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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, NOVEMBER 6, 1981
PAGE 2
The changes that were requested on the recent ministerial expense review
are still undergoing budgetary review. If we get the clearance, we will
make those changes with the November check run.
Counseling Members About Planned Moves
Over the years we have had a perennial problem with some members unwisely
moving from one area to another, causing both themselves and the Church
considerable difficulty and becoming a financial burden to the Church. In
this article we would like to review some of the major mistakes these mem
bers make so you will know how to better counsel them.
Hopefully, any member who is contemplating a major move will counsel to one
degree or another with his pastor. While we can't demand that every member
who is contemplating a move consult his pastor, if you hear that a member is
planning a major move, it would be helpful to tactfully inquire of his
plans. This is especially true if the individual is a little short on both
financial resources and sound judgment. It is this type of person that
causes most of the problems.
From extensive personal experience most ministers know a move can be very
expensive, time consuming, and difficult. This is true even when you have a
guaranteed job in the new area and your employer is paying most of the
moving expenses. When individuals move without having carefully weighed
the factors involved, without a job lined up in the new area or with only a
tenuous prospect for a job, and without the proper finaneial resources,
they are not only acting irresponsibly but are also courting a severe trial
or aggravation of an already difficult situation.
Ministers have written and called in asking for advice when members have
ended up on their doorsteps (literally) with no place to go, no job, little
or no money, discouraged, disillusioned, disheartened and expecting the
Church to bail them out and make everything all right. Even in this type of
circumstance we should be willing to extend assistance if the individuals
are in a right attitude, willing to recognize their mistakes and willing to
do their part in getting their lives back on an even keel. (Always be sure
to contact an individual's former pastor before giving someone a large sum
of money. The former pastor's knowledge of their background will also help
in future counseling.)
Ill-advised moves which end up in a financial debacle are expensive for the
Church as well as painful for the individual involved. Our goal should be
to avoid this type of problem by giving wise counsel to those who are likely
to have problems. Sometimes those who are most likely to get themselves
into difficulty are the same individuals who will not come to you for
advice. This is why we suggest that where you feel an individual is lacking
in wisdom, you may have to go to him and discuss the situation if you hear
he is considering a move.
The following are some of the factors that should be carefully considered
in evaluating the reasonableness and feasability of moving:
1. Why is the individual moving? Will the move improve the situa
tion? Is the individual trying to get away from problems he has
created rather than dealing with them constructively?