Rev. Shawn J. Smith

One of the challenges of ministry is to keep seemingly contradictory ideas in balance. We are called to hold on to what appear to be polar opposites and keep them in tension. One such challenge we have is the dance between a permission giving culture and accountability.

In Luke 10, Jesus sends out the 72 disciples in pairs to every town and place where He intended to go. He gave them permission to go out into the surrounding communities, to enter into people’s homes, to eat meals with them, to heal the sick, and to declare that the kingdom of God had come near. If they were not welcomed, He gave them permission to leave, to wipe the dust off their feet, and to declare judgment on these towns. Jesus had created a permission giving culture. He didn’t give them a lot of training before they went out. It was…