"I can't be your pastor anymore. I'm sorry." My tiny congregation stared back in shock.

In 1985, I'd moved to this promising community to start a church. I'd expected forty people at the inaugural worship service — fourteen showed up. Not until I decided to leave did our church average forty in attendance.

The low figure wasn't for lack of hard work. I didn't know as much as I'd thought I did, and ministry was much harder than I had anticipated. So I quit.

Since then, I've learned some powerful lessons — ones I wish I'd known before I quit.

I WISH I'D KNOWN HOW MUCH PEOPLE LOVED ME

I'd believed the primary reason for anyone to love me was for producing results as a leader. The day I resigned I began to learn how much people loved me for who I WAS, not what I DID.

I WISH I'D KNOWN HOW MUCH I LOVED THEM

After my resignation, the congregation met in our home to decide how it would carry on. That night, I couldn't believe how much I loved these ...