Only 4 Baptists have ever been elected President: Warren Harding, an American Baptist, and Truman, Carter and Clinton.

As you know, I pastor a church gasping for breath in the wake of a devastating split. Naturally, one of my chief concerns is with the pastoral role in creating and healing these awful schisms. It should not be forgotten that the pastor and his band of supporters are often among the Power Parties… and not necessarily in the right. Wearing the cloth, so to speak, certainly doesn’t immune us from having an agenda. And though the agenda of the pastor may be divinely inspired, its presentation may be quite inappropriate! Too many of us take a divinely-mandated agenda and initiate it impatiently through divinely-condemned means! Much nuance is required, and the patient, tedious work of communicating vision is not necessarily “compromise”–it may just be “ministry.”

The difficulty is knowing where the line of compromise is drawn, and then crossing the Rubicon courageously (though brokenly) under God’s guidance.

Your comments were super. Helped stir my thinking…Thanks!

Glad to see you are tackling this tough topic - more power to you!

I have to say though that in my experience I haven’t seen many Baby Boomers (I’m one) who are spoiled by getting their way all the time. If anything it’s the reverse, or has been until lately. In all of my ministries it was always the Boomers wanting to update the music, etc. They in turn were held back by the older generation saying they can’t do it, they have to think about the elderly, etc.

Now that we Boomers are rapidly becoming the elderly I’m hoping and praying we don’t repeat history! But I suppose many of us will.

I’ve been through a church split and several church fights, and you are right - THEY ARE UGLY! Here’s hoping your posts will help heal some of the wounds left from them, and maybe even stop a few right in their tracks!