Stetzer on Speaking to the Wesleyans

Ed Stetzer referred to an address he gave at the Wesleyan Pastors' Gathering in his recent blog post: Why I Speak to Other Groups and How I Decide.

As one of the Wesleyan pastors in the audience, I'd like to say, I was glad to have him come. He treated us respectfully and his message was powerful, inspiring us to engage our communities for Jesus Christ.

After reading his blog post, however, I'm glad he kept to the subject of the day (Evangelism and Church Planting), and didn't talk about his perspective of women in ministry.

I pondered his three questions regarding accepting speaking engagements:
1. Can I Be Clear on the Gospel?
2. Am I Restricted in What I Can Say?
3. Will My Presence be Used Inappropriately?

In light of this blog post, wouldn't #2 on the list keep us from inviting him back to speak at a future Wesleyan Pastors' Gathering?

Of course, we didn't restrict him the first time -- and he was very respectful and true to us, his audience. I appreciated that.

This respect, however, is not guaranteed in a speaker. We didn't restrict Ms. Lotz either, and she disrespected us -- chastising us for our "obviously flawed" views on eternal security. It didn't go over very well.

If a speaker holds some views contrary to that of the audience, it seems that an honest discussion and agreement beforehand is certainly in order.

Comments

  1. Thanks... I was glad to be there.

    On to your comment...

    If I felt I needed to publicly disagree with your position, I would not have come to speak. You asked me to speak on something upon which we agree, not something where we differ.

    I hope you do not get to the place where you can only hear from people who agree with you on everything.

    Ed

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mark-
    i thought his entire post was great.
    wow on his focus for the gospel. Really liked his stance on denomination being a home not a prison.

    Thank you for sharing the link

    ReplyDelete
  3. mark o wilson8:18 PM

    Sorry Ed. I shoudn't have said it way I did.

    You truly are a blessing to me, and the the church at large. We have benefitted greatly from your insights.

    I hope they invite you back to speak to the Wesleyans again.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous3:10 PM

    I agree with Ed. We should never limit ourselves to only listening to those who agree with us. This has been the downfall of many churches. We can never be afraid of learning from others. Who knows? Perhaps we have been wrong at times!

    ReplyDelete

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