Here in Lafayette, there is an association of ministers that is far more significant than some “ministerium” that many communities have where pastors of various churches get together to try to demonstrate some unity but never really get anything done.
TEAMM is the Tippecanoe Evangelical Association of Ministers and Ministries which has a couple things going for it that get me excited:
- They are committed to the core beliefs of “evangelicalism” which are basically the lordship of Jesus Christ and the authority of the Bible as God’s Word.
- They are developing a strong sense of unity among churches that have traditionally been at odds with each other in this town.
- They are being noticed both locally and nationally for their accomplishments in social programs and community prayer efforts.
This last weekend, TEAMM hosted its annual pastor’s prayer summit and I had the opportunity to go. It ended up being a very refreshing time, and since most of the pastors there were coming from a charismatic bent, it was spiritually uplifting as well.
Our two days followed a process of talking about what God is doing in Lafayette, what it’s going to mean for us and our ministries, and what he’s saying to us individually. We had significant times of worship through music before each session and long prayer sessions after each discussion.
On top of that, I had a great time getting to know a couple other pastors and allowing them to get to know me a bit. They were very encouraging and a few of them gave me some prophetic words that seemed quite authentic.
I also had the joy of playing my guitar as Randy Skidmore of Elston Family Church led the worship music.
All in all, I came away from that meeting with a deeper respect for the other pastors here, a deeper sense of the promises of God for Southside Church and some inklings of a more vibrant life of faith God is laying out for me.
Leave a Reply