Many of us chose to become pastors because we love the church.

We love the strange blend of characters who have been brought to this place. We love the sound of many voices singing the same songs over and over. We love the way a community of ordinary, broken people can somehow express something transcendent to the world.

Given our desire to see people brought together and cared for, it’s a strange, sad reality that often pastors—the ones who love and lead the church—find ourselves without a church. At least not in the same way others have a church. In a cruel twist of irony, the church we lead isn’t really church for us. Some of the biggest challenges we face may come from the very congregation we lead. Maybe someone who reminds you of your estranged father rejects you just like he did, or you endure a sleepless night after receiving petty criticism from a parishioner. Who will be church for us when we have to talk to someone about the pain or loneliness of leading ...