Pastors hurt, too
Published:Thursday | June 28, 2018 | 12:00 AM
"Often we hear the message being preached about the many persons that pastors have hurt, but very few messages about the pastors who the Church has hurt," said Pastor Courtney Morrison as he continued on the epidemic that has been stifling believers for years.
The head of the Fellowship Tabernacle in Portmore gave a few scenarios from the flipped script:
" ... Whenever a member betrays the pastor's trust and acts as a Judas, for example - robbing the church money.
"As a pastor, like Jesus, you are leading a set of people who you see potential in, and somehow, they disappoint you. The expectations of you not denying that which you were called to do and stepping down from the position, getting pregnant out of wedlock, not finishing school, migrating after Pastor trusted that he could hand the church over to you ... all of those things count as Church hurt, only this time, it's the pastor who is being hurt. So it goes both ways," he said.
HEALING
Pastor Morrison reiterated that the only way healing can occur, whether in members or leaders, is through compassion.
According to him, "You have to lift someone up from where they are, show understanding, have compassion and pity. We sing the song which says, 'I won't harm you with words from my mouth, I love you, I need you to survive', and it's a powerful song, but we need to live it.
"The truth is, honouring God is about our lifestyle of love and compassion and healing those who have been hurt, lifting them up, encouraging and bringing them to a place where they can stand on their own."
The man of God also made it clear that those hurt also have a role to play in their healing.
Referencing a verse in Luke 17 that states that offences must come, Morrison added that though this is the case, oftentimes, they are unintentional.
"People don't normally get up and say, 'I'm going to offend her/him today, just watch,' and if a person recognises this, then it should be easier for them to let go, thus making the healing process a bit easier," he said.