Loose Connections
Theme of the Week: Real Disciples Do Church
Sunday, April 22, 2007
 1 of 1
Who Said It…Bob Hostetler
Bob Hostetler isn't your average pastor. He's been a disc jockey, won repeated awards from the Associated Press for his broadcast writing, authored his own books, and co-authored 11 books with youth evangelist Josh McDowell (two received the ECPA Gold Medallion award). Bob and Robin live in southwestern Ohio and have two adult children. They have also foster-parented ten boys ("not all at once!" Bob clarifies). What He Said…Loose Connections
Many of us shop around until we find a church geared to meet our practical needs. It's only normal to include these needs in an evaluation of a church and its ministries. But it's something else entirely to evaluate a church in no other way. As a pastor, I've answered many questions from Christians looking for a church: "Do you have a youth group?" "… a men's ministry?" "Do you belong to a denomination?" There's nothing wrong with those questions, but no one has yet asked me, "Does this church need more servants?"
We attend the church we select and eventually we join. Until something happens. The pastor fails to visit us in the hospital. Or Mrs. McKenzie in the nursery snaps at us when we're late picking up our children. Or the church grows to a point where we don't feel "at home" anymore. So we move on. We find another church. Until something happens there. We've bowed to the idol of individualism instead of committing to a community and staying faithful through good times and bad.
Adapted from American Idols (Broadman & Holman, 2006) by permission.
Copyright © 2007 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity. 1 of 1
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In my community, Lord, help me to be a functioning part of Your body as You intend.
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