. We all thought the parents would be pleased, because they had been such regular members. They even brought him back for a few Sundays and let him be baptized. However, when they learned he had spoke to a deacon, instead of the pastor, they got really upset and haven't been back to church since. Ever since that incident, we've always made sure the pastor was around to speak to the kids.

Now, 2 years ago, we had just gotten a new pastor and he had already made a committment to do a wedding on one of the nights that we already had scheduled for VBS. He assured me that the deacons can handle his responsibilities on that one night that he wasn't going to be there, and, I'm confident that if parents had been upset over their kids speaking to a deacon instead of the pastor that night, that the pastor could have eased their anxieties over it all.

On another side note, VBS director is about my only duty at this church. However, even before I started doing it, my husband and I committed to the Lord that NOTHING would ever come before Him in our children's lives. If there was ever anything happening on the same night as a church event, church comes first. My son missed a T-ball game this year to go to VBS. I could have easily left him with my mother and she could have taken him, but, I feel it's more important to teach him that the Lord comes first over all worldly things. How can we teach our kids to put Christ first in their lives, if we are willing to drop church for ball games? That's just my opinion.

 

I have stated on this site we don't do ball on Sundays and wednsdays. I have forfeited games when a conflict arises. I could be at church every night of the week. I don't think that is what the Lord wants. We get busy in church work and forget what is important.

I first serve Christ. You look at his life very little of his ministry was inside the church walls. He went to where the people was. I have gotten more kid's involved in the churches I have served thru sports than any church program.

2nd my family is my priority. I put them next. I make time for my family. I have 3 weeks this summer where I will be away doing camps and mission trips. My family time is very important to me. I make time for them.

3rd is my job. I just happen to be on a church staff. I try not to put it before my family. Friday's are my family day. Unless it is a matter of life and death, I don't do anything job related.

I love Jesus first and formost in my life. Then it is my family. Then comes church. We are quick to jump on someone who puts his kids 1st in their life. I would be at my son's game.

The family with the child led to Christ by a deacon. They need to rejoice and quit worrying about who led their son to the Son.

 

I wonder if people really read what they write. One of these last posts is so contradictory that it really says nothing.

Or maybe they wrote in a fit of rage or too quickly, which I am guilty of too.

 

Tim,

What's is a Christians duty? Glorify God and then reach out to a lost and dying world. Right? Jesus went to the people.

We need to put more emphisis on ministry and not programs. I have no programs in my student ministry. I have several ministries. VBS is one such ministry.

Commitmants are important. I agree, each year to coach my son's teams. I have 2 conditions. No Sunday and no Wed. games. The league looks to me to keep my end of the agreement. They watch me closely.

I don't schedule Vbs during ball season. We have one of the largest vbs in our area. We don't lose kids to ball. You work with what you got and make it work. Don't make it something bad when it isn't.

Like I said, I have reached more children and parents on a baseball field than all other ministries in the church. We need to get out of the pews into the street.

 

Patrick,


Programs, ministries what is the defference? Some call VBS a program some call it a ministry. Maybe it is all in how people look at it.

I was trying to make the same pt Karen was, that he had made a commitment and needed to keep it.
Just be careful how you justify things Patrick. I love sports and played ball every night of my life for the first 20 years of my marriage. I agree that there is much success on the field and court but it never should be at the expense of defaming God or making it more important. I don't always think its the results that count but the methods we use.

 

Patrick, are you the Youth Minister at the church? BTW.... want to get teased... tell them how we say your town's name! We have a town near us named Buchannan. It's pronounced Buck- Han`- none. I graduated High School in Houston Co. here in Ga., pronounced How-stun.

 

Programs we do because we have always done them that way.


Ministry is reaching people with the Gospel of Christ.

 

I can agree to those def. of terms when talking to you. I am not sure others would see it that way. But its fine with me.