Where Are All the Fathers?

Coming to the church in 1975 through a bus ministry, I didn’t have much to offer. Mom & dad were divorced. Dad was busy; and visitation rights gave him two Saturdays per month with his kids. Needless to say, at fourteen, my life was already a tangled mess. I needed a father.

As I travel the world today, I see the absence of a father’s involvement in the day-to-day activities of their children. Whether children who are living in a dump-site in Manila (many of whom are being raised by their own siblings) – or villages in Ghana, West Africa – children everywhere are crying out for a father’s guidance, love, support, direction, and protection. I vowed that one day I would become the father to my children I hoped my dad would be to me.

Things that are seen in the natural can often be paralleled to the spiritual. In the early days of ministry, spiritual sons & daughters need guidance, love, support, direction, and protection. I once heard it said that denominations make great “moms”; but they are often without “fathers”. It seems to me that most of our Pentecostal families have become content to have “brothers” leading the “brothers”. The question is: Where are all the fathers?

In Dr. Mark Hanby’s book, “You Have Not Many Fathers”, he writes, “…Too many men and women of God have been born into the Kingdom without any spiritual father and live as orphans. Many denominations and ministry fellowships have become huge organizations developed to take care of these spiritual orphans. They are fed, clothed, housed, and educated by systems of men, not raised by fathers…” Again, we must ask the question: Where are all the fathers?

He goes on to write, “…These ministry orphans do not have a name of their own. They carry no spiritual heritage. Many bear the shame of illegitimacy, never being sure of their origins. They are ignorant of their identity and lack clear purpose because it is impossible to know where you are going unless you know from where you have come…”

I’m left to wonder:
1) Can denominations transition from “brothers who lead brothers” to “fathers who lead sons”? Is it necessary or not? If so, what are the transitional steps?

2) How can pastors with the “heart of a father” be equipped, trained, and released in their local churches to adequately father their ministry sons and daughters without being viewed as divisive? How do we transition from a mindset where leaders are expected to “support the fellowship”, when it seems that many leaders are left without the guidance and support of many fellowships? How are we different?

3) Is there a desire in the Pentecostal Church of God to lead the way, releasing the blessing of God spoken about in Malachi 4, with regard to this need in the end-time Body of Christ?

4) Am I “out to lunch”?