Kevin DeYoung captures so much of what I often feel as a pastor. Everyone experiences pressure these days, so I'm not directing you to his post to have you feel sorry for me and other pastors. But just as it is part of the pastor's calling to know his flock and their challenges, mature christians will care about what their pastor is dealing with.
Here's a part of his post. Read the whole post here.
Ask any pastor who really takes his work seriously and he will tell you of the pressures he feels in ministry—people in crisis, people leaving, people coming, people falling through the cracks, people disappointed by the pastor, people disappointing to the pastor. In the midst of this work the pastor is trying to find time for study, prayer, preparation, and family. He’s trying to improve himself, train up new leaders, meet the budget, get to know a few missionaries, champion important program, manage staff, take care of administrative details, provide for deep, accessible worship and preaching, be responsive to new ideas, listen to new concerns, be ready to help when people are in trouble.
And most pastors feel a burden for all the other things they could be doing: more evangelism, more involvement in the neighborhood, more for the poor, more for missions, more for the denomination, more for the city, more to address global concerns, more to address social concerns. There will be pastors reading this who wonder if the church is still responsive to their preaching, if the leadership will ever be responsive to his leading, if the congregation will ever grow like the churches he hears so much about. On top of all this every pastor has his own personal hurts, personal mistakes, and his own spiritual health to attend to. Who is weak and are not pastors weak?
And most pastors feel a burden for all the other things they could be doing: more evangelism, more involvement in the neighborhood, more for the poor, more for missions, more for the denomination, more for the city, more to address global concerns, more to address social concerns. There will be pastors reading this who wonder if the church is still responsive to their preaching, if the leadership will ever be responsive to his leading, if the congregation will ever grow like the churches he hears so much about. On top of all this every pastor has his own personal hurts, personal mistakes, and his own spiritual health to attend to. Who is weak and are not pastors weak?
1 comment:
I can't imagine how commanding yours and Pastor Nathan's typical day goes. But like Cheri commented to me last Friday evening after our HFG meeting, "Tony really looked tired."
And then my bride reminded me with your tender loving care you are so generously pouring out upon your dear mom, this too is just another completion of Christ's commands you are so faithfully and obediently fulfilling. Each day I become more aware of the profoundness of “making ever thought captive and obedient unto the Lord.”
Post a Comment