I have now been at the present church for over seven years.  Without sharing all of how God did it except to say He did take me and others through some really deep waters, I want to encourage every Christian worker/leader to stick it out until credibility comes.

We live in a day of skepticism due to the many public failings of ministers.  We are now suspect until we have proven our mettle.  Credibility is earned, not given freely by others.  It has only come over the past year that our church began to trust ANY pastor.  God had to do a work in OUR hearts.  They were hardened because of previous experiences (mine and theirs).

Yes, I have left a church because of a lack of credibility, but now I wonder what might have happened if I had been stronger in my faith and walk.

I told my wife Sunday afternoon that I had been often happy, but never this satisfied in ministry.  It’s not the end of problems, but a better partnership bond with church and pastor.

So, as Paul told Timothy, “Remain in Ephesus” and Titus, “stay in Crete.” Make sure you leave because God told you to, not yourself or someone else.

As usual, another good topic for discussion.  Trust, integrity, credibility.  They’re tough to rebuild when broken in leadership situations and in relationships.  Not impossible, just hard.  I guess that’s what I see when I read the list of reasons shown above for considering transition.  I must admit that I’ve had a little of each in my life at some point in my ministry.  Hopefully not all at once or in the same church......and hopefully I’ve worked my way through them without doing too much damage to myself or the kingdom. 

I think the list above mixed with too much success and to a haughty or arrogant attitude is disaster.  Most with that mixture use the “I’m not leaving because the Lord hasn’t released me to do so” line.  And how do you deal with that as a congregation or staff?  I guess you don’t.  You just walk away.  Not for a lack of caring but because of a lack of relationship.  I do believe that proper accountability helps keep us all in tow.

I think all the things listed hit all of us in ministry at some point in time.  I think the leaving has to be one where the burden and heart for the location has been lifted and not entirely because of failures in certain areas.  I’ve always tried to teach those in my care that we need to “walk through life’s issues together...not walk away.” It’s harder, but better.

When is it time to leave?  When there is no vision in your heart for where you are.  Pray for that or pray for a place where you can share what you do have.

Blessings!

I guess the question is begged, “What do we want from ministry and what does ministry want from us?” The author is absolutely right in his list of credibility busters.  Any one can sure cause a church to wonder, “Did we make the right decision with this person?” And while we can only deal with what is for our decisions today, my personal hope is that sometime tomorrow, we can grow churches to the point where they lovingly understand that a pastor is a person just like them, and while God made us all perfect, original sin has left us all somewhat less.  So every pastor is going to do something some time that “busts” his credibility for a while, and it is most difficult for relatively new pastors who haven’t got a long-standing history to build upon. 

So what does a church want?  A person whom they can always trust or a person whom when they forgive is worthy of a long-term relationship? 

As a pastor, I am praying that more pastors vote to “stick it out” through the tough times that come when credibility gets shot in the foot, as it invariably will.  Just yesterday I came across an organization that exists to help pastors and churches get through such tough times.  Maybe we need more third party interventions to get us past the hurt and back onto the track.

In our own experiences, getting rid of a pastor who has busted credibility doesn’t fix anything for the church or the pastor.  Just builds more distrust in advance of the next time.  I honestly can’t believe that was Jesus’ plan when He prayed for us to be one as he and the Father are one.

I have never left a position because of low credibility, but I am considering a move now because I have low credibility with the senior pastors wife.  I have great friendships with the people at our church, but for some reason, I get constant criticism from the wife of our senior pastor.  I have even made it very clear to her that I never intend to be a senior pastor when a friend suggested that she feels I am a threat to her husband’s role as pastor.  I love this place, but I am tiring of the weight of trying to prove myself to this woman.  I get rave reviews from people that I work with in counseling, pre-marital, weddings, funerals, small groups, crisis intervention, hospital visitations, conflict management, teaching, etc., but not from her.  For the last two years I have concentrated on “just doing my job and letting the chips fall where they may.” Even that is becoming hard to do.  I long for the freedom of celebrating the ministry work that I do without this cloud hanging on the horizon.  I’m beginning to think that the only way for that to happen is to find a new place where I can start fresh, but a part of me keeps saying that a breakthrough is just ahead.  So I pray that God will grant me the wisdom to hear his voice in the midst of the conflicting messages that I get.  Thanks for the opportunity to let it out.

John

The average Pastor stays for only 3 years.  Moving doesn’t always make it better.  Beauty is skin deep but Character is to the bone. 

Too many guys move from place to place trying to find a better church and leave a wake of pain behind them.  It’s also important however that Pastors not make themselves martyrs for the sake of ‘sticking it out’.

I’m just going to air my heart and look at this problem of credibility from a diffrent angle.

It never ceases to amaze me how the church leadership can spend so much time addressing symptom’s and never get to the real issue that troubles most of our members and overall leadership of the church. Our responsibilities are no longer God breathed but have become our business goals and objectives. Don’t get me wrong I realize that there is a lot of work that needs to be accomplished in running a church in today’s environment, but that’s my point “in today’s environment” that focuses on tasks rather than in discipleship. Credibility for the early Christians from the religious leaders of their time was non-existent for the most part and many New Testament believers paid the price of their convictions with their own blood.  What made these Christian men and women willing to be persecuted and even die for their faith? What did they have that we don’t? The bible declares to us in Hebrews 13:8 “ 8Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” And If our Lord has not changed than we the body of Christ have.

I write not to offend but to release this deep cry within me that I can no longer contain that shouts to all who can hear “Return to our first love and we shall be healed.” My dear brothers and sisters in Christ we have sinned and have not served the True and living God as our ancestors did who loved the lord more than life. Hebrews records for us the walk of Faith by our brothers who are our examples and I dare say that the description given of these biblical characters mentioned does not speak favorably of Christians today. In the following verses the bible makes clear that those mentioned had a faith that was unshakeable.
Hebrews 11:32-38 32And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 33Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 36And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth

What did these men and women spoken about in the bible have that we don’t? I believe with all my heart that the only difference they had between modern day Christians and those of old was a direct relationship with God and they understood who God IS. 
The bible declares that the Lord never changes He is the Lord of Hosts, Almighty God, Sovereign Lord of all creation who changes not. It is our inability to grasp the depth of who God IS that keeps us from fully trusting in Him. We fear man more than God and our spiritual whoredom has taken its toll in that our churches are cold and our society reflects the condition of our spiritual walk. If Jeremiah lived today his tears and utter dismay would not be enough to fully reflect our ungodliness in that we today trample under foot the blood and body of our savior. Jeremiah in chapter 7 spoke the word of the Lord which fits us perfectly today. Lets read what the Lord spoke through his prophet and let us judge ourselves in truth and we will soon see what we must do to recover from our form of Godliness that denies the power of God.
Jeremiah 7: 1-11
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2Stand in the gate of the LORD’S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD. 3Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 4Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these. 5For if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour; 6If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: 7Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever. 8Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. 9Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; 10And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? 11Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.

I am astounded by our lack of faith that comes from our neglect of truly seeking our God with all our hearts. No longer do our pastors seek to disciple their members in the knowledge of God, as much as they seek to enrich themselves. Whole Christian organizations in charge of multiple church bodies manipulate their congregations and demonically plan activities and worship that feed the flesh and cause excitement, but never turnout a mature believer. We talk about our credibility as if it is measured by men’s approval instead of God. I venture to say that if more pastors would seek God and move under the direction of the Holy Ghost there would be more people brought to repentance.

We do need a shake up and I believe its coming and it will be severe enough to purge the church and bring her back to Holiness. For those skeptics that that feel that because we live in America that we are untouchable let me forewarn you that God is sovereign and all powerful. All we need to do is pay attention to what’s happening all around us. What the world and our nation is experiencing today is not by chance or the roll of dice, but by a sovereign God whom we have offended and the only remedy is to hearken to the voice of the Holy Spirit pleading with us to repent from our sins and turn from our wickedness that we and our land may be healed.