As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
by Aaron Blumer
I’ve never been on a pulpit committee. But I have interacted with a few and read a fair number of screening questionnaires. I’ve seen the results of pulpit committee work many times. In my experience, both pulpit committees and congregations tend to overlook matters of great importance when choosing the pastors who will lead and feed them.
I sill remember my first sermon like it was yesterday. A junior in high school, I sensed that the Lord was calling me to preach His Word, and my friend, Mike Pelletier, was encouraging me in my walk with Christ. He came home from Bible college for summer break (I was still in high school at the time) and told me that we were going to do a Kankakee, Illinois, version of “The War,” an evangelistic teen outreach Evangelist Jim VanGelderen was doing across the country.
See Part 1.
About every other year, I attempt a full or partial decent into the Grand Canyon. “The Hike” is amazing. While many would immediately recognize the physical challenge of such a trek (the round trip is an approximate 18-mile quest), they might miss the fact that the experience can be spiritually invigorating. My dad, Dr. Jerry Tetreau, has been leading groups for nearly two decades. One of the things Dad does each year is to send out a list of items needed.
Due to the fact that several high-profile pastors in Evangelicalism have resigned over the issue of homosexual behavior, I called H.B. London at Focus on the Family to conduct a brief interview with him for SI. He is vice president of ministry outreach/pastoral ministries at Focus. As a fourth-generation minister, he understands the heart and hurts of pastors and has been helping them for the past fifteen years.
I love the ministry. That, of course, is not to say that parts of it are not exceedingly difficult. It can be exhausting and challenging. At certain times, we all have probably been about two steps away from throwing in the proverbial towel. But I have 
to pinch myself about every other week. I get to spend hour upon hour every week in the deep study of the Scriptures. I have the opportunity to exhort and encourage and equip the children of God, both corporately and individually.
Discussion