PMOC Exhortation to Athanasius Presbytery
The decisions we make and the spirit in which we make them reveal what we truly value.
Brothers, as we gather for the Athanasius Presbytery, I want to offer a brief exhortation as the Presiding Minister of Council. Our theme for this year’s Council is “Run that you may obtain the prize.” This theme will shape my words in these next few moments.
Presbyteries are not merely administrative gatherings. There are moments when a church’s character becomes visible. The decisions we make and the spirit in which we make them reveal what we truly value.
One of the great blessings the Lord has given our communion is a number of men who have labored faithfully for many years in pastoral ministry. Many of them are here in our own presbytery, serving the church for 20-50 years—Revs. Mickey Schneider, Galen Sorey, Rich Lusk, and Joe Thacker. They have a trajectory of faithfulness. They have preached the Word week after week, baptized children, buried the saints, shepherded families through trials, and built congregations patiently over decades. Longevity in pastoral ministry is not accidental. It is a testimony to endurance, to faithfulness, and to the grace of God working through ordinary obedience. Scripture reminds us that elders who rule well are worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the Word and doctrine.
Because of this, we must guard a culture of gratitude and respect toward those who have borne the heat of the day. Our communion will only remain healthy if younger men learn to value the wisdom and stability that come from years of pastoral labor. A denomination that forgets how to honor faithful fathers in the ministry will soon lose the very character that once made it strong.
At the same time, we must be honest about another reality that has begun to appear in some places. There are occasions when men who have not yet borne the weight of pastoral responsibility adopt a posture of constant antagonism toward those who have. Instead of building, they critique. Instead of shepherding, they agitate. Instead of demonstrating fruit in ministry, they define themselves by opposition to those who have served faithfully.
In recent years, we have also seen another troubling influence creep into some of our churches. The internet-driven culture of the so-called “groypers” and similar movements has begun to pollute the atmosphere of Christian discourse. Their instincts are not pastoral, ecclesial, or covenantal. They thrive on provocation, suspicion, and endless internal warfare. Such a spirit is fundamentally at odds with the work of shepherding Christ’s flock. They start threads to undermine the ministry of these fruitful ministers.
If we do not wish to see the same patterns that have disrupted other CREC congregations take root here, then we must be clear-eyed about what is happening. We cannot pretend that these influences are harmless. They erode trust, dishonor faithful pastors, and cultivate a spirit of perpetual agitation rather than joyful obedience in the church.
This is a pivotal time for us as a presbytery and denomination. We must renew our commitment to honor those who have demonstrated faithfulness in life and ministry. We must cultivate a culture that esteems maturity, patience, and the proven fruit of long obedience. At the same time, we must be willing, when necessary, to address and remove patterns of destructive antagonism that undermine the peace of Christ’s Church.
And brothers, this requires courage. If we do not wish to see what is already happening in other churches repeated among us, then it is time to man up and act like shepherds. The Lord has entrusted His flock to our care. That means honoring faithful men, protecting the peace of the church, and refusing to allow corrosive influences to gain a foothold among us.
None of this should be done with bitterness or personal animus. Our aim is always the health of the body and the glory of Christ. But faithful shepherds must be willing to protect the flock. The same love that compels us to honor faithful men also requires us to deal soberly with those whose conduct consistently harms the communion of the saints.
Brothers, the CREC has been blessed because many of its pastors have labored quietly and steadily for decades. We stand on the work of those who planted churches, endured hardships, and shepherded God’s people with patience. Let us be the kind of denomination that recognizes and honors that kind of faithfulness, and that preserves the peace, unity, and maturity of Christ’s Church for the generations that will follow.
May the Lord grant us wisdom, courage, and charity as we deliberate together.