The Importance of Pastoral Fellowship

Proverbs 27:17 states "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Blog Family, Never has this passage proved to be more relevant to me than it has this past weekend. On this past Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend a fellowship breakfast put together by one of my preacher friends, Pastor Clinton Smith. This breakfast also coincided with Pastor Smith's seventh pastoral appreciation weekend. Invited were many of us young pastors that pastor here in Los Angeles.

Many I knew, while there were a couple that I met at the breakfast. Also in attendance was our longtime blog buddy, Pastor Lance Mann. I have be honest, and say that this was the highlight of the breakfast meeting this brother whom I have shared many of my convictions as a Christian, as a preacher, and now as a pastor.

To my delight, I discovered that this brother is a carbon copy of myself. He's intelligent, witty, comical, and has a firm grasp on this whole pastoral thing! (The last part I don't have down yet, since I've only been pastoring for seven months) Anyway, as I stated it was great meeting this brother after all of these months.

Since, it's been exactly a year since the last time I blogged, I thought long and hard about what I would post to get back in the game. And after spendiing this past Saturday with these fellow yokemen, I knew I had to blog about that encounter, and how it blessed us.

It was Pastor Smith's idea, and a great one I might add, for all of us to get together who blog with Lance, and have breakfast. The breakfast was great, and the fellowship was awesome. And after breakfast, some of the brothers retreated to Pastor Smith's office to continue our fellowhip. Little did I know that this would bless my life in such a special way. Being with these brothers, and being able to share our hearts, our struggles, our fears, our hurts, our disappointments, and our hopes, touched me in a way that I can't even communicate it effectively here in this blog.

But, what I did discover after spending that time with those brothers, is that there is a definite need for more pastoral fellowship amongst us young pastors. With the burden that we carry of shepherding people, pouring into their lives the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and trying to balance that commitment to family and ministry, pastors often need a place to dump. But where do we go? Who can we trust? Who will guard our most intimate secrets, and at the same time not be judgemental or condescinding?

This weekend I had those questions answered by some of the most down to earth, genuine, and real brothers that you ever want to meet. We laughed, cried, and encouraged one another to keep our hands to the plow. And let me say in parting that I have never met a more sincere man of God, than I have with Pastor Lance Mann. I, as well as the other pastors here in L.A., were richly blessed by this brother's wisdom and insight. We looked forward to keeping this fellowship going, because it is certainly needed. Be Blessed, and stay in the struggle, because the best is yet to come!!