Preventive Care
By Ron Hamilton, Conference Minister
A number of years ago I was with a CCCC Area Representative following a tense meeting with church leaders dealing with the recent firing of their pastor. The division in the church broke my heart and I was concerned whether it would survive the situation. I said to the Area Rep, “Help me understand how we can best deal with these difficult situations.” His response was quick and insightful. He said, “Ah, Prevent it!” That advice stuck with me and I began to work with Conference staff and leaders to focus our ministry of Conference Care on preventative care. There are many ways in which this is at work in the CCCC today.
One of our highest values is “A Culture of Peacemaking and Reconciliation.” This value flows from the teaching of Jesus when He says, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:17
Christian peacemaking is much more than conflict resolution. True peacemaking helps people experience the peace of Christ which flows from the understanding that we are reconciled with God through faith in Christ, and that God calls us to be agents of reconciliation. It enables people to live in peace with others. I am pleased that we have many people trained to teach Biblical peacemaking and to equip believers to live a reconciled life.
The recent revisions to the ministry section of the By-Laws of the CCCC are founded in a devotion to discipleship. We are passionate about living in obedience to Jesus in this generation and it is our desire that CCCC leaders pour themselves into discipling our pastors and church leaders. Discipleship is a positive effort to model the Christian life and actively encourage people to learn this way of life as they obey Jesus and His Word. There are more instances in the Gospels of Jesus teaching His disciples than Him rebuking them. In fact, His rebukes were given with the goal of helping people remember what He taught them. The development of a culture of discipleship provides preventative care to help our pastors and church leaders follow Jesus.
We are grateful for a recent grant of $25,000.00 from the Pastoral Excellence Network to help us train and equip a team of at least 30 Community Pastors. I have worked with Lenn Zeller, Director of Conference Care, to prioritize this training in 2016. We plan on holding training events across our nation to equip these Community Pastors to develop pastoral communities where pastors can meet regularly to be encouraged and resourced to live for Jesus and do His Kingdom work in this generation. We believe that this effort of preventative care will strengthen the ministry of our pastors, our churches, and our Conference.
Our ministry of Conference Care is growing and becoming more effective each year. This ministry is driven by a desire to provide preventative care to our members. I believe that God is pleased with these efforts as it reflects the heart of His Gospel for our life together.
