I (Bill) had been wondering what would have happened to the Pastoring of Pastors ministry in my absence, so I was pleasantly surprised when a pastor from a group that had only met a few times before we left greeted me with, “Welcome back. You’ll have to visit our group. We lost one pastor but three of us are meeting regularly.”
To ensure things were on track everywhere, my second week was spent arranging for a meeting of the Pastoring of Pastors national leadership team—15 leaders from 5 cities. We shared stories from our groups, learned about making time for what’s important, and planned for upcoming events and initiatives. The biggest challenge for pastors continues to be “making the time” for another meeting but I won’t forget the testimonies of two leaders who gave all the credit to their support group of pastors for surviving and thriving after a sudden breakdown of his marriage and another the sudden death of a spouse.
When push comes to shove those relationships are not just another meeting. Two new groups have begun since that meeting a month ago. We’re looking forward to promoting PoP at our annual denominational meetings, and of course another week of trainings and a national retreat with Dr. David Kornfield from April 14 to 18.