Josh is 24 years old, midway through his masters degree at the seminary, and this is his first pastorate. For 90 minutes tonight, he met with an ordination council made up of eight ministers. We heard his testimony and asked questions on his beliefs and probed his understanding of the work God has thrust him into.

I was impressed by his maturity and the depth of understanding of concepts it took me decades to grasp.

As the group discussed Josh’s work in the small church he is leading and offered advice for future ministry, I searched my memory for some story to leave with him, something he will remember, an insight to latch onto during some future crisis.

Then I remembered.

Joe Cothen is retired now after a long ministry of pastoring churches, teaching seminary students, and lastly, serving as academic dean at our local seminary. His distinguished brother Grady served as president of a Baptist college, of Lifeway Christian Resources, and of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. A third brother was also a Baptist minister, as was their father before them.

Dr. Cothen remembers the day his father sat his three young preacher boys down in the back yard and gave them advice on the Lord’s work they would remember the rest of their lives.

“Boys,” he said, “the Lord has put a delicate balance in the church. He has put just enough headstrong, ornery church members to keep you the pastor humble. And He has put just enough sweet godly saints to keep you from quitting.”

Joe would tell that, let it soak in, then add, “Every church I ever pastored, I found both groups.”

I looked across the room at Josh and said, “Now, if a pastor focuses on the negative group–the critics, the naysayers–he will become discouraged and want to quit.”

“And if he focuses only on the positive, supportive group–the ones who adore him and think he can do no wrong–he will become too enamored with himself and become puffed up.”

“Either way, he will be unusable to the Lord.”

“The key is to keep your focus on the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone.”

It’s so easy for pastors to let the focus of their ministry, their efforts, and their thoughts center on everything except the Lord Himself. We may become centered on our ambition to pastor the biggest church or be elected to a high denominational office. We may be driven by numbers, that passion to baptize the most, receive the greatest offerings, and preach to the largest congregation. Some of us want to write the best-selling books and win acclaim as the most popular or most influential.

It’s all wood, hay, and stubble, to use Paul’s metaphor in I Corinthians 3. It will be burned up in the fires of God’s judgment.

“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

If for us to live is anything other than Christ, then to die is to lose it.

At the end of the council meeting, as we gathered around Josh and laid our hands on him, I prayed, “Father, we thank you for everyone who has had a part in bringing this young servant of yours to this point. For his parents, and that youth minister who reached him when he was far away from you. For friends and ministers along the way. And for the special young lady you brought into his life as his partner in ministry.”

“Now, we pray for his ministry, that your hand will be upon him. May he not rejoice because the devils are subject to him, but rejoice because his name is written in the book of life. He told us tonight of the visit he made today when a lady prayed to be saved. He told of the large crowd in church Sunday. These are exciting reports. But may he not rejoice in these things, but rejoice because his name is in thy book. We know there will be days when he returns from visiting and no one was saved, Sundays when no new people were in church, and business meetings where a dozen people are angry with him. When that day comes, may he rejoice in you. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.”