An elder told me two couples were upset with our worship services. We were in the process of evaluating the services, so I asked him to have them contact me. A few days later, the elder returned and said, "They don't want to meet with you, because they feel you would intimidate them."

"Well," I said, "would they be willing to write me a letter outlining their concerns?"

The elder agreed to ask them.

A few days later, the elder, beginning to feel like a rubber ball bouncing between us, returned again. "They refuse to write a letter, and they say they don't want to be identified."

"How can we make changes," I exclaimed, "when people won't tell us what's bothering them?"

Low-grade infections

After pastoring for almost twelve years now, I've come to realize that not every problem can be neatly resolved. No matter how prayerful and circumspect the ministry, some degree of criticism, disrespect, and tension will exist. I call ministry in this atmosphere "living with a low-grade infection." It is the ...