Dealing with the Pressures of Ministry

Dealing with the Pressures of Ministry:

The numbers are staggering. Eighty percent of pastors feel discouraged in their role and fifty percent would leave the ministry if they had another way of making a living. The numbers are even higher for the spouse where eighty five percent struggle with depression and eighty percent wish their spouse would choose another profession. Such numbers are too profound to overlook. To enter ministry is to enter a world of pain, discouragement and frustration. This can be especially pronounced in a rural area where pastors are isolated and often lack a support network. How then can we regain our perspective?
The first step to regaining our perspective is to maintain a biblical view of ourselves and our ministry. In many ways our culture has placed unrealistic expectations on us and upon our role. We are pressured to lead the church to new heights of attendance and increase the number of programs within the church, all with little funds and little help from the congregation. Furthermore, our culture has instilled within us the expectation that life should be free from difficulties and hardships. While we decry the health and wealth doctrine as being unbiblical, in reality we have accepted it in our view of ministry. The scriptures warn us that to enter ministry is to enter a life of difficulty and struggles (2 Corinthians 7:5; 11:24-29). We are in the midst of a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:12). While we may complain about the hardships we face, Paul saw it as a badge of honor to suffer for the cause of Christ (Colossians 1:24; see also Philippians 1:29 where the word “granted” is the Greek word referring to a graciously given gift). The reason he had this perspective is because he recognized that the strength from ministry comes not from ourselves or even our training, but from the hand of a sovereign and gracious God who empowers us to accomplish his purpose (Col 1:29).
The second step to regaining our perspective is to take care of ourselves and our family physically and emotionally. God recognized the importance of rest when he instituted the Sabbath day. This is equally true for us in ministry. Working seven days a week is a recipe for burnout in ministry and neglect of our spouse and family. We need to make sure that we take the time to be renewed and take the time to be with our family and spend time with our children. God makes it clear that he expects us first and foremost to care for the needs of our family so that the do not become the sacrificial lamb on the altar of ministry (1 Timothy 3:4-5).
The third step is we need to develop a network of individuals who can offer support, encouragement and perspective. Moses needed Aaron and Joshua, Paul needed Barnabas and Titus. Tragically seventy percent of pastors do not have a close friend, confidant, or mentor. We need to develop these relationships. It may be a fellow pastor in the community, it may be a fellow missionary, it may be a friend that we talk with once a week or month. If we do not have a close friend, then we need to start praying for one.
Fourth, we must seek help when we need it. Often there is a “pastoral pride” that exists that hinders us from seeking help. We feel the pressure to always have our act together and that it is somehow a sign of weakness to seek the help of others. We forget that we also are human beings struggling in a difficult ministry. There are times when we need to be “pastored.” There are times when we need the counsel and input of others. There is no shame it getting help. Proverbs states that it is the wise who seek the input of others. It is the fool who thinks that he does not need the assistance of others.
We need to realize that ministry has been, is, and always will be a difficult and painful calling. However, we must also realize that God’s grace is always sufficient and that where there is trouble there is also his sustaining hand.

The Church in a Postmodern World

By Glenn Daman

We live in a postmodern world. Its influence is not only see in the secular world but it is increasing seen in the church as the issue of epistemology is becoming more critical in our understanding of truth, the scriptures and its implications for our life. The basic tenet of postmodernism is that there is no metanarrative, that is there is no overarching explanation of life and truth. This view collides with the fundamental doctrine of the church, that there is an absolute truth that is absolutely exclusive. As Ravi Zacharias points out, “We as Christians make a staggering claim: We lay claim to truth that is exclusive. In a society that not only does not believe in metanarrative or in exclusivity but also rejects the notion of objective truth, ours is a monumental claim.” (Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns; D.A. Carson editor, p. 38). Certainly the issue of absolute truth is a fundamental issue in our interaction with the secular mind, what is even more troubling is that it is becoming a critical issue even within the church. While people would not reject the absolute truth of scripture in the church (that would be heresy), postmodernism sneaks into the church in our understanding of the role of interpretation of scripture. No longer is interpretation the pursuit of an absolute understanding of scripture, rather it becomes a pursuit of each person’s own perspective. Instead of there being one interpretation and many application, it now has become many interpretations, each equally valid. Because we cannot have an infallible interpretation in all matters, many conclude that we cannot know for certainty any interpretation. The battle we face in the next decades will be the battle of truth: Can we know truth and how do we know it?
How then do we respond, how do we point to the certainty of interpretation. While we cannot know all truth absolutely, we still can know some truth absolutely. (For example: we still may not know with absolute certainty the relationship between God’s sovereignty and man’s free choice but we can know for certainty the deity of Christ and the necessity of faith alone as the basis of salvation.) . In response to those in the church who would question our ability to know with certainty the meaning of scriptures there are three critical principles we need to affirm. First, God is a God of truth. In John 14:6, Christ states, “I am the way, the Truth and the life.” There is absolute truth because truth is an expression of a perfect God, in whom there is no falsehood. God cannot lie and cannot distort the truth or misrepresent it any way. It is intrinsic to his nature.
Second, God, as the source of all truth, has communicated to us. (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). God as the source of absolute truth and as the perfect communicator has communicated to us in order that we might understand and live according to that truth. Scripture is not arbitrary, it is not partial, it is complete, and it is absolute. Because it is his communication, it is not for us to be arbitrary in our understanding of it. The critical question is not, “What does it mean to me?” it is, “What did God say?” He holds us accountable for how we understand and treat the word of God.
Third, God has given us the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us in truth (John 16:13). The certainty of our interpretation comes not from our own abilities or intellect, but from the internal presence of the Holy Spirit who guides us in our understanding. Because the Holy Spirit is the same in each individual, there is consistency in what he teaches. Thus, my personal interpretation must be consistent with the rest of the body of Christ. I am not free to treat the scriptures willy-nilly, but am accountable to the rest of the church for my understanding.
The challenge before us as pastors is to not only respond and witness to a postmodern world, but equip our people to respond as well. To do this it is critical that we provide them a foundation by which they can engage a postmodern culture but not be influenced by it.

Strengths of the Small Church - Part 5

This is part 5 of a 6-part series

5. Flexibility.

When the small church has a streamlined organizational structure, it can quickly adapt to the changing ministry environment. In many rural communities the environment is rapidly changing. While some communities are facing significant decline, others are experiencing rapid growth.
While some communities remain culturally and ethnically homogeneous, others are experiencing rapid cultural and ethnic diversity as the influx of people provide new opportunities for cross-cultural ministries. Each of these transitions has a major impact on the community, the church, and the ministry opportunities confronting the church.

The advantage of the small church is that it can make substantive changes and implement new programs and direction with little organizational bureaucracy. Because decisions can be quickly made and information quickly disseminated in the small church, it can quickly rally people to a "cause or project, carrying out a new program or ministry with fewer problems and delays of the larger, more structured congregation" (Ron Crandall and L. Ray Sells, There's New Life in the
Small Congregation, p. 94).

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