Am I Good Enough? And Four More Questions Pastors Ask
Pastors Aren't Quitting, but They Are Asking Questions
I don’t pretend to know all the questions pastors ask, nor do I presume to think all pastors ask the same questions. The pastors I know walk with God, love their family, and serve their church with wisdom and skill.
Most pastors I know, however, also acknowledge we are in a new era of church ministry. The cultural and socio-political winds have turned into hurricane force gales scattering people away from biblical and missional community.
In a recent conversation with three local pastors, two of the three reported that their church has half the attenders than pre-pandemic with budget giving as strong as ever. They will survive, but their church’s capacity to pursue its mission has changed.
Questions about the future of church ministry are often asked in the public spaces of conference venues, online platforms, and published works. But pastors are asking questions about their own calling and contribution to the kingdom in the more private places of their own hearts.
There really aren’t too many other places pastors can grapple with these issues—at least they don’t think so.
The risk of vulnerability is too great. The perception of uncertainty in a leader makes other people nervous and can erode the confidence of followers. Beyond that, pastors aren’t always sure how to ask the questions. Paul’s description of the Holy Spirit’s ministry with “groanings too deep for words” comes to mind.
So perhaps bringing a few private questions into the light will help us better minister to the faithful pastors who are ministering to us.
1. Am I good enough?
When the Lord called on Moses from a bush that would not burn, Moses had several objections. One of those was his inadequacy. He didn’t believe he had the skills to speak for God and to lead God’s people.
A few years ago, the big controversy in my denominational tribe was the emergence of Calvinism. Oh, for the days when pastors were asked to work through historical Christian doctrines with their congregations!
Every social and political question is ultimately a theological one, for sure. But the complexities of the current environment have not only divided congregations, but fractured friendships and as a result, paralyzed many aspects of congregational ministry.
Navigating both the public implications and personal soul care required to shepherd the congregation with biblical faithfulness is a high-wire feat many pastors feel inadequate to do well.
2. How long can I do this?
I once registered for a 10K race. Due to weather and road conditions, it was modified to a 5K on race day. As soon as the starting gun blasted, runners bolted at warp speed. It was a full-on sprint. The pace I had prepared to run for a 10K was not the pace I needed for the shorter race.
King David once asked,
How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long will I store up anxious concerns within me, agony in my mind every day? How long will my enemy dominate me? Psalms 13:1-2 (CSB)
Many pastors are sprinting a marathon, and they are wondering how long will this last? How long can I keep up? How long can I hang on?
3. Do I want to do this?
It’s possible this question is a selfish one, but more likely, it speaks to the hemorrhaging of joy pastors experience when exhaustion sets in. The daily pace, the emotional weight, the spiritual responsibility all add up.
In backpacking language, “Ounces make pounds, and pounds make pain.”
A mentor of mine would often say, “Don’t let anything steal your joy!” Yet, for more than a few pastors, the increasing weight of ministry not only robs them of joy, but undermines their belief that ministry is good for their family or their own soul.
So the question of personal faithfulness to ministry calling is now scored against faithfulness to family responsibilities and emotional health.
4. How is ministry life shaping my family and me?
Many of our peers are no longer in the trenches with us. Some have disqualified themselves. Some have simply walked away from ministry. Others have lost the emotional battle and taken their own life.
Commentators opine about this, but off-line in the secret places, pastors ask, “Is this ministry leading me closer to Jesus or farther away from him?” “Am I motivated by holy ambition or the need for self-validation?” “Am I leading in step with the Holy Spirit or am I speaking for God without ever hearing from him?”
Gospel ministry is a glorious calling and provides an amazing opportunity for our spouse and children to see God at work. But it also creates a platform the enemy can use to woo us away from the Lord, to neglect our family, to appeal to our flesh, and to lead us into sinfulness at worse and unhealthy habits at best.
5. How can I keep growing?
New challenges to local church ministry have emboldened a wave of critics—Christian influencers who make hay disparaging the church. They get clicks and kicks pointing out her every fault.
Despite antidotal reports that pastors are also quitting on the church in mass, they are not. Scott McConnell’s piece here is helpful. Many pastors, instead, are working harder than ever to rise to meet the new challenges of pastoral ministry.
Remember these words the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians,
Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, 14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14 (CSB)
Pastors are pursuing Jesus in prayer and personal devotion, developing new habits and rhythms of life, and expanding their capacity to shepherd the flock among them and make disciples of Jesus among a new generation.
They view this cultural moment of confusion and division as our moment to bring Christ-centered clarity, conviction, and compassion to bear. So they are asking new questions and making the adjustments they need to make as they keep on pursuing the goal of the prize of their upward calling in Christ Jesus.
As a result, they are growing in grace, and learning to grow with their congregations.
Photo by Hello I'm Nik on Unsplash
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