THE HEALTHY CHURCH PART TWO

CHARLES AND JOHNNY EDWARDS

PASTORS WHO LOVE THEIR CHURCH BODY OF BELIEVERS

A HEALTHY BODY OF BELIEVERS

PART TWO

The Lord has given me and Charity a love for people in the body of Christ who love the Lord Jesus Christ and love their church fellowship. For some reason, the Lord has allowed us to go to churches that are hurting for many reasons.

• The first church I was the pastor in 1971 had just had five splits in five years (that is my understanding) and the church was in disarray. And I to this day do not know who the pastor was before I became pastor. ( I am going to see if I can find that answer). But I believe the Lord allowed us there to bring the church back on its feet.

• In 1980 we went to a church in Altoona, Kansas that was in disarray. They had voted to accept five preachers, and they all turned the church down. The church in my opinion was in trouble when I arrived. But the Lord used us to bring the church back from the brink of closing. They were asked to merge with another church. We had the privilege to be their pastor for sixteen plus years.

I could mention the other two churches that I was asked to come and pastor, and personally I loved the experience. Those churches were not willing to work out their problems that was there before I came and were there when I left. But within those churches were some of the best people I have known.

I have discovered in the church I now pastor, are some of the very best folks a church could have. I have discovered that those who have stayed and have weather the storms are those who have a spirit of teachableness. What ever it is going to take to rebuild the church body they seem to be willing to try to accomplish.

• "You may not have been the pastor we thought we were going to have, but you seem to be the pastor that the Lord believed we needed to have" The blessing was when they learned I was a little different then they expected, they were willing to say, okay, lets see what he is going to do.

My comment to those churches I have pastured, "Pray for a pastor that the Lord would have for this church, rather than trying to find a pastor that you want to fit your church."

I have heard in the past, "There is no way that Charles is going to fit in that church." And I have thought the same thing. Why? And in many cases that is so true. Some preachers are not going to fit in to the fiber of the church body.

In some cases, the members were very willing to accept our leadership, but the pastor was not. In some cases, the leadership was willing and a few people were not willing. Goodness what is the problem.

WHY DO SOME CHURCHES HAVE THE SAME PASTOR FOR FIFTY YEARS? REALLY IT CAN HAPPEN. IT IS WHAT I BELIEVE SHOULD HAPPEN.

A church body needs to stay healthy. A healthy and biblical church will need to have a foundation that is healthy. Both the pastors/elders and people need to have a biblical foundation for long term growth and health.

The Church is a body of Believers called out of the world to Worship the Lord Jesus Christ.

The foundation of the church needs to be build upon the precepts of scriptural principles. And the leadership needs to continue to focus upon those precepts to stay healthy.

A healthy church is a growing maturing church that continue to grow and glorify the Lord. You continue to see growth in the body. The growth of new converts, new believers, and they grow in maturity in Christ, and in turn you have pastor and staff and members growing in maturity as believers as Ephesians 4 points out for us.

A HEALTHY CHURCH DOES START WITH THE PASTOR/TEACHER

Personally I have made this a life time of learning, being a pastor/teacher. I have studied the scriptures, and have studied those who know the ministry of the Word. I have studied churches and other pastors over forty years now. I continue to seek wisdom in this ministry.