Countless articles and books have been written about the
theology and practice of Christian ministry.
There have even been “what I wish I knew then” books, as well as “what
they didn’t teach you in seminary” books.
Most of these books and articles have placed valuable resources into the
hands of pastors and those who work closely with pastors in Christian
ministry. Differences in personality,
denomination, theological persuasion, and location join many other factors in
affecting how one approaches his or her ministerial assignment. Therefore, all learning materials that
address Christian ministry, like all learning materials in most other
disciplines, always require adaptation and properly contextualized application
in order to be useful to each situation.
Having said that, here are some observations from my own
twenty-plus year journey and conversations
with others in Christian ministry that many if not most ministers wish others
knew about their calling and profession.
The list is not exhaustive, nor is it reached by scientific
research. It simply represents a “behind
the scenes” glance at what most of us in ministry value in our jobs.
1. We really want our
families to be a priority – for us and for you. Ministers have a lot of work to do, as do
most people in our congregations.
However, we often feel torn between wanting to make an impression as “hard
working” people and setting a proper example in regard to how one may be an
effective example to one’s family in a “workaholic world.” When congregations pick up this hint and
affirm that, we tend to want to keep our families (and ourselves) in that
particular church community for a long time.
When we see it bear fruit in the lives of others to whom we minister –
for instance, when we see families being challenged to adjust their work and family
priorities – it is a great encouragement to us and can provide a witness to the
community at large. We want to be near
our families and not make them feel as if the church is competing for their
time and attention. At the same time, we
also want the church to know that we are seeking to “earn our pay” and their
trust by being consistently present and by managing our time and the church’s
resources properly. When this goal
becomes a partnership between ministers and congregations, everyone wins - including spouses and children! When you acknowledge to our families that you are committed to their health and growth, and not just to their spouse/parent "doing their job", you are increasing the health of the entire church!
2. We consider study
time part of our job – and not “extra” or free time. Only someone who has done it for more than a
few months can describe the mixture of joy and terror that comes in preparing to
stand before God’s people at a worship gathering and seek to interpret and
apply Holy Scripture in a way that seeks to represent God’s purposes for their
lives. All of the other tasks we do in
ministry are important: being present to the congregation and community,
planning important administrative meetings, overseeing the proper distribution
of budgets, etc. However, those
relatively few minutes per week when we stand and say, “Today, this is what the
Lord is saying to all of us in this Scripture passage,” haunt us all
week. I have often told congregations
not to complain too much about sermon length, since I have to live with the
sermon all week long, and they get the “short version.” Pastors can help congregations by taking
seriously their preparation time and budgeting their time wisely. Congregations can help pastors by valuing the
fact that part of the job description for most every pastor includes several
hours of preparation work during the week in order to “rightly divide the Word
of Truth.”
3. We admire those
whose gifts are different from ours, but we struggle with our own gifts and
calling at times. This means that we secretly – or not so secretly – have days
when we wish we were as “up” on certain aspects of church life as some of our
talented lay-leaders are. We may love
the idea of an inviting church building, but we may feel that we are “at the
mercy” of those who know a lot more about building than we do. We may love dynamic and vibrant worship
services, but some may not have the musical talent to take strong leadership in
this area. Therefore, we need men and
women who will be gifted interpreters of our vision (as long as we are following God's vision), whose gifts and callings
in the church make up for what we are lacking.
We as pastors can make this easier by not feeling “threatened” by those
who have what we lack. Non-pastors can help
by patiently “having our back” in areas where we are weak, much like the way
Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms in Exodus 17 when he grew weary.
4. We struggle with
devotional times more than you think.
For many of us, our sermon preparation time (see number 2 above) is not
exactly the same as our devotional time with God. It is a time of intense prayer and devotion
to God, of course. And, it lives with us
and shapes us spiritually and in other ways in much the same way we hope that
the finished product (the sermon) will do for others (again, see number 2
above). However, time alone to be
genuinely nourished by God and to lead our families in this way is just as much
of a challenge for those of us in ministry as it is for most other believers. Allowing us to be honest about this with you
without feeling judged or mocked is very helpful. Even more helpful is the recognition that,
like you, we sometimes need “catch up times” with God and with our families. An old cowboy once said, “I’d rather have a
fresh horse than a fast horse.” Encouraging
us and even joining with us in setting aside key times for prayer and
refreshment will help us all run this race further.
5. We really do care
about this stuff! For most of us,
ministry is not just a job. Many of us
could make more money elsewhere.
However, we are called to consistently think and pray about ways to
involve as many people as possible in God’s Big Plan for God’s world. And most of us do think and pray about these
things nearly all the time. We talk
about them with our spouses, friends, and other family members, and we often
sit alone or in groups looking at ways to involve one more person and to reach
one more life for Christ. At the same
time, we are often doing a lot of self-examination in regard to our motives and
methods: are we simply being “sales people,” or are we doing biblically-based,
Christ-centered ministry? Method is more
important to us than you might think. If
we feel pressured to “fudge” too many things, or if we are asked to compromise
the integrity of the Church too often, we will soon feel unwelcome, and the
church itself will suffer by blending in so much with the world that it becomes
irrelevant. And, speaking of the “r”
word (relevant): Most of us struggle with that, too. There is a sense in which we care so much
that we want people to walk out of the church doors and say, “That service hit
me right where I live!” On the other
hand, most of us in Christian ministry feel that trying to be too relevant too
quickly to too many is overrated and fails to produce the patience and
reflection that God calls His people to be identified with (see the Book of
James, for instance). So, bear with us
when we move a little more reflectively and slowly than you might think is
best. And help us when we get so
enthused with “results” that we leave behind key theological truth!
Thanks for listening.
