I began my pastoral ministry in 1981 in a small rural church where I served for 20 years. I left that church when I accepted a ministry position in our judicatory where I served another 14 years. Since retiring I'm been privileged to serve as the Transitional Pastor for two wonderful churches. During all those years of ministry I have taken my responsibilities very seriously. However, I have not taken myself very seriously. Despite what some pastors believe about themselves, we are not really that big of a deal.
One of the things I have stressed in pastor conferences I've led is that from the moment we begin our ministries we are departing pastors. Whether we leave the church vertically or horizontally, if the Lord tarries, we will leave. Another will take our place. Unless we are the founding pastor of the church, there were pastors there before us, and there will be pastors there after us. If we begin to think that the church is dependent upon us we need to remember that cemeteries are full of indispensable people.
We have seen in recent years numerous accounts of well-known pastors who have fallen into various types of sins and had to leave the ministry. I don't pretend to know the reasons for their moral failures, but one common reason is that they began to believe their press. They felt entitled to the affair. They felt they were entitled to more money. They felt they were entitled to mistreat people. People had placed them upon a pedestal because of their accomplishments. They surrounded themselves by people who covered for their indiscretions "for the good of the church." When pastors begin to believe they can do no wrong they are walking on very slippery ground.
An advantage that bivocational pastors might have is that on Monday we return to our regular jobs. No matter how great (or badly) our service was on Sunday, on Monday I returned to a 40-hour work week in the factory. It's hard to get too prideful as a pastor when on Monday morning you are on the assembly line mounting fuel pumps on diesel engines coming down the conveyor belt.
It's critical that we take our responsibilities to our congregations seriously. Our churches deserve our best efforts whether it is in our preaching, our pastoral care, our leadership or any other aspect of pastoral ministry. But, at the end of the day it's important to recognize that it is God who is the head of the church. We are His undershepherds; He is the Great Shepherd. Hopefully, we are seeking His guidance as we prepare our sermons. It is His vision for the church that we should seek. The people who make up the congregation we serve are His people, not ours. We are called there for a season, and when our work is done another will take our place.
I love pastoral ministry and will always do my best no matter where I am called to serve. At the same time, I refuse to take myself too seriously. I have a role to fulfill during my time here on earth, but one day I'll be gone and a new generation will take my place. I'm really not that big of a deal.
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