My calling to pastoral ministry came unexpectedly enough. I labored eagerly as an itinerant preacher for four years and as a church volunteer in nearly every capacity, but a pastor I was not.
The visit came while I was at work. It was from a timid, elderly man whom I recognized from the small church I had minister at more than a month prior. To say his words were direct would be an understatement. “We voted on you and the church wants you to be our preacher,” he said.
“Excuse me” I exclaimed, revealing more shock than I intended. I hadn’t known that I was a candidate for the church much less that they were voting on me. “We’ll discuss it and I’ll pray about it,” I said.
After much prayer and examining my family and work responsibilities I finally came to the conclusion that I could not take on the responsibility of pastor. Another month had passed and all was going well until one evening on my way home from work I pulled into my driveway to find an unexpected visitor. It was a couple who were involved in the leadership of that same church. They began to brag about what a wonderful preacher I was. “The best they had heard” I think were there words. This was followed by “I’m afraid that the denomination is going to close the church if we don’t find a pastor,” and finally “we really want to grow and I believe that you are just the man who can help us reach out to our community.
After that my prayers were mixed with zealous ambition to take a floundering church and turn it into a dynamic worshiping community that would transform it’s community and reach the world for Christ and in the process make a name for myself. Well it sounded noble enough at the time but now I see those desires racked with selfish ambition and pride. Looking back I see three potential pitfalls that may have clouded my judgment.
Don’t Be Flattered by Empty Praise
I may be the best pastor that church has ever had, but I doubt it. I was young and inexperienced and I see the truth behind Paul’s words to Timothy that a bishop should not be a beginner because he would be tempted by pride (1 Timothy 3:6). As a pastor you must be able to take criticism as well as praise with a gain of salt.
My wife saw my limitations by asking questions such as “how will you find time for everything?” and “are you sure your ready for this”. These were not words of disparagement but realistic questions that I should have been asking myself. Every pastor should take an honest look at himself and his responsibilities before taking on any new assignment. None of us can do it all, and to be overextended is a sure way to burn out.
Don’t Be Pressured by Desperate Appeals
Jesus is the Lord of the Church, not you or me. I saw myself as the savior of the church, the only one who could keep it alive, but in reality only God’s Spirit can keep a church alive. Pastors are called to be shepherds not saviors. A church without the Spirit of God cannot be revived just because I’m the pastor (or Billy Graham or Charles Finney for that matter). ” I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead,” said the Lord about the church of Sardis.
To any perspective pastor I would strongly advise to clearly assess the spiritual health of your potential church. Ask enough questions to get a feel for the commitment level of the members. Find out what they value. Ask about interpersonal conflicts. Find out where they would like to accomplish in the coming year.
Asking lots of honest, forthright questions now will save you a lot of unpleasant surprises later.
Don’t Be Fooled by a False Hope
There are miraculous stories how God turned dead churches into dynamic ministries. Jim Cymbala’s remarkable story of the Brooklyn Tabernacle stands as an encouragement to us all. He tells in his book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire how God turned a small congregation with ushers who stole the offering into a ministry that reached from the inner city out to world. However all too often these stories are not the norm.
There are hindrances in some churches that even good leadership cannot overcome. In some churches tradition will always trump innovation. In other churches reaching out to the community will never take precedence over caring for their own. In my particular situation each member of the churches governing board said that they wanted to grow followed by the statement that they all loved being part of a small church. They didn’t want to grow they just wanted the security of a little better attendance and a little more money in the offering. My thinking was skewed by idealistic dreams rather than realistically assessing the situation.
How did my story end? Well it hasn’t yet. I’m still at the same church. God has done some wonderful things and the church has made some progress. I believe the Lord allowed it all for a reason, yet I still think that he could have used me more effectively if I had only been aware of these things sooner. It may not have changed my mind but it may have prepared me for the reality of pastoral ministry.
Doyle Tunnell is the pastor of Heartland Free Methodist Church in Greenville, Tennessee.
