“Tinkle,Tinkle” You Are Gone!

Jack Exum

Jack Exum

It really happened back in the early days of Dad’s preaching career… when, I could not say. I remember sitting with Dad in his office in Lake City and he told me that one day many years before, when he was a young minister that he went to visit one of the members of the local church where he served. He knocked on the door, and a rather stately older Christian lady came to the door and invited him in. They sat for a time talking, and he asked to use the restroom. No problem… he went, shut the door behind him and used the bathroom. Well, afterwards he came out, and thanked her, saying how much he enjoyed visiting and hoped to see her in church soon. He then left to visit another member of the church.

All was well, or so he thought. Later that week, he was asked by the leaders to come to their meeting and he obliged. In the meeting they mentioned that one of the members had complained that he had visited her and went to use the restroom, and that when he did “he made sounds.” To use mom’s terminology, he “tinkled.” Well, things digressed from there and because of this, he was asked to leave, and find employment somewhere else. “Tinkle, tinkle… you are gone!”

There are many reasons why preachers loose their jobs. Some are very justified… Some reasons are no more than excuses of weak leaders who have not learned or are not willing to deal with some disgruntled brethren.

So it seems to this scribe, that perhaps it behooves ministers to be careful how they “tinkle,” or “beef up” their preaching a bit on the need for brethren to “grow up,” or encourage leaders to stand up and support the minister when dealing with the immature within the congregation who have little more to do than pick at everything and complain when something doesn’t go the way they want. Another thought is, don’t be so quick to move at the first sign of trouble… Work through it, deal with it (properly), and get on with the work of the minister. Sometimes brethren don’t need to “get their way,” sometimes they just need to grow up, and get busy in the service of the Lord. Then maybe little things won’t bother them so much.

Grow in grace!

 

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