2 thoughts on pastoral ministry

a couple of conclusions:

1. Don’t make people do things. No guilt, pressure or compulsion. Just try it for a while. Pastors: just try to run a church without using the power of your expectations or the pressure of compulsion or guilt to accomplish things you think should be done in the church. See how frustrated your plans become. What does this tell you?
2. People often don’t care about how much effort you put into something. They’ll notice when you don’t work, but they won’t notice when you actually do. Here’s where many pastors grow resentful. Pastors often want people to care about how hard they work, how much they care, how much effort they put into their ministry and the church. But few people care how much you care. This isn’t being mean. It’s just human nature to not appreciate something until it’s gone. This is where, I’m convinced, pastors discover just how much they are willing to silently serve the people in obscurity.