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PASTOR GENERAL'S
REPORT
TO THE MINISTRY OF THE
WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD
VOL.5, N0.4
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
FROM MINISTERIAL SERVICES
Counseling Members About Planned Moves
JANUARY 28, 1983
A little over a year ago we included an article in the PASTOR GENERAL'S
REPORT about counseling members who are planning to move. The current re
cession with accompanying high unemployment has created an even greater
problem with regard to moving. Therefore, we felt it would be timely to
restate and expand on the instructions given earlier.
Since some members make unwise decisions in moving from one area to an
other, causing both themselves and the Church considerable difficulty and
financial burden, we need 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 with
his pastor. While we can't demand that a member consult his pastor, if you
hear of a member who is planning a major move, it wquld be helpful to tact
fully inquire of his plans. This is especially true if the individual is a
little short on both financial resources and sound judgment.
Unfortu
nately, this type of person causes most of the problems and is usually the
one who does not seek advice.
From extensive personal experience most ministers know a move can be very
expensive, time-consuming and difficult. This is true even when one has a
guaranteed job in the new area and his 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 financial 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 phoned in asking for advice when members have
ended up on their doorsteps disillusioned, disheartened and expecting the
Church to bail them out and make everything right. Even in this type of
circumstance we should be willing to extend assistance if the individual is
in a right attitude, willing to recognize his mistakes and willing to do his
part in getting his life back on an even keel. (Always be sure to contact
an individual's former pastor before giving a large sum of money. The
former pastor's background information about the person can also help in
future counseling.)
The following are some of the factors that should be carefully considered
in evaluating the reasonableness and feasibility of moving:
1. Why is the individual moving? Will the move improve his
situation? Is the individual trying to get away from prob
lems he has created rather than dealing with them con
structively?