Today I was thinking - which is very dangerous on a Monday! I turned down a church in another state who wanted me to consider being their pastor. Sometimes the last 5+ years have felt like trying to run a sprint with a tractor trailer chained to my back. Ministry - real ministry - is not for the coward or the faint of heart.
One question I’m asked repeatedly is this, “Why/How have you stayed?” If you don’t know the story, you can check out “Barbaric Grace” for more details - but in short pastoring has not been easy. The burdens you carry, the hurting people you minister to, the decisions that must be made that affect lives - all of this, and more… occasionally dealing with cowardly gossips and liars who will spin any story to make you look bad, knowing it’s ridiculous… So, why put up with it? Why transition a church a go through such a battle?
At times the thought of being somewhere else, anywhere else, seemed appealing. In fact, it’s humorous to me that one of the lies that flew was that I was going to somehow take a bunch of money and move to Texas when the campus sold. Are you kidding me? It wasn’t just Texas - there have been offers from churches in other states as well - Georgia, NC, TN, CO - and Texas! All of them much larger churches too. But… I’m still here, 7 months after we sold the property. I wonder if all the “investigators” and “whistle blowers” have launched their campaigns against those who lied, so they can “protect innocent people” from getting hurt? Some of the meanest people you’ll meet are in church - so learn how to help them leave!
Why have I stayed? Why did I turn down another church today? Because C3 is my life’s passion. Those who tried every deceptive means to try to stop us misunderstood a couple of things: 1. This is not a job, it’s what I was born to do. I don’t do this for a check, I do this out of a passion. 2. As Angie says, they underestimated our ability to suffer. See, if you’re not a pastor, you can’t fully understand this - but let me try to break this down. When your not in ministry and you launch character assassination against your pastor, you don’t lose much. You get to go to work, go on with life, look spiritual, say you’re doing it for “Jesus” and “new people” and “your church” - and usually no one calls you on it. But when you’re on the receiving end, in ministry, you don’t go on with other areas of your life, because ministry is your life.
So, I’ve stayed… and will stay. I spent 35 years in churches and didn’t see God move the way I’ve observed him moving the last couple of years. I can’t imagine doing anything else. The book of Acts really had it right - it would be awesome if more “church” people knew their Bibles! To those “church” people - you wonder why your antics didn’t work… you were never fighting me - and you never understood what I was fighting for. What God’s done at C3 can only be explained by his power and his moving - no human being could sustain the onslaught and survive, but God’s purposes prevail.
I’ve heard from so many pastors since this post - and many of them struggling with issues and decisions that they did not want me to address publically. Hey, would you please pray for your pastor right now!
Pastor, if you’re neck deep in “it” right now - if you’re doing what God has called you to do - what you were born to do… don’t quit! Walk through hell and on the other side you will see the life and ministry you dreamed of. If you need someone to pray with or talk with, contact me! I love pastors who have a passion to make a difference!
