"If you're convinced you're where God's called you then you prepared when it get's hard and you're not tempted to say, "I made a mistake, I'm in the wrong place, if it is gets hard". Ministry is just going to be hard." This is the reality of a ministry. Ministry is messy because we are dealing with people from different places and races. That's why we need to be dependent on God with our everday battles.
This is fantastic! Great observations. I’ve been a pastor for 33 + years. The idea and comments on 1 Corinthians 16 about needing to have a stubbornness, and grit to stay at a church where there is an unhealthy pattern deeply imbedded in the church is phenomenal!! Also the thoughts about a wife wanting to “suffer with us,” has also been my experience. Praise God! Good stuff! Thank you.
Had a ministry team member want to beat me up once... got so worked up about a policy that the church had set in place, which I was responsible for implementing in the ministry team, challenge me to fisticuffs in the parking lot. Fortunately I didn't have to engage, as a we had a number of young Marines in our volunteer team that stepped in to let the guy know that it was not going to go well for him if he pursued violence, but yeah - not only my physical well being, but my salary, my living situation, my ability to serve within the denomination, my networks and relationships have been threatened at various times by toxic leaders, toxic elders, and toxic groups of people within the church. We've experienced the slander & character assassination, the cover-up approach of narcissistic leaders who wanted to cover their own liabilities and make themselves look better after throwing my family under the bus. We've been in the crosshairs as groups of people and elders tried to mount a coup and throw us out, and we've lost relationship with hundreds of people in one shot, after a toxic leader did successfully mount a campaign to throw us out of the church we served. Ministry is not for the faint of heart. Still waiting for the redemptive story.
I’m in this boat. And struggling with my first calling .⚓️✝️
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!! God used you today to speak to my situation. Praise God!!!!!!!
Praise the Lord!
Wow, this is amazing!
"If you're convinced you're where God's called you then you prepared when it get's hard and you're not tempted to say, "I made a mistake, I'm in the wrong place, if it is gets hard". Ministry is just going to be hard."
This is the reality of a ministry. Ministry is messy because we are dealing with people from different places and races. That's why we need to be dependent on God with our everday battles.
This is fantastic! Great observations. I’ve been a pastor for 33 + years. The idea and comments on 1 Corinthians 16 about needing to have a stubbornness, and grit to stay at a church where there is an unhealthy pattern deeply imbedded in the church is phenomenal!! Also the thoughts about a wife wanting to “suffer with us,” has also been my experience. Praise God! Good stuff! Thank you.
Thanks for sharing!
Had a ministry team member want to beat me up once... got so worked up about a policy that the church had set in place, which I was responsible for implementing in the ministry team, challenge me to fisticuffs in the parking lot. Fortunately I didn't have to engage, as a we had a number of young Marines in our volunteer team that stepped in to let the guy know that it was not going to go well for him if he pursued violence, but yeah - not only my physical well being, but my salary, my living situation, my ability to serve within the denomination, my networks and relationships have been threatened at various times by toxic leaders, toxic elders, and toxic groups of people within the church. We've experienced the slander & character assassination, the cover-up approach of narcissistic leaders who wanted to cover their own liabilities and make themselves look better after throwing my family under the bus. We've been in the crosshairs as groups of people and elders tried to mount a coup and throw us out, and we've lost relationship with hundreds of people in one shot, after a toxic leader did successfully mount a campaign to throw us out of the church we served. Ministry is not for the faint of heart. Still waiting for the redemptive story.
Any platform for mentorship please
We're sorry we don't offer a mentorship program, Pastor Joel. May God guide you to the right people to offer encouragement and accountability.
Or they can LOVE the pastor but threaten the pw.