And it seems that the more educated a minister is the less he or she is inclined to dirty their hands with the common folk. I heard one such individual whine with exasperation one day about how people thought they could just barge into his office without an appointment. If there were ever a natural setting for collegiality it would seem to be the ministry. Brothers and sisters in Christ united by His love, calling, and purpose for the express purpose of bringing in the Father s harvest. Never have I seen such jealously, envy, and turf mentality as I have in the ministry.
Salaries are often the chief concern.
In the itinerant ministry this provides fertile ground for being disingenuous. I could mention liberal theology, which includes abortion, pluralism, the prayer issues, and historical revisionism to name a few, but the point has been made. I am not trying to minimize the importance of how a Christian does theology or practices his or her faith. All of these things are relevant and important in their proper perspective and place. But when they supercede reaching the lost and harvesting souls for God something has gone wrong and is amiss.