Bishop Schnase must love the number 5. It reminds me of that Sesame Street song:
Oh, five is such a pretty number
I’m awfully glad that I’ve
Five people in my family
One, two, three, four, five.
No word on how many people in Bishop Schnase’s family.
But he is ready with 5 Temptations that Confront Pastors. Here’s the short list:
- Thinking too much of oneself.
- Abandoning the spiritual life and neglecting personal needs.
- Playing it too safe.
- Trying to go it alone.
- Losing focus of the mission and neglecting fruitfulness.
The bishop expands thoughtfully on each of his five points. Here’s a part of his discussion on temptation 5:
No members complain when the preaching is good, the pastoral care well-done, and the administrative machinery runs smoothly. But unreached and neglected people outside the church who need to receive the good news of Christ cannot complain and their voices are never heard. Someone has to keep pushing the church out of itself and into the community.
The good news for me is that I can only fail 5 ways on this list – unlike that darn 10 Commandments.
The bishop’s full post is here.
I am a part-time local pastor serving 
The doctrine of original sin is surely more humbling to man than the opposite: And I know not what honour we can pay to God, if we think man came out of His hands in the condition wherein he is now.
