I was in his shoes about my fifth year in my pastorate. I was physically and mentally exhausted and about ready to give up. At a judictory meeting I spoke with one of our leaders about my situation. He explained that my problem was that I had become the church. I was the person doing everything that was getting done in the church. He told me that not only was I damaging myself in the process I was preventing the congregation from learning how to be the church. Everything he said was right on target, and the longer I remain in ministry the more bivocational ministers I see making the same mistake that I and yesterday's caller has made.
According to Ephesians 4 our role as ministers is to equip the saints
We need to be training the people sitting in the pews how to identify and use the gifts God has given them. If we do not we are cheating them out of the opportunity to be used in signficant ministries that God has called them to do, and we are shortchanging the church by not making those ministries available to others. People need to understand that discipleship
If you are scurrying around like a rat in a maze, exhausted, frustrated, unable to spend quality time with your family and your own self-care, you are probably doing way more than God ever called you to do. You need to slow down, begin to train your lay people to do ministry, and take a healthier approach to the calling God has placed on your life. Don't be the church. The Kingdom needs all your people to be the church.
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