When I feel that nagging doubt, I remember that my pastoral role is not a passion, it is my calling. A passion lasts for about nine months, but a calling is for life. So I shake the doubt from my system, my mind, and my heart. I put my hand to the plow. I look back on all the things I have done as a pastor, the ministries I led and what they accomplished, the lives that have been transformed.
These things assure me that I’m on the right path. But I also take preventative measures against doubt. A leader who stops learning, stops leading. Pastors must go to workshops and seminars, read books, and keep their messages timely. As pastors proactively better themselves, their calling will stay fresh.
—Wilfredo De Jesús, pastor, New Life Covenant Ministries, Chicago, Illinois
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