This fall the EFC held simultaneous gatherings for Toronto-area pastors and national denominational leaders. EFC missiologist Jon Fuller reflects why both are important.
The pastor in front of me leaned over to take a picture of the slide on the screen. As a pastor myself, I’ve learned to look for signs of interest from those listening to a presentation, and taking screenshots with your cellphone certainly qualifies. We were attending the EFC Pastor’s Day, a new event series paired in its debut with a gathering of denominational leaders which was being held in the room next door.
In addition to pastoring a small church in mid-town Toronto, I work for the EFC as Resident Missiologist, and so I knew that the same material was being presented in both rooms. Watching the pastor in front of me got me thinking about why both rooms mattered.
Denominational leaders in the room next door need to understand the recent developments around the medical assistance in dying (MAiD) legislation as presented by Julia Beazley, the EFC’s Director of Public Policy.
But for the pastors in our room, the impact was more immediate. I thought of Phil (name changed for privacy) from our church whose struggle with mental illness has been the subject of many tears and much prayer. Has he ever considered MAiD? How would I respond if he came to me for advice?
Julia Beazley shared the EFC’s concern that MAiD represents a potential injustice for the disabled or chronically ill whose needs are not being met by our social systems. For a chaplain in our church, that means coming alongside Cherise (name changed for privacy), a chronically ill patient for whom MAiD offered a way to “no longer be a burden.”
Pastors and chaplains are able to address this burden by being joyfully present because Phil and Cherise are part of their community. Henri Nouwen referred to as the ministry of care, creating sanctuary and hope beyond the possibility of cure.
I wondered if the pastor taking a screenshot in front of me had a Phil or a Cherise in their church, someone for whom Julia Beazley’s passion for the sanctity of life and offer of resources might mean the difference between life and death.
The EFC seeks to unite Evangelicals to bless Canada in Jesus’ name. That means leaders like the heads of denominations in the room next door, but it also means the pastors and chaplains around me and their work every day in local churches, hospitals and care homes.
Author:
Jon Fuller