Preachers

The Preachers Chapter is composed largely of itinerant Adepts of the cloth. They aren't officiated by a particular church, nor do they work together to form a large organization or impressive network. The Preachers are a Chapter aptly named for they are humble servants who seek to do the will of God, preach a high calling in life, meet people halfway along that road and stay the hell out of politics. 
Status: Active.
== Facts: ==
-Preachers are not ordained or officiated, if asked, they will simply state that they felt called by God to do good in the world. 
-Most Preachers don't really have a rigid set of dogmatic teachings or practices to enforce on others. The Preachers themselves eschew using force - what's the point of a religion that must force its members to obey? They believe that the light of faith and reason should be enough to sway people to their way of life. What beliefs they do have are tempered by reason and come from a simple, plain reading of the Biblical text. 
-The Chapter began with the rise of the mendicant orders in medieval Europe, when itinerant monks and friars would travel the land to do good works and preach a life of simple faith. However, the Chapter really came into itself with the rise of the Protestant denominations and the modern system of stand-alone churches, each with its own pastor or orator.
-Preachers try to live simple lives. The Chapter has a general rule about politics: avoid it at all costs. Politics is poison to religion and the Preachers seek to do nothing but God's simple work right there in the community. Nothing more. If grand battles need to be won, God will raise up other people to do that.
-Preachers tend to work alone or with a small team of assistants they have selected from among those who will listen to them. 
-The Chapter accepts members from any Order, so long as they profess a vocation given by God and live a balanced life. 
-Preachers tend to live a quietly solitary life, their particular vocation is a demanding one and spare time is a precious commodity.
-The biggest problem for Preachers, aside from human inertia, is not getting swept up into political struggles. Church groups may attempt to sway, pigeonhole, bully or excommunicate a Preacher they don't agree with. And more than one Preacher has found himself losing his church to a power group within the community who feel offended by the Adept's words or actions. 
-Preachers do more than just talk, when it comes to safeguarding their people from the Darkness, they will take up arms. A Preacher is, by extension, a shepherd as well, and what shepherd wouldn't defend his flock from the wolves? 
-The Chapter has a high number of young, idealistic wannabes, but sadly their rate of turnover is downright disheartening. It's not easy being a full-time, stand-alone pastor, and after awhile it wears most people down. Only a few can truly be said to be called by God, for only a few in every generation of new Preachers ever really makes anything of their ministry. 
== Modus Operandi: ==
Preachers aren't a complicated lot, they use a combination of basic religious faith and orator's logic to win people over. They strive to provide people with a religion that is both holy and realistic, while at the same time being a presence within the community. 
== Current Challenges: ==
Human inertia, political climates, church battles among the flock and the weariness of running a full-time ministry are the major concerns of a Preacher. And all that is in addition to safeguarding a flock from the agents of the Darkness.
Category:Church
Category:Christian Coalition
Category:God