For over 25 years a group of pastors has gathered once a month for a remarkable meeting. These meetings were not your average "ministerial," nor denominational strategy session. Rather, they were a time of personal development, prayer, networking and growth in the Gospel used of God in the lives of many men.
That meeting has grown and beginning this year taken on a new name, a new location and a new feel - without losing any of its great value.
I am pleased to introduce you to the Toronto Pastors Fellowship (TPF). The TPF exists to bring glory to God by challenging, equipping, and developing relationships among pastors in the Greater Toronto Area. As a young pastor in a country church 3 hours north of Toronto, I rarely missed a meeting. And through the years I can testify how influential and helpful these times have been to me personally.
Thus, it is my delight to invite you to join us. If you are serving a local church in pastoral ministry, training for ministry or just have a delight in studying the Word of God, we want you to be a part of this meeting. The schedule of speakers and topics for this year is remarkable (except for the first meeting)! Every meeting will begin at 10AM and include worship in song, instruction, discussion and prayer. And of course there will be some coffee! In fact, if you are one of our first 60 registrants this year, you will receive a free gift -- a pretty decent one, too!
So, whether you have been a long-standing participant or never heard of TPF before -- welcome! Follow the links on this page to free audio and print files of past and present speakers; information on location and times; a full calendar of speakers and topics; and even a little information on our annual pastors' conference in May.
Looking forward to seeing you on September 22!
Are female pastors welcome and allowed?
ReplyDeleteAs a young pastor of a country(ish) church 1 hour south of Toronto I plan to rarely (if ever) miss one of these meetings.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for serving Christ's church in this way!
Ian.
Sheila -
ReplyDeleteThanks for your question. The TPF is not closed to anyone, although you will find that the vast majority of those in attendance and the entire leadership team are happily complementarian in their understanding of gender roles.
I suppose that is somewhat evident from the title of the first talk (which I am scheduled to deliver) that assumes one of the roles of a pastor is to train other men for the ministry.
Many pastors' wives and other church women attend these meetings, so it is nothing like a "good old boys club!"
I think most attendees would agree with John Piper when he writes in that excellent volume, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals
"As for me the Biblical teaching is clear: God calls spiritual, humble, Christlike men to lead the family as husbands and to lead the church as elders (Eph 5:20-33; 1 Tim 2:12-13). I believe, and I and have experienced for twenty years, that godly, gifted articulate, intelligent, ministering women flourish in such families and churches." (p. xiii)
I hope that helps and I hope we get to see you on the 22nd!
Warmly,
Paul
I see, and I imagine your leadership team are all men too. I just don't understand your discrimination.
ReplyDeleteIm sorry, Im confused, are you talking about discrimination between something (differentiating)or discrimination against someone/something in a negative way? If you are talking about the first, I have no problem (I discriminate when I choose what socks to wear, and, more importantly the Bible discriminates in this way as well) if on the other hand you are talking about the latter, I don't see any argumentation to support your point (how is it that because the leadership team is all men, therefore he is discriminating negatively towards women?), if that is your argument, I think his last paragraph, and the words "gifted articulate, intelligent, ministering women flourish in such families and churches" should bring us pause...
ReplyDeleteTwin #2