10 reasons not to quit abruptly, pastor

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“Therefore, we do not lose heart.” (II Corinthians 4:1,16)

From time to time I receive notes like this:

“I resigned my church tonight. Just couldn’t take it any more. The bullying from a few strong men (or one family in particular) finally wore me out. So, I got good and fed up, and tonight I tossed in the towel and told them I was through. It feels good to walk away and leave all this stress behind. But now, I will be needing a place to move to, a way to support my family, and when the Lord is ready, a new church to pastor. Please keep me in mind if you know of a church in need of my services.”

Nothing about that feels right. I want to call to my friend, “You resigned in a fit of temper or or a moment of discouragement? You walked away from the place God sent you? You quit a well-paying job without knowing where you will move your family or how you will support them? Have you lost your everloving mind?!”

I guarantee you the pastor’s wife is thinking these thoughts, no matter how loyally she supports her man and aches to see him struggling under such a heavy load.

I would like to say to every minister I know that unless you are sure the Holy Spirit inside you is saying, “This is the time. Walk away now,” don’t do it. Do not resign abruptly or impulsively.

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Seven prayers of a lazy pastor

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I know a lot about lazy preachers, being one myself. Every “prayer of a lazy preacher” below I have probably prayed in one way or another, to one degree or the other.

It’s easy to point at do-nothing pastors as being the anomaly and call for them to leave the ministry and stop being a blight on the name of the Lord. But in truth, many of us who work hard and long in serving Him are basically lazy and have to fight the urge to vegetate all the time. And, don’t be surprised if some of the real over-achievers found in the Lord’s work fight the same battles and are always working to compensate for those Beetle Baileyish desires to rest and then rest some more.

Consider these prayers of a lazy preacher.... (and, at the end, leave us yours)….

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A few of my favorite people

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“Preachers with sermons and children with laughter, deacons with stories and relative disasters…”

(In the previous post “A few of my favorite things,” we referred to the Julie Andrews song we all know so well. That started this little series and accounts for the not-serious attempt at song-writing above. Now, one explanation: In what follows, I am leaving out my best-loved people on the planet, my wife and children, our eight grandchildren, and all of my siblings but one, Ronnie, who just had to be mentioned.  Margaret says I’m going to slight some other well-loved friends by not including them. I assure her they will not mind, because anyone who calls themselves my longtime friend has been slighted by me so many times they’ve long since come to expect it, and nothing surprises them any more. So, why am I doing this list of a few of my favorite people? Answer: I have no idea. It just seemed like a good idea at the time. Next will be “A few of my favorite places.”)

I am what you would call a people-lover.  I am gregarious by nature (Ginger, that means I love being around them) most of the time, although after a while I’m ready to shut down and be alone. In the words of a friend-now-in-Heaven, Dr. Frank Pollard, I’ve learned to enjoy my own company.

But I love people. I love to talk with them and hear their stories, love to laugh with them and share their tears. I love to make new friends and renew old ones. And, I love to amuse myself remembering conversations with friends of past years who are no longer around to defend themselves. Up in Heaven, they are visiting with the great story-tellers of the ages–imagine sitting in a cluster at the feet of Moses or Abraham or Peter or Paul for a few years–and then, eventually someone turns to them and says, “Tell us your story, about the time you fell in the pond when you were preparing to baptize,” and they’re off and running.

I can’t wait.

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A few of my favorite things

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“….when the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I’m feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don’t feel so bad…..”

If you are a songwriter, you make a list of your favorite things and include them in the lyrics and people everywhere know your heart and will sing your list.

“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens….”

If you can’t compose songs, however, you may need to be more inventive to pass along your list.

Like, maybe, write about them in a blog.

So, on this Tuesday morning, the first day of President Obama’s final term in office (good news/bad news, depending on your perspective–“Lord bless and lead him, please!”), here is my favorite-things list. (Expect it to be followed with a list of my favorite people and favorite places. After that, we’ll see.)

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Jesus the ultimate Outsider.

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“We have an altar, from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore, Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Hence, let us go out to Him….” (Hebrews 13:10-13)

Have you ever felt like an outsider?

Good. You need to.

As a follower of Jesus Christ, you are not only walking in the footsteps of the Ultimate Outsider but you have been called to a similar way of life.

The Lord Jesus “came unto His own and His own received Him not” (John 1:12). He was an Outsider even in His own place, among His own people, attending His own party.

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Dealing With Congregational Phobia

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“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

Did you see in the news this week where a schoolteacher is trying to get approved for medical disability because she fears the students in her class?  The anxiety is so strong that she is unable to function, she says.

If she is able to pull this off, watch as plenty of teachers as well as practitioners of other professions jump on that bandwagon.  I can see it now: doctors who fear their patients, parents who fear their children, drill sergeants with a morbid dread of recruits–all will be able to go home and start drawing their pay.

Someone told me about his pastor the other day. His first analysis was that his preacher is simply lazy. He preaches one sermon a week and often gets someone to fill in for him. He canceled the midweek service because so few people were coming, and turned over the Sunday night service to a layman. He moved his study into his home, but cannot be reached by phone because he turns his phone off and studies wearing headphones which bring in music.

As we chatted further, the man said, “This is the pastor’s first senior pastor position. Previously, he was a youth minister. I’ve noticed he has a great anxiety about facing the congregation on Sunday morning.”

Congregational phobia. There it is.

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How to treat a champion in your church

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“You know the household of Stephanas, that they were the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints….” (I Corinthians 16:15)

Thank God for encouragers and healers in the church, those men and women whose calling in life seems to be to find a niche and fill it, find a need and meet it, find a hurt and comfort it. As they enter a room, their focus is not on who is present, what is going on, or who’s in charge. Rather, they are drawn to anyone in pain,in need, or in trouble.

They are godsends. They are living proofs of the goodness of God. They are the ones who keep overworked pastors and their stressed-out spouses from giving up and walking away.

Here’s William Barclay on this passage: To Paul in Ephesus there had come Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, and they had brought him first-hand information which filled in the gaps in his knowledge of what was happening at Corinth. Paul’s commendation of Stephanas is very interesting. Stephanas deserved respect because he had put himself at the service of the Church.

Paul says three things about the ministry of Stephanas and his friends:

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How to preach on guns to your congregation.

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You probably can’t.

If you pastor a church that is far to the left (liberal) and you know everyone is for gun control, you can do it and live to tell about it.

If your church is far to the right (conservative) to the point that everyone owns guns and has stickers lauding the Second Amendment adorning their bumpers, you can do it, so long as you take the accepted position.

If however, your congregation is like the other 70 percent of Christian churches across this land and made up of believers of all stripes and varieties, once you introduce a hot-button issue like gun control and bring a full-blown sermon on it, you are going to stir up more strife than you are prepared to deal with.

The grief you cause will not be worth the benefit you derive.

Case in point.

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The worst way to take a great offering.

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“Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and saved, as he may prosper, that no collection be made when I come.” (I Corinthians 16:1-2)

Uh, Apostle Paul, our committee has a suggestion for you. We’re surprised you didn’t think of it yourself.

We think you’re going to like this.

You have asked us to take up this offering to help the Jerusalem believers going through hard times, as you know. And, for the most part, we’re glad to do that.

But we’ve found the going pretty difficult. People don’t want to turn loose of the almighty shekel, as you know. In addition, our  members have a hard time giving to people they don’t know. We have no pictures of needy children of Judea or first-hand stories of malnutrition to help motivate the giving.

So, we came up with a plan.

We want you to take up the offering, Paul.

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For the young Timothys going into the ministry.

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“Now, if Timothy comes, see that he is with you without cause to be afraid; for he is doing the Lord’s work, as I also am. Let no one therefore despise him. But send him on his way in peace, so that he may come to me; for I expect him with the brethren.” (I Corinthians 16:10-ll)

Few people are more vulnerable in the ministry that a beginning and very young pastor.  He marches forth into the work of the Lord with all the essentials, he thinks–a love for Jesus, a great testimony of His salvation, a confidence in the Word (the part he knows), and convictions about the gospel.

What he does not know–and is about to learn–is that lurking just ahead in the various churches will be people of good intention and equally strong convictions who are poised to reject him because of what he does not have: age, experience, a polished style, and a treasury of wisdom on what to do in various situations. His voice sounds unsure. His mannerisms are not steady. He uses leftover expressions from his teen years that grate on the ears of the older generation.

This is going to require patience from everyone. The young preacher must be patient with the people who are slow to accept him. The congregation must be patient because their pastor has a world of growing to do. They can help each other. But to pull that off, each will have to give the Lord their frustrations and hopes. They will have to decide whether they believe in Jesus Christ or not.

Some will not measure up, sad to say.

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