As I've shared many times in this blog, for 20 years I had the privilege of serving as the bivocational pastor of a great little, rural church. After a few years serving there I was driving out to the church praying when it hit me that God had given me that community to pastor. I was not there just for that congregation but for the community around it. It was my parish, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude that God trusted me with such a responsibility.
My working title for my first book was The Joy of Bivocational Ministry. The publisher changed it to The Tentmaking Pastor: The Joy of Bivocational Ministry. As you can see, I convinced them to at least leave my title in as the sub-title. Some asked me how there could be joy in serving as a bivocational pastor with all the responsibilities I had to juggle. There was joy in that role, and those 20 years were some of the most fulfilling years of my life. I wrote the book so others could hear of that joy and, hopefully, find that same joy in their own ministries.
During my 40 years in ministry I've met many pastors who felt no joy in ministry. After leaving that church for denominational ministry I found many pastors struggling with the challenges of ministry. Their initial excitement and sense of calling had been lost years earlier in the midst of church fights, changes in the culture, lack of volunteers, lack of financial support, and the pressures often found in pastoral work. More than a few were just trying to hold on until they could retire, and some gave up before reaching retirement to take other work.
I've faced my challenges in pastoral ministry, both as a pastor and as a denominational minister, but I have never done anything as rewarding and satisfying as the ministry. People have disappointed me at times, but God has never disappointed me. On the other side of that coin, there have also been people who have blessed me beyond measure. What could be more exciting than to see a person give their life to Christ? What greater privilege could anyone have than to baptize someone into the faith? There are few things in this world that can bring greater joy than to hear someone say that my ministry had touched their lives.
I want to encourage every minister reading this blog to fall in love again with the calling God has placed on your life. There are some challenging times ahead for the church, and I believe that pastors are going to find themselves dealing with issues they have not been trained to address. It's going to require courage and boldness to ride out the tidal waves that the church is facing, but God called you to this role because He knew you could do it.
Love your calling. Love your people, even the difficult ones. If you're struggling as a minister, rediscover the joy your first felt when you began. Don't focus on the difficult circumstances. Keep your eyes looking above when your strength lies and allow Him to empower you for the challenges you face. Thank God every day for the ministry He has given you.
There will come a day when my ministry will end. I do not look forward to that day. If I had my life to live over again, I would not hesitate to return to pastoral ministry. There is no greater calling a person can commit his or her life to. If you are struggling to believe that right now, I encourage you to begin to ask God to help you find that same joy in your ministry.
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