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VOL VIII   NO. 7  JULY 2007

REV. ROBERT KELLEY

 


To My Fellow Preachers And Pastors

 

Rev. Robert Kelley is the founder and president of Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. and pastored the St. Mark Baptist Church of Portland, Oregon at the time this was published.

 

Over 28 years ago when someone first made the suggestion I might be called of God to preach, I rejected it not wanting any parts of a group of men held in so low esteem by our community.  In 1982 when my pastor, Dr. Willie T. Gaines of the Emmanuel Baptist Church in San Jose, CA heard my vision for a media ministry, I thought he misunderstood my calling after he said, "A call to preach is a call to prepare."  I expressed the reasons I did not want to be a preacher and he led our church to assist me anyway in preparing for ministry at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.  He knew I was running from my calling.

 

When the church ordained and licensed me to the Gospel ministry June 2, 1985 without my having preached a sermon, I was still running.  But it was done because pastor Gaines said, "you will need this to work with black folk." When God finally got my full attention in 1986 after Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. was soundly rejected by black folk, in humility and brokenness I tried to explain to Him why I did not want to be a preacher.  But He made it clear I was to take my place in the stream of men who for nearly 2,000 years have been charged by Him to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Word to fallen and redeemed humanity respectively.

 

If only the scandal, mockery and ridicule of a preacher today were tied exclusively to persecution for being men of uncompromising Christ-likeness, integrity, doctrine and zeal for the Kingdom of God (Matthew 5:10-12)!  But alas, I surrendered to the Lord´s will in accord with Ezekiel 33:1-9 and in deep grief over the things I had heard from Him and men.  Years later, I continue to grieve for the things I have seen and experienced among many of my fellow preachers and pastors across America.

 

How could it be that we as shepherds of God´s people and captains in His army are so carnal, given over to addictions to drugs including nicotine and alcohol, gambling and pornography?  How is it we are liars and thieves, corrupt schemers and swindlers; perverts who molest children, practice homosexuality on the "down low" and adulterers who divorce without shame?  How can we father and abandon children, rip off widows and use profanity calling each other the "N" word as if God is deaf and blind (Psalm 94:1-11)?

 

I understand thoroughly about being a sinner.  However, the Word of God says, "And such were (past tense) some of you.  But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and the Spirit of our God," (I Corinthians 6:11, NKJV).  No one of us is perfect, but no man should be preaching God´s Word or pastoring a church that is in bondage to sin; we lead by example (I Corinthians 6:12, 9:24-27).  The guilty must repent!  So, how does it happen?

 

To the shame of the churches that enable them, too many men are down right impostors who as confidence men, put themselves in the "racket" of preaching and pastoring (I John 1:5-6, 2:3-6).  This is possible in large part because black religion across most denominational lines thrives on emotion, style and flesh works rather than doctrinal substance and the genuine power of the Holy Spirit!  It is for this reason also that some men are able to come to the pastorate truly called, but with mental and emotional issues that are not and never healed.  Religion has no power to heal!

 

Some men come to the pastorate called, but still weak in the flesh.  Others yield to sin in a time of weakness and are overcome.  Since religion does not foster spiritual maturity, these men remain in their corrupted conditions and carry on the traditions of corruption to successive generations.  Such men and their congregates become co-dependent enabling each other in their sins.  Finally, many are the men drawn to the pulpit out of selfish ambition and dreams; men who use the ministry to achieve their desires for prestige, power and success!

 

Surely, it is a man from this latter group of pastors who is dismissing me in pride right now because you have a larger membership roll which is the bottom line measure of success among us as it is men of the world.  But you have forgotten God´s measure of success is faithfulness, obedience and the number of souls you have put not on your membership roll, but His in Heaven (2 Corinthians 1:12-14; I Thessalonians 2:19-20)!  Yet, it is men like you repentant, humbled and renewed that God would use and to whom I make my appeal for support in this business of restoring our men.

 

You are real men as out of your natural masculinity you seek to subdue, build, achieve and rule.  In Christ, God takes these qualities of our masculinity He gave us to use for His purposes and glory!  His are Kingdom priorities that in our driving to get things done we often forget.  Our fellow men both in and outside of the churches need us to bring the Holy Spirit empowered leadership, energy and drive that realizes our Kingdom dreams to bear for them.

 

First, though, we know we must repent from our selfishness, competitiveness and petty jealousies.  These are sin inspired attitudes of our masculinity.  We must also repent from our compromises that have marginalized men.  We know before the "Law" and after the Bible is patriarchal and speaks to men because we are God´s chosen leaders in the home, in His family, the Church and society by His design.  If we will not repent, there is coming to us a great humiliation: the bigger we are, the harder the fall (I Corinthians 3:1-17; James 3:1)!



©2007 Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc