Support Your Local Pastor ( Heaven knows He Needs It )

Pete Drucker was a brilliant business innovator who has been largely given credit for the development of modern management theories and strategies.  His work has been universally lauded as responsible for the creation of modern business management.  He once took it upon himself to rank the most difficult management jobs in America and his top 4 at first glance seem to hold no surprises.  But much like the old Sesame Street ditty from my childhood, " One of these things is not like the other "...In no particular order, they are...
1. The President of the United States
2. University President
3. Hospital CEO
4. Wait for it.......Pastor

Pastor?!...How could this be true?  If you believe most of the people in my life, a pastor sets his own hours, does no heavy lifting and only works one day a week.  The most strenuous activity a pastor engages in involves flappin' his gums.  A friend recently told me that he had encountered someone who knew me from years ago.  When he discovered that I had become a pastor his response was " well, he oughta be good at that, he loves to talk!".  While that certainly validated that he did indeed know me, the pleasure I get from teaching has not insulated me from the hints of the difficulties to come.  And the statistics are alarming....

-70 % of pastors say that they do not have a close friend.  Does this ring true in my own life?  With only one year behind me, have I seen this condition begin to manifest itself within my life?...Sadly, yes.  I have seen too many pastors feel the sting of betrayal from those who used private conversations for some personal vendetta to not feel the pull to hide my flaws, my insecurities from the people in my life.  But the consequences of succumbing to that fear is isolation, loneliness.

-70 % of pastors said they have a lower self-image now than when they first started.  If I am honest, has this transformation begun within me? Well, it depends upon the day.  I have discovered that ministering to the sick and hurting is more difficult than I could have possibly known.  I have felt the shame of putting off a visit to the dying because I have no words of comfort that spring to my mind.  I have wept tears of guilt that I did not have the words to convince an unbeliever that his greatest need was Christ.  I am disgusted that the old sins of pride and self-centeredness  still rage within me.  But I am quicker now to weep before God, to look to him to meet my need to matter, to count for something.

-90 % of pastors say that the ministry was completely different than what they thought it would be like before they entered the ministry.  Well, in a word, yes.  The busyness of ministry has been a surprise.  Planning a Sunday service, coordinating a volunteer staff, vision setting, writing mission statements.  Planning message series, mass e-mailings and fliers, organizing youth outings, keeping financial accountability.  And then oftentimes, after praying, planning, long hours spent away from family, to be met with complaints about music, the length of the message...Yes, being in the ministry has been a bit different than I imagined.  But then to feel Gods Presence, His Spirit move amongst the body, to receive the hugs, the texts, the thank yous and encouragement as God uses me......I never could have envisioned such a thing.

- 40 % of pastors say that they have considered leaving the ministry within the last 3 months.  To this, I respond as Peter did to Jesus, " To whom would I go?!"...I have attempted life outside of Gods will, it didn't work.  The blessings that I have been given as I have given in to Him far outweigh any momentary inconvenience. I have thrown away my nets to follow Christ.  I will not return to pick them up again unless so directed by Him.

But what of my future in the ministry?  Again the statistics can give us pause

- 50 % of pastors feel so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but they have no other way to make a living.
- 45.5 % of pastors say that they've experienced depression to the extent that they needed to take a leave of absence from ministry.
- 50 % of pastors starting out will not last 5 years.

Sadly, this results in an even greater tragedy, one that diminishes our impact upon the unbelieving world..

- Over 1700 pastors left the ministry every month last year.
- 4000 churches begin each year and 7000 churches close.

Pray for your pastors, lift up their families.  If we are indeed in the midst of spiritual warfare, then I can attest to the difficulty of standing on the front lines... The casualty rate in any battle is highest among those who stand in the front, leading the charge.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."  Ephesians 6:12

"Us" and "Them"

My home town was invaded this past week.  Every year, for the past 20 years, my little community has played host to one of the largest country music festivals in America.  Our population triples and every patch of ground where you can squeeze a campsite is filled to overflow with tents, campers and RVs.  Roads are cordoned off, parks are made off limits, every available downtown parking spot is taken as thousands of people hit our town for 3 days of revelry.  Up until last year, I celebrated this event with an annual tradition of my own; I stayed inside my house for the entire time.  You see, I don't particularly enjoy country music.  I don't hate it, its just not my thing.  But more than that, if I were being completely honest, the overwhelming majority of these invaders to my peaceful little burg are in many ways alien to me.  Even in the best of circumstances, I have never enjoyed crowds, being squeezed in and jostled all about.  But add in the foreign elements of big trucks, cowboy hats, and tight Wranglers and I have always felt a little like an outsider in my own hometown for those three hot August days every summer.  So I have typically sequestered myself within my home and waited for the hordes to depart

But more than that, there is an element within those campers and concert goers that I have tended to distance myself from.  It is not the vast number of music lovers who bring their families and friends, enjoying the shows and respecting each other but rather those individuals who view the weekend as an opportunity to throw off the restraints of their everyday existence and get drunk and get loud.  The shirtless partiers heading into the grocery stores for more ice and beer.  The kids piled into a truck and flying through my neighborhood late at night, music blaring.  The ladies seemingly competing to see who can push the boundaries of good taste the furthest.  My discomfort in their presence led me to isolate myself from their presence...Until last year...

My church has nearly 80 acres of land.  The campus portion of our property is beautiful.  Manicured grounds, palm trees, flowers and lush greenery, an amazing amphitheater with a shimmering pond as a backdrop. Horseshoe pits, picnic tables, walking trails throughout the woods.  But the rest of the property is mainly fields.  Like the rest of the community, our fields are used as campgrounds for those attending the concert.  The last 3 years, we have rented portable showers as a fundraiser for our ministries and set them up next to the church.  For a small 3 dollar fee, campers can grab a hot shower in the morning as they rouse from their campsites.  Last year, I reluctantly agreed to man the showers as there were no volunteers.  I got up at 5:30am and trudged off to the church, turned on the hot water, unlocked the doors and sat in my folding chair, eager to be through with the whole thing...then something happened.  As the campers began to show up, the line becoming long, I began to have conversations with them.  They began to comment on how beautiful the campus was, ask what kind if church we were. As they stood in line, we spoke about music, how far they had traveled, our little community.  As I sat in that chair, I invited each one of them to attend our Sunday outdoor service.  Many said they just might.  The next day, I made them coffee, I brought them doughnuts, and I invited them to church.  By Sunday morning, an amazing transformation was complete.  I was not manning showers, I was spending time with friends.

I was speaking on that Sunday so after I made them coffee and visited with the early risers, I left the shower line and headed over to the amphitheater.  When the worship was complete,  I stood and moved to the stage my eyes scanned the crowd ...and I saw them...Older couples, families, and young men who had stood shirtless in line smelling like beer just the day before.  By my estimation, nearly 30 people who had taken me up on my invitation were now sitting awaiting to hear what God had to say to them in that beautiful amphitheater, on those beautifully manicured grounds.

As I left church that day, I considered how often we within the church define our world as "us" and "them".  We speak about them as our ministry.  We speak about Jesus love for them.  But what happens when "they" show up at "our" church?  What happens when they interrupt the peace of our lives, threatening our peaceful circumstances? What happens when our ministry shows up at our church?

My home town was invaded this past week.  Every patch of ground where you could squeeze a campsite was filled to overflow with tents, campers and RVs.  Roads were cordoned off, parks were off limits, every available downtown parking spot was taken.  But I was not hiding within my house.  I have started a new tradition.  I was making coffee and handing out Krispy Kreme doughnuts.