Recently, I was asked why we do not invite other preachers who come to the city to minister at the Father’s Blessing Center. The question was asked because one of the preachers who operates in healing ministry served at a church in Kyiv. I decided to write this article to answer this and similar questions.
In general, we do invite other preachers. Our church in Kyiv is only a year old, yet we have already held four conferences with internationally recognized preachers. However, we cannot invite everyone who comes to Kyiv or everyone people suggest we invite.
For Reflection:
1. Most often, preachers come to minister at a particular church because they know the pastor of that church. These are arrangements and visits based on acquaintances or relationships.
2. Most often, preachers understand that the inviting church assumes the financial expenses, so they plan their schedules in advance to spend all their time with that church. Few people like it when another church takes a guest away and uses them for its own services and purposes. The inviting church pays the price and expects the guest to minister to them to the fullest. An exception is a prior agreement for the guest to minister elsewhere.
3. Most often, it is not customary to invite preachers who are moving in a different direction. Every church is unique and goes through different seasons. It is a mistake when God is directing a vessel in a certain direction, but a preacher is invited and begins turning the vessel in another direction. Such ships rarely reach their destination. Wise leaders follow the course God has set and, when necessary, invite preachers who support them on that course. We do not hold conferences for the sake of “conferences”; we hold conferences for their benefit. We invite only preachers who support us in the direction God is leading us today.
4. Most often, it is not customary to invite preachers who have achieved less than the pastor of the inviting church. Preachers who have gone farther or risen higher are invited, because only then can they help the congregation move farther or rise higher. We invite preachers who are recognized, have carried out international ministry for many years, and have made a notable contribution to the ministries of other congregations, cities, or countries.
5. Personally, I am not interested in preachers who focus ONLY on healing ministry, or ONLY on one thing. This is too “narrow,” and I am not interested in the congregation going to an extreme. I am the pastor of the church, and I am responsible for its well-rounded growth and development. A pastor whose church operates in the gifts and whose people fulfill Jesus’ commission is much more important to me than a minister who has a separate healing ministry or healing school. I have found that their teaching is often unbalanced or not adapted.
6. Inviting outside preachers is an expensive part of church life. When the church has a budget for this, inviting guests is appropriate. If the church is in a season when it cannot even cover its internal needs, then it is unwise to invite guests, because it will be necessary to “squeeze” offerings out of people or go into debt for this purpose. For some, this is normal; for us, it is not.
Conclusion
We invite preachers with whom we have friendly relationships, who share a similar vision, who are ahead of us, or who are in a position above us. It is very important that these preachers are active pastors or, at the very least, have previously been pastors. A pastor’s message is adapted to equip the church community and is balanced.
What I say to people who suggest that I invite someone to our church whom we had not planned to invite: If you like a preacher who has come to our city, simply go and attend their service.
Be blessed!
Pastor of Father’s Blessing Church, Dmitriy Leo
