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[This is a re-posting of an article I posted on my former blog back in early May, when I had, at most, six daily readers. In light of the anonymous bombings that have taken place on various blogs recently, I thought I would pull it from the archives.]
One of the things I found interesting about the process of interviewing with the pastor search committee at the church I now serve was their concern with my future plans. It is understandable that, with the average tenure of pastors in our denomination hovering around two years, churches are concerned that someone not come on the field and immediately begin to look for where they might go next. This kind of stepping-stone mentality obviously does not lend itself to the establishment of effective ministry. I have found that it takes a year or so just to learn everyone's names and get to know them just at a surface level.
It is also understandable that I would be asked this question because of my resume. The first church at which I served as Youth & Music Minister was a very small church, and the position was part-time. I served there for a year, at which point God opened up a full-time opportunity. That year was a wonderful time of learning, and I and the people in that church were grateful for it; we left with no hard feelings. After that year, I served in three churches in slightly more than five years, and I was at the last one for just over four of those years. I won't go into the issues that lead to two very short stays; no secrets, it just doesn't matter to the point of this post. But God used every day of those five years to teach and prepare me for where I am now serving, and the learning and growing continues.
My answer to the committee's concerns was simply that I trust in God. I have seen God use me in a very short tenure to accomplish wonderful things for His glory, and I have seen long stretches where I didn't see until much later the value of anything I was doing. I want to be where God wants me to be, doing what He wants me to be doing, as long as He wants me doing it. If that means my preschool children leave this parsonage for college, so be it; if we are gone in fourteen months because God is leading, I trust Him to reveal that clearly. God is indeed sovereign, and my trust is in Him, for today and for each tomorrow.
By now, if you're still with me, you're wondering what this has to do with anonymity; it is, in fact, the purpose of this post. I call on all those who want to participate in the many facets of our SBC debate to do so prayerfully, thoughtfully, and openly. There has been much damage to trust in our conversation caused by anonymous comments, and this should not be. There has been much-needed repentance, which I deeply appreciate. But there continue to be those who do not have the integrity to place their identity behind their words, and I see this as nothing more than a lack of faith in God's sovereign care. Of course, I welcome the participation of those whose missionary service in parts of the world where the revelation of their identity would place themselves or their families in physical jeopardy, and I respect this as a legitimate reason for anonymity. But I am convinced that it is the only legitimate reason.
I was not a part of the conservative resurgence in our convention, although I am in agreement with the publicly stated goals of those who led it. I have no doubt that there are those whose actions toward others in the carrying out of our "reformation" leave them in need of repentance, though I myself am under no such personal conviction. I do not question the claims of ungodly treatment that some have made. I do not question the belief on the part of some that if their identity were placed with their statements, they would be targeted for retribution. What I question in those who choose to remain anonymous is their faith in the power of God to sustain them in the trial, or to deliver them from it.
If someone believes that they must say what they have to say, and they are convinced of the truth of their statement, they should be willing to place it before the world openly and allow God to do with it, and with them, whatever He wills.
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (better known as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) did not anonymously refuse to worship Nebuchadnezzar's statue. They stood confidently before the enraged king and said, "If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, the king. But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up."
It would be fair to say that perhaps it does not require the courage of these three for me to put my name behind my words. It may be fair to say that for others who wish to participate in our debates, it does require this courage, although the repercussions I have heard discussed relate more often to loss of employment than to being burned with fire. But the God who delivered then can still deliver today. And if He had not delivered them, they would have died with their integrity, and they would have been remembered by name.
Wes Kenney
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Paul Oct 3 2006 - 3:13 pm
Wes,
This is an example of how leftovers are sometimes even better the second time around.
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Bart Barber Oct 3 2006 - 3:14 pm
I agree wholeheartedly.
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Bob Cleveland Oct 3 2006 - 6:56 pm
Good stuff. I think anonymous bloggers, other than where there are security concerns, are cowardly.
It always strikes me odd that anyone would want anonymity. But perhaps the church unintentionally encourages it. We allow silent prayers and “unspoken requests”, and I think a request unspoken may be a request unprayed. As I recall, the first occurrence of prayer in the bible mentions the people “crying out” to God, and I dont recall much crying out in prayer meetings.
Nicodemus showed Jesus that he expected Jesus to fit into life as Nicodemus knew it. Jesus’ responses let him know that he, Nicodemus, was expected to fit into Jesus’ life, and not vice versa. We may not have that quite right, yet.
When we’re absorbed into the life of the Master, there’s no need for anonymity.
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Paul Burleson Oct 3 2006 - 7:05 pm
Wes,
This statement resonates with a belief that I have that what we do or say is not to be based on fear. There is nothing wrong with the feeling of fear, I have it often as it is a naturally altogether human emotion, but to act on it is not the best. In fact, scripturally, it is sin, as indicated, I think, when Jesus rebuked His disciples for fear in the middle of the storm. My thinking is His rebuke was not because of the presence of fear, but the fact that it was their motivation for questioning whether He cared that they perished. Fear as a motive, instead of faith, which is what you’ve described, is a problem in our walk with the Lord.
One could argue that to comment anonymously because of ministry strategy on a foreign field is legitimate, but, to do so out of fear of reprisals at work, even SBC work, may not be the wise choice. I believe I would hold to this if it were my job at risk. In fact, I’m not sure but what my public statements concerning some SBC issues have not cost me a meeting or two. But, be that as it may, fear is not the best motivation for any action.
What to do? It would seem, to me, that the only choices lie with commenting and facing consequences or not commenting.
I may be amiss here and am open to that. But I believe it needs to be addressed. Thanks for doing so.
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William Oct 4 2006 - 8:40 am
We all make our choices and some folks choose not to give full names. Fine. If bloggers choose to allow only comments by fully identified people, fine as well although I wouldn’t know how any of you could verify people. Let each make their choice. In either case, Christian civility is the bottom line.
You can correct me but I don’t think pastoral tenure is ‘hovering around two years’ as you said, but I haven’t checked lately…four years or so?
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Matt Brady Oct 4 2006 - 10:13 am
Shucks! After the recent parades of household pets and wild animals who have been commenting, I was hoping to morph into a cow and give domesticated livestock a voice in the discussion. Why do we have to keep narrowing the parameters? Can’t we broaden the tent to include bovines?
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Wayne Smith In His Name Oct 4 2006 - 12:33 pm
Accountability,
Some Blog Sites don’t want to hold the commenter to hold to Spiritual Truth. These are the same one’s that came on the attack back in April/May of this year.
In His Name
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Wayne Smith In His Name Oct 4 2006 - 1:34 pm
Wes,
I believe that if each Blogger wanted to show Truth, they would have their comments set to show the Time and DAte of each comment on their Blog or Web Site.
In His Name
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Villa Rica Oct 4 2006 - 3:16 pm
Brother Wes,
I think you should repost the yellow car story.
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