Do you still consider yourself a minister? Or Do you still minister?
By
ChasUFarley,
in About The Way
By
ChasUFarley,
in About The Way
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coolchef1248 @adelphia.net
chas, i was a lowley twig leader
i got out years ago
but i am blessed to help people in every day conversation to point out the blessings of god
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WhiteDove
Since departing The Way we (I say we because I consider it a group effort and not mine) have started Koinoneo Fellowship a not for profit, but for service ministry. We are independent of any affiliation with any exway group, but we do on occasion meet with or utilize resources from about 15 of them. Those who attend our fellowship are active in the community in other capacities we encourage and lend support to those efforts in addition to the Bible based fellowships.
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oldiesman
I am a minister in the Universal Life Church.
"we are one"
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templelady
Never having been "ordained" I still minister to others, by giving of my time, talents and substance to spread the gospel and love and support my fellow man. That is core to LDS doctrine
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coolchef1248 @adelphia.net
oldies so am i it cost me 30 bucks!
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oldiesman
It cost me nothing.
"we are one"
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ex10
thank you oldies, for the de-rail
I was gonna say something, but ................well, whatever, I guess it won't be a serious thread, after all.
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mstar1
I dont know exactly what you mean by minister, or what you mean by ministering to someone.
If you mean quote them bible verses and not do much else except collect the money--well then no I dont do that anymore. If by ministering to people you mean the rote and ineffective way that it was done in TWI--no I dont do that either.
I dont think in those terms anymore.
I do think that overall i am probably doing more for people the people I am in contact with than I did when i was striving to do good things according to the TWI formulaic approach.
Minister? eh.... I dont know --its a loaded word.... but I do think that everyone has gifts specific to them that when they use them results in good
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ex10
Ok this is gonna sound really wierd.
Several years after leaving the way, and being involved in various christian related stuff, I went to a splinter group meeting.
I spoke, and related my experiences being involved with "ministry" stuff after leaving the way.
Afterwards, a guy I knew from Emporia staff came up to me to talk. It was someone I didn't know well while I was in the corps.
He said to me: "I have to confess, that while you were at Emporia, I thought the only reason you were in the way corps, was to @*#( VP and Craig. They let girls like you in, just so they could have you around, ya know?"
He said: "I'm having a hard time believing you have anything to offer me, now. You were just a piece of foot, then, and I think that's probably what you are now."
I said, " Ok. Fine. It's a free country." :lol:
Since then, I have proved him wrong on every count. <_<
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Radar OReilly
I went into the way corps because I truly felt called to be a minister for God, and I thought that TWI was the way that God had called me to serve HIM and others.
When I first left twi 5 + years ago, that was the deepest, emptiest, most solitary place in my broken heart......"I guess I am not a minister after all." I began to slowly die inside, learning I had been WRONG just about my entire life, about God, His word, the believers, myself......it was almost more than I could bear.
As time went by and I began to heal, I began to figure things out, and while I am still sorting through many many things, I have realized that I WAS called to be a minister and I am STILL a minister. A few years ago, I was blessed enough to get a little part time job working for a chiropractor. She is a great gal, and she allows me to "operate my ministry" every day. I have found an entirely different way to take care of and love people.........in effect, a new avenue to minister, and thank God.......that dark and empty place in my heart has come back to life.
I guess it really is true..........God hath placed every member in the body where it it pleases HIM. I am glad I didn't give up trying to fulfill my calling, just because I realized I had wasted my skills in a cult for so many years.
radar
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Jim
Do my words help people with their problems and make them feel better? Quite a bit. Do I do it in the professed name of God? No.
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excathedra
oh hell i minister to my kid
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Tom Strange
I try to help folks when I can...
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ex10
I have to admit, I love being "a piece of foot" with a mouth.
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excathedra
i'll pass well maybe not the mouth part ;) ;)
for a corp copout you are something..... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha hain ALL seriousness from the bottom of my heart you are an amazing human being. i love ya
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Tom Strange
...and we love you that way too!
Edited by Tom StrangeLink to comment
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WordWolf
I DO find that some people look to me for advice and guidance.
I think it works because I DEMAND they have other sources as well,
so I'm only one of many.
twi encouraged/encourages an unhealthy dependence on one
direction, so any weakness is spread down to the whole group.
Generally, people who look to me for insight don't post here.
(Occasionally, they'll read a page of a thread in disbelief,
but otherwise they don't read here, either.)
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dmiller
HA! Oldies -- I know a coupla folks who have that *piece of paper*,
and they used it to get out of the Viet-nam draft.
Hmmmmm. <_< <_<
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dmiller
Is there a ministry of *laid-backness? If so, I qualify as high-priest. :)
(I've been told that if I moved any slower,
I'd be in a coma!)
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Patriot
Do I consider myself a minister? Yes.
Do I still minister? Yes.
Romans 11:29
For the gifts (charismata) and calling of God are without repentance.
I believe within the deepest depths of my soul, that God called me to be a minister. Regardless of what twi has done to me or anyone else, if the call was genuine, then He doesn't take it back later. Being a minister doesn't make me any better than anyone else in the body of Christ, nor does it entitle me to anything more than any other faithful Christian. It is about what I do to help and bless others according to the Word of God.
For me and Mrs. Patriot, we plan to minister for the rest of our lives. For us, it really really really isn't the title or the position, but rather what we do. It's about serving and ministering - taking care of people. As some of you who know me personally, you know that I'm not perfect, nor have done it flawlessly. Don't need the recognition from twi - it is a God thing. And God has blessed our family beyond words! :) :) :)
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ChasUFarley
Interesting responses - not exactly what I thought would happen, although I expected a few of the usual wise guys to post - and they did!
Sounds like people don't have a "solid" definition for "minister" - as in, how TWI might have taught it. I remember hearing teachings about the gift ministries, but as far as what a ministry is.... well... it wasn't until AFTER I left that I realized a ministry can be in something you just do really well. Maybe it's in taking care of people or healing, like Radar, or perhaps it's through music - who knows.
I think my ministry has always been in perceiving someone's need and helping them get it met. Now, don't go off the deep end or into a ditch with your mind on that one. I've never been a real "leader" - yes, I aspired to go Way Corps, but was never more than a twig area coordinator - mostly I was an assistant coordinator. I was a good assistant, too - people trusted me, spoke openly with me, came to me with their problems - or their wins - whichever... I believe God works in me to be resourceful, observant, and energetic.
Just before I left TWI, I took a job as an executive assistant. I had always worked in retail prior to that job, so I had zero training. But my boss (he was a general manager with GE), thought I wrote the book on how to assist. He'd tell me what he needed and I just made it happen. Even when I messed up, I was still able to pull out of it and fix it. I'm still an assistant today, but in healthcare management - I love my job, (but not the politics - healthcare is scary when it comes to politics!) So, I've started my own business for office assistance - it's doing pretty well - and I'm happy doing it.
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coolchef1248 @adelphia.net
that's great chas
i am so glad for you!
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dmiller
I have to agree with Patriot here. Used to be (when in twi) I thought a *minister* had to be an ordained person. Not so any more.
Nowdays, I see it as service to others --- minus the *official* title. :)
Ironic, isn't it, that twi locked us (me) into the mentality that being a *minister* was all about their perception of what we could or could not do (for them), rather than others.
Not trying to denigrate those who had the title of *Rev* back then, but being a *minister* is so much more than just a title.
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allan w.
Patriot and White Dove..that is probably the best example of a 'Minister'. Someone who has committed to a lifetime of 'ministering' Gods' Word to bring healing and general wellbeing etc..
A minister is one who sticks with it through 'thick and thin', basically 'broken bread' for people.
Whether they feel like it or not, whether it brings them personal satisfaction or not, they are prepared to minister.
Many people may 'minister' things at certain times but imo that does not make them a minister for Jesus Christ.
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