Email |

Pastor: Church can change society

Published February 18th, 2007 | 0 Comments

The Rev. Jack Edwards of First Broad Street United Methodist Church, the featured speaker at the Civitan Clubs' Clergy Appreciation Luncheon, will retire in June. Photo by Erica Yoon.

During his 45 years in the ministry, Jack Edwards has seen many changes in the church.

"Some good. Some not so good," he told those gathered at the recent Clergy Appreciation Luncheon, co-hosted by the Kingsport Civitan Coffee Club, the Kingsport Civitan Noon Club and the Kingsport Civitan Evening Club.

Edwards, senior pastor at First Broad Street United Methodist Church in downtown Kingsport, was the guest speaker during the annual luncheon. Edwards will retire from the ministry in June after 45 years of service.

In today's times, Edwards said, society pays little attention to what the church has to say. Attending church used to be a priority; now sermons are downloaded from the Internet.

"If it's a good [sermon], we want it on our iPod," Edwards said he has been told.

The church used to shape attitudes in the community. Now the church is silent, he said.

People used to attend church to make an offering of their time, talents and finances.

"Now it's �What's in it for me if I go to church?' Not �What can I offer God and my community?"

The church used to be diligent about what's commonly known as the Great Commission, Jesus' instruction to his disciples found in Matthew 28:18-20.

"It's not the Great Suggestion," Edwards said. "It's the Great Commission."

Today's churches aren't "majoring on the majors," but instead are "majoring on the minors" - fixating on what color the worship center should be painted, or what color the carpet should be, he said.

"Christians used to want to lead society to be Christian. Now they want society to be Christian, but they don't want to expend the energy to make that happen," he said.

Although it's a challenging time to be a member of the clergy, Edwards said he still sees hunger in the human heart for the truth. "People are still hungry for something that is fundamental," he said.

Edwards encourages the community to pray for their clergy and to encourage their clergy. "Together as ministers we can turn the corner. We can change society, and it won't be by putting our heads between our legs."

Since 1960, Civitan clubs across the country have observed Clergy Appreciation Week during the week of Feb. 3. The observance began as a remembrance of four military chaplains, one Catholic, one Jewish and two Protestant, who gave up their lives during the sinking of the USS Dorchester on Feb. 3, 1943.

The Civitan's clergy appreciation committee included Jim Williams, Edward Dishner, Ruby Dishner, Sue Hobbs, Greer Ruble, Martha Walker, Jim Walker and Breanna Wicker.

Discuss This Story

Be the first to comment: Sign In or Create Profile .

To comment, you must register.

Comments are the sole responsibility of the registered user participating in online discussions. You agree not to post comments off topic, abusive, obscene, defamatory, vulgar, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned.

Click here to review our complete user agreement.

Times-News Online on Facebook

Featured Blogger

Muskies being radio-tagged at Melton Hill

By George Thwaites - 2-6-2010

Perhaps some area anglers remember a story I did several years back about fisheries biologists tracking smallmouth bass in the Holston river via radi...

Read Post | Comments (0)