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pastors leave ministry

Why Do Pastors Leave the Ministry?

Orginally published on Tuesday, April 19, 2005 at 6:00 AM
by Todd Rhoades

Scott Williams is a pastor who is no longer pastoring.  Recently on his blog, he wrote an essay on leaving the ministry below is a sampling of what he wrote? “many people have asked me why i am stepping out of pastoring, at least for a while. there has been a great deal of conjecture on my behalf. some think it has a subversive twist to it. others imagine that i am absolutely distraught with life and cannot cope anymore. neither extreme really addresses the central issues i have faced. here are a few of the reasons why some of us tend to fade away…

we are tired of pretending that we cannot be hurt. people assume ministers are available for their criticism 24/7. people say things to clergy they would not say to their worst enemies. for some reason they feel at liberty to delve into every aspect of clergy life. they have an opinion about everything we do. they believe it is their god-given right to critique your personal life, your professional life, your emotional state, the way you dress, your use of colloquialisms, your kids, your personality, how much you spend on a car, your friendships, how you drive, how much you fart, the list goes on and on. pastors live their life in the limelight. they, therefore, constantly disappoint people. it is hard to disappoint people all the time. as a pastor, and maybe it is just me, i seem to let people down all the time. recently i was at a small group where several complained that i was not their close friend. besides the obvious fact that i do not have enough hours in the day nor the emotional energy to be friends with everyone, let alone friendly, how can you assume i would would want to be your close friend? ministers spend their entire life pretending to like a portion of the population that they really cannot stand?

pastors tend to build up that insecurity the longer they work. they feel the pressure to put numbers on the role, they also realize that people leave the church because of them. that is a heady responsibility to bear. they understand that people don't like them but it still hurts when they have people they have invested in leave the church because of them. this life can be an exercise in guilty and humility. everything that happens which is good is "to god be the glory" ...they know who is to blame if things go bad. add to this that for some reason many churches rise and fall on the health and exuberance of their pastor. after a while pastors tend to jump from one quick fix solution to another in a desperate bid to patch holes that are systemic and often metaphysical. they attend conferences and clinics designed to point out their flaws and obvious solutions. they quickly conclude that they are the problem, the issue, and the solution. they develop a messiah complex. they develop an insecurity complex?

ministers are normal people who struggle with laziness and workaholism at the same time. no one knows what they do during the week so they tend to strive too hard to be noticed or duck out when they can get away with it. they realize that some volunteers do more than they do and it drives them crazy. they vassalate between the drive to do everything and the need to let others do the work of the church. they are control freaks, often out of necessity. sometimes out of ego need.

oh ya, and we love to be compared. compared to huge churches with massive budgets and incredible bands. compared to tv evangelists who spend more on dog food than we will see in a year. compared to amazing speakers, incredible entrepeneurs, and holy monkish nerds who can pray more than we can. that kind of stuff makes us very content.

ya this is a whine but it's my blog and you don't have to read it. perhaps, though, there may be a grain of truth in what you have read. take a look at your pastor if you have one. listen to his or her brokenness strewn in amongst the exterior confidence. let them know you don't need anything from them. shut up about them when others encourage you to spill. tell someone else to shut up occasionally. don't phone them on mondays. don't critique the way they dress when they go to the bank on their day off. don't act amazed when they stumble. we all stumble.

but for God's sake, don't feel sorry for them. they chose this life and it has incredible rewards. just pay them more.

and oh ya, they won't believe you when you praise them but they will obsess when you criticize them. sounds like quite a great life huh? makes you want to join right up i bet...

as for me, i'm just taking a break to get out of the fishbowl for a while. it's a calling - a blessing and a curse. of course now i have to get a real job where people have to get up every morning and put in 8 hours and pretend to care about stuff i never imagined caring about before."

What are your thoughts?


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 TRACKBACKS: (0) There are 91 Comments:

  • Posted by

    John 2

    “24”: But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,

    “25”: And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

    John 5

    “44”: How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?

  • Posted by

    Thanks Scott for being so truthful and real.  I have enjoyed, yes enjoyed the last three and 1/2 years of ministry.  It has been one of the most exciting but yet most gut-wrenching experiences of my life.  I was fortunate to have my family working in ministry with me.  Our church growth has been 1000% since we have been there, God has done great things.  But old habits die hard.  We are leaving the ministry not because of conflict but because at the current rate of growth we cannot maintain the church and my secular job.  The fact that I am bi-vocational gave me much freedom in dealing with the old habits and traditions of men that needed to change in order for our church to grow.  The cost was high in some instances.  I know people who allowed me to pray for their children who were ill or wanting to commit suicide, and then 1 week later were ready to break out the tar and feathers.  I do not think I would ever go into full-time ministry just because I could not deal with the potential compromises.  My hat is off to those who can manage that and manage it well.

    I have to say that I will be back in ministry one day, but not for awhile.  Even the best athlete’s need to sit on the bench once and awhile.

  • Posted by

    Sometimes, I am amazed at the heartless, unChristlike comments that some share on these blogs.  To condemn some of these pastors who are hurting, or who left the ministry is heartless.  They don’t need cliches or even verses from the Scripture.  Maybe, what they need right now is to know that others care about them.  I am not going through a rough time in ministry right now.  I have before though and I know the cruelty and unChristlike words and actions of the saints.  My heart goes out to those who have shared their hurt and disappointments.  I prayed for you today and asked God to wrap His arms around you and to minister to you.  I have a burden for pastors who have been fired or abused by churches.  We have tried to minister to pastors in our area who have gone through this pain by supplying financial assistance and counseling and an ear to listen and to love.  Those who would be cruel and judgemental towards those who have left the ministry or those still in the ministry and hurting, why not get down on your knees today and thank God that you are not going through what they are.  While you are down there, why not pray for these pastors who are hurting, and oh yes, before you get off your knees, why not pray that when you face the same hurt (it will come) that your heart won’t be so condeming and hardened.
    Larry

  • Posted by

    Mixed feelings about the article.  I have been in ministry for over 30 years and have experienced similar situations.  When I get low I try to remember “Your labor is not in vain in the Lord” I Cor. 15.  I also think about Christ and Phil. 3 - “That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings...” He was despised and rejected of men so maybe we are looking at it all wrong.
    In each of my ministries there were people who loved me and encouraged me.  My focus should be on those folks, not the ones who brought wrong to me and my family.
    My thoughts of leaving had more to do with my feelings of inadequacies in dealing with children who died or helping families whose kids ended their lives.  My own kids at times have made me wonder if I am Biblically qualified, but I still am convinced He called me to be a Shepherd and I must obey.

  • Posted by David Riley

    I believe the Bible to suggest that we are to be loving at all times.  But nowhere does it say that any of us need to feel like a doormat.

    I would love to speak at any of your churches on “true” love: love that is patient, kind… all of what 1 Cor 13:4-8 has to say.  But there’s another aspect to love - no less valid; it’s called telling people the truth… even when it hurts.  Hopefully, we can speak the truth in love.  But just as important is to speak the truth.  Why can’t someone (a Pastor) communicate why he is upset?  Why is the expectation so unrealistic?  Maybe people need to know that Pastors are not Jesus… just His servants.

    We all are weak, have shortcomings: some we presume are socially acceptable - some not so much.  At the end of the day, Jesus died for ALL of us, He loves ALL of us, and is ‘dealing’ with ALL of us in His own way.  How dare someone criticize someone else’s walk?  Is that what Pastors are expected to do?  Criticize others?  If our example is Jesus, then criticize behavior… NOT people!!!  Love the sinner, hate the sin.  This, I presume, we could all agree on.

    Pastors NEED to start speaking the truth… for ALL our sakes.  Maybe it needs to come from someone else outside first.  If this is the case, I’m open to the challenge as a “guest speaker.” The truth is what everyone says they want… until it starts hitting home.  The truth is one of the most loving things one can give someone else - regardless the means; i.e., hateful attitude, etc.  The truth is God’s… not ours.  We all see through a glass dimly - at best!  We ALL need each other to help get us through.  Pastors are NOT little Jesus’s and their congregations NEED to know this!  Teachers need to explain this in copious detail so as to help everyone have sane expectations.

    This entire blog is about unrealistic expectations.  PLEASE, surrender to the cross daily, put on the full armor of God, but also realize from whence you’ve come… and where you’re headed.  Trust me when I tell you, NO ONE knows the path they’re on until after they’ve finished it.  There’s a reason why God doesn’t give us full understanding of what’s ahead - we couldn’t handle it, but one day at a time we can.

    Surely, I don’t have it “all together,” but I’m on my way.  God won’t fall off His throne because a pastor says from the pulpit something the congregation won’t want to hear.  Where did pastors learn all this insecurity… truly it isn’t a Godly trait.  We are all to work out our salvation with fear and trembling… before a loving, merciful, and gracious God.  Yes, a God that has standards, but standards (rules, laws, etc.) we were never able to live up to - hence, Jesus!

    It’s REALLY that simple.  Why don’t pastors speak the truth more about this topic - even for each other?  There should be at least a 4-tape series on such a topic!  Something every person coming into your church must listen to prior to becoming a member.

    When someone criticizes you unrealistically, it SHOULD be a defensive characteristic to point out that there must be a plank in their eye to notice the mite in yours!  What are we all afraid of?  Being offensive?!?  So what?  I believe in speaking with love, but how much love was being administered when Jesus had the stick in the temple with the money changers?  Did Jesus forget His love then?  NO!  The message of the hour was to show them how wicked they had become!  Jesus was not delivering the message the way the expected it to be delivered, or through the means by which they felt it would be most welcomed.  Jesus was interested in the truth… not everyone else’s opinion of Him.  As a result, He set the standard by which we are to judge situations as a whole.

    If someone leaves your church because they’re offended, what’s the worst thing that will happen?  They’ll talk behind your back?  Aren’t they already doing that?  So what?  As a leader - not a manager - there should be a natural choosing of sides with the people, and it will be formed out of respect - not gooey love.

    Truly, I have WAY more respect for ALL of you than you do for yourselves.  Leaders, by their nature, promote controversy.  Don’t see this as a stumbling block, but a welcome sign that you’re doing things right.  How can there be change until someone sets the standard.  So long as the Bible is your standard, we can all follow.  How can any of us follow someone who’s trying to please everyone else?  This just doesn’t make sense.  Jesus wasn’t a people-pleaser… He was a God-pleaser.  And THIS is the true heart of the Good Shepherd!  So should it be ALL of ours… and I’m not even a pastor!

    I hope this helps.  I mean to project the truth in a loving manner, but if love wasn’t what you felt, check that you aren’t having the same attitude with me as YOUR critics!  Regardless the avenue, we ALL have to deal with the truth if we are to be true Christians: for Jesus is the way, the TRUTH, and the life.

    Truly, God’s richest blessings to you all,

    David Riley
    Shelby Township, Michigan
    (248) 802-6318

  • Posted by

    Dear Sir,
    As I read your article I have to say I know how you feel. Nevertheless as hard as it is somtimes to deal with people including pastors we must keep our eyes on Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith.We don’t want to be like the Isrealites loving the ministry today and hating it tomorrow.I have been serving in the church for twenty years and I would say out of 100 percent maybe one would say thank you.But I have learned this one thing
    it is better to please God and not men and in the end when He says “well done thou good and faithful servant” that is the greatest gift any pastor can receive.God is Good all the time.I have learned this one thing, as the apostle Paul would say, if God be for me, then who can be against me.Just remember Jesus loves you and no one on the face of this planet will ever love you like He does.We all had to learn that the hard way and is thankful to God for His love and faithfulnes in delivering us from people,so that our eyes would be on Him(JESUS)Amen?Jesus loves you and so do I!Leila.

  • Posted by Doug Levy

    I think there are several things “in play” here that contribute to the “plight of the minister.”

    1. Automatically in “Americanized Christianity” we assume that a “call to the ministry” means “Pastoring” when in fact, it can and should mean much more. Jesus gave 5 office gifts at His ascension and there are other gifts given as well in Romans 12, 1st Corinthians 12 & 14 (Leadership, serving, etc.).

    Too many people are pastoring when they should be evangelizing, or teaching or some other gifting. They don’t have “Shepherd hearts” and then they get hurt by trying to be Shepherds…

    More mature people in Church leadership, means more people helping to shoulder the burdens of ministry and more people to disciple the people into maturity (nice lead in to point 2).

    2. We really do have “thin skin” here in America. Only God can love us perfectly, yet we expect man to. God has commanded US to make disciples and yet we expect God to. People in our flocks will only mature to the level that we help them obtain (this is the Great Commission, mind you: “teaching them to obey, all that I commanded...").

    Sheep bite. That is what the “rod and staff” are for! Not in an “angry, I’m Moses, hear me roar” type of way, but loving, yet firm correction. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.... Better is an open rebuke, then love concealed.”

    I am amazed at the years some people have been in “church” but yet they lack maturity. And it is not just THEIR fault. We have been given the mandate to disciple them. That means “cutting” on them. The one who desires to grow, will welcome the pruning. The ones who just want to cast stones with no consequences will leave… and we will be the better for it.

    3. We do need to stop the division between “Clergy and Laity.” It doesn’t exist in the Bible. Yes, some may be “fulltime” in the sense of “pay”, but everyone should be a “minister.” To much pressure is being expected and exerted on those who are “paid staff” to do the work of the ministry, when in fact they are supposed to be equipping the congregation for the “works of service.”

    4. Lastly, people who are in ministry need to learn to take sabaticals! I have been in “fulltime” ministry for 18 years (many of those being bi-vocational) and about 12 years into it was about to fall apart. Ministry is taxing. It can be a downfall if you let it. But YOU have the CHOICE. God designed the Sabbath rest (and not just once a week)!

    Look at what he required of Israel, every 7 years. TAKE A BREAK!!!

    Life and ministry will go on without you. I took a 2 year Sabatical that helped keep my marriage strong and brought me back into ministry with a renewed vision, focus and zeal!

    The gifts and callings of God are without repentance. But you can minister and NOT have to be in a staff position. But don’t give up on “fulltime ministry” either.

    Strike the balance…

    And remember, love never fails. Jesus called us to bless those who curse us. Pray for those who persecute us. Love the unlovable and wash the feet of those who would deny, abandon and betray you. That is the love of Christ!

  • Posted by

    I too, was a full time pastor that left the church.  I was called by God to get into the ministry.  I am a single father of a boy that I adopted back in the mid 90’s.  The first church that I served was absolutely wonderful.  We loved serving in that church and was definitely energized by the Holy Spirit.  We moved to a new church in Texas and was told that our salary would be a certain amount.  When we moved there we were totally surprised to learn that the salary was less than half what they promised.  I am not talking just a little bit but an amount that was very difficult on us.  We had to live on $750 a month!  This was at a time that my son grew 10 inches in one year!  I was going to school which was 45 miles away and had to pay my own travel, books, schooling, etc.  I was not allowed to get a part time job on the side to help with expenses. The church did not have good relations with the one other church in town. In fact, one of the elders of the church made a comment that we would not have an Easter service with “that other church” as long as he was a member of the church.  This was the mindset of the church!  I prayed and prayed over this.  After one year my son and I moved back to Illinois.  I often asked myself “why?” How could God allow this to happen to me. I went into great debt as a result of the very low pay.  The one thing that gives me hope is Jesus!  The church grew by one person while I was there (this in a town of 100 people). It was that one person that makes me believe that God had a reason for us moving down there.  She was saved as a result of me visiting her at her home.  I do not know what God has planned for her in her life but I do know that God and His angels are rejoicing over her becoming born again!  The new church that we served started out fine enough and after some time passed, the backstabbing occurred.  My son became the target of the church.  Not the whole church, mind you, but the church elders and leaders.  They would scrutinize everything he did.  They would talk about him. They would deride him to such a hateful level.  I love my son with all my heart and he has a wonderful heart for God. He wants to open a camp for abused and disadvantaged children (he came from a home where he was abused). I left the church because my son was being overly affected.  We talked about it to great extent and it finally came down to where I did not want him to lose his heart for God and His Church. It has been 5 years now since I was a pastor.  My son loves God with all his heart. He is now married with a wonderful wife that I love so much and they also have a beautiful son that is 9 months old.  I am still single but God has given me the greatest family in the world!  I have still performed weddings and funerals.  I still have the same heart that I did in the church. I am an executive with a retail business and am loving it so much. People come up to me and want to know what is different about me.  They like that I am not a backstabber, that I do not cuss and that I genuinely care for people.  God called me into the ministry. He puts us where it is best for us to be. The man who put up the blog was speaking from his heart. This is not the place to question his integrity as a Christian. Because we do not know what plan God has for him or for any of us. You have heard the phrase “preaching to the choir?” I think you will find that the preaching is much better when done to those who truly want to hear what you have to say. We are all to be ministers for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  If we judge people by how they react within the church walls to pressure, then we need to ask God to forgive us for judging others.  My hope for all people, those that I have had the pleasure of serving and those that I have not yet met, that they would all come to love Jesus and would walk with Him. May God bless you all. If you would like to talk please feel free to email me. I would be happy to pray for anyone!  have a great day in the Lord!

  • Posted by

    I’ve read a good majority of the things in this article, including the comments of other ministers.  I would agree with most all of them.  However,I enjoyed pastoring a church more than life itself at times.  I find the problem to be that most Christians are very Pharisical, including some preachers.  Now understand what I’m saying.  Jesus not only healed the sick, saved the lost, and was the ultimate pastor of 12, he also fought the Pharisees with their legalisms.  My question is, who calls a man to preach and pastor a church.  Not the churches, but God does. There are many preachers, including myself, that have been put off to the side because of money problems, divorce, etc.  Divorce is what got me.  My wife comes in one day and said, “You weren’t a preacher when I married you and I’m not a pastor’s wife.” and she left.  Victim of circumstance pure and simple.  But for me and probably many others other in this situation, our ministry, as a pastor, is over simply because of a HUMAN mistake.  If we look at mistakes, then none of us are qualified to do anything for the Lord.  Being called to preach is the greatest blessing there is.  Yes, the man who talked about the criticisms, and the monitoring the pastor and expecting him not to fall is right.  There are a lot of church members, who call themselves Christians, who stand in judgment of preachers and don’t look at the lives they live theirselves.  In fact, they would blame their spirituality on the pastor and not take credit for their own failures or accomplishments.  Put the shoes on of a man who has the desire to pastor, but can’t because of a failed marriage.  If we all did, we would find ourselves looking and trying to find ways to get back into the ministry as a pastor or trying to help a pastor who is in this situation instead of judging him.  If you did, you could stop saying “I don’t want to do this anymore simply because of the people who judge me.” We should see the importance of the calling and put it above all.  I believe that when God calls us and we surrender to HIM, that He gives us strength to overcome failure, being talked about, etc.  Yes it hurts when people we love and cherish say negative things about us and our families when we pastor.  There is no denying that.  However, we need to be about God’s business and not worrying about what other people think or say.  I know that is very hard, because we know we are human even when our church members think we’re not or don’t seem to care.  However, the blessing of God overcome and out weigh anything men can do.  Thanks for the comments and articles.  They helped me see where I am going and make me wish even more that I could pastor again.  Ronnie

  • Posted by

    I am feeling now like Scott.  I am ready to 1) Find a new church, or 2) Take a leave of absence from the ministry. 

    I have been abused by parishioner, had unreal expectations laid upon me, been paid poorly (our giving is so low it is up in the air from week to week what my paycheck will be), had my character assassinated, and have been mocked and made fun of, etc., etc. 

    Through all of that I still want to be a pastor.  BUT, I realize now more than ever that GOD called me.  Paul told Timothy “fulfill your ministry.” It is MY ministry.  Not the churches.  They have no right to tell me how to do it.  That is between God and me.  I am a pastor (equipper).  I don’t change baby Christian diapers and wipe snotty noses.  Christians will either grow up or get out.  I have no time for patty cake, mamby pamby, nonsense.  If you need your hand held, go find a nanny.  I am NOT available 24/7 - that is the Holy Spirit’s job.  I am NOT a counselor.  Read your Bible.  My first question when people have problems is “are you tithing?” If not, they need to deal with sin first - come back after tithing for a year. 

    God is shaking up His church.  Some folks (THANK GOD!!!) are going to get shook out.  I firmly believe we will be surprised at how many we thought would be in heaven will not be there. 

    Is all this harsh?  Yes.  Sheep need less lovin’ and more beatin’ with the rod.  The need correction, rebuke, and exhortation.  The day of “nice pastor” is over. 

    Men and women of God.  Get real.  Get the rod.  Go to work!!!

  • Posted by

    “Pastor, you look a bit dejected today. Is something wrong?”

    You bet there’s something wrong! The hosts of hell have mounted an all-out assault upon the servants of God. If the inquirer only knew just how much is wrong. But the pastor, brave soul that he is, shrugs it off with the reply, “Oh, nothing much. Just tired today, I guess.”

    My experience has been that most pastors don’t feel at liberty to bare their own soul with those who ask. You see, pastors are supposed to be strong, “on top of it,” always positve. You can’t spoil the image - you know. And so, Brother Pastor struggles bravely on, with a big grin on his face . . . but big frown in his heart.

    Make no mistake about it, the ‘ole devil and his army is out to bring us down. We are a target of their hatred, these infernal powers of darkness.

    Even Paul was hindered by Satan as he pursued his work for the Lord (1 Thess. 2:18), and he suffered physical pain because of this “thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan” (2 Cor. 12:7).

    In his masterful exposure of demonic schemes, he warned us that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but . . . against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12).

    We need to keep in mind that our trials and distresses, as servants of God, are not of human origin. Our conflict is not primarily with Mrs. Whatnow or Deacon Youdidwhat, but it is with a tremendously powerful supernatural being whose entire time and attention is devoted to disrupting God’s work. The pastor is a number one target for the devil and his forces of evil.

    We are warned that we ought not to be “ignorant of his devices” (2 Cor. 2:11). It is sometimes difficult to recognize the hand of Satan. Things that happen seem so natural, so “human” and so expainable. But there is a sinister mastermind behind those events that threaten the peace and effectiveness of the shepherd of God.

    Let me encourage you guys to stick to the stuff and not let the devil win. Keep your eyes on Jesus and let Him take care of the enemies.

  • Posted by bernie dehler

    Pastor Art said:
    “Is all this harsh? Yes. Sheep need less lovin’ and more beatin’ with the rod. The need correction, rebuke, and exhortation. The day of “nice pastor” is over.”

    Pastor, I think you are going down the wrong road, likely doing more damage than good to your local body of Christ.  One of the main tasks for a Pastor is being a nurturer.

    Is Jesus your role model?  Try acting like Him.  He was the harshest with those in the “religion field” and industry.  Be like Jesus-- teaching, leading, building-up.  Correction may be needed, but your post makes it look like it is your focus… bent on revenge or something… getting even...?

    A suggestion, have you read the book “The Five Love Langages?” Sounds like you may need to be introduced more into the way of love.  It has transformed my life, so I hope you know the material.

    See:
    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1881273156/qid=1114035141/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/104-5736630-7093557?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

    ...Bernie
    http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/247

  • Posted by

    “Pastor” Art:

    It’s time for your meds!

    8-)

  • Posted by

    Wow!  It’s wonderful for people to have a place to vent a little, but sad that this experience is so widespread.  I’ve been through it in a couple of different ways; I’m a PK, and my dad left the ministry for a few years so my parents could work on their marriage; he’s back in and things are better, but the ‘same old’ is creeping back again.  And my husband is a staff member at our church, and is struggling with his calling after being railroaded by members of his ministry team and left defenseless by our pastor.  Through his whole experience, he felt unable to defend his ministry and his efforts (even his personality!) both because he felt he had to rise above the situation and because our pastor’s response (once making a list of all the complaints - in front of the complainants!) gave him no standing.  Their attacks made him seriously consider whether God had even gifted him for this position.
    The frustrating part is that often it’s only a select group of people who are making things miserable.  And sorry, but even taking everything to Jesus doesn’t prevent us from having very human feelings.  While we do want to please God rather than men, it makes things tricky when those ‘men’ write the paycheck that supports your family (it does matter, as much as we’d like to think it doesn’t). 
    Complicating our situation is that our pastor feels pressured to ‘keep people happy’ as our denomination appoints heads who decide when to move the pastors - often for numbers or financial issues.  So when people leave mad, he gets nervous. 
    Support is the main issue here - I think God understands that we need human support sometimes in addition to support through prayer.

  • Posted by

    Good! And he is right on all points. jesus would say, “I’ve been there, I’ve felt the pain you feel, I’ve been there. I’m acquainted with your trials. So when your going through the valley of the heartache once again, you’re only going where I’ve already been, I’ve been there.”

    The trouble is that when you go back to the nets as Peter said, you will find that the world is no different. They inspect, intrud, prod and punch there too. Now you will have to add to that the Lord chasing you back to where He placed you, or at least that is what Jonah would say.

    We have all been there and some are there now. The path is a lonely one until you say, this is who I am and what I am if I meet your needs great if not there is always other churches to help you! Having done all to stand...Stand!

  • Posted by

    like most folks i read most of the comments/my family and i were missionaries to indonesia and the philippines/then came back to the states and started a church/all-in-all we were in the ministry for 25 years/gospel singers/radio talk show host/as the others we have felt the glory and the pain/i join the group of the moral failures/i am presently employed as a deputy sheriff so really the ministry is not so bad from this perspective/i would like to get back in a ministry/i made more money in the minstry and i am better trained for that “calling”. but as every one knows the saints can be reinstated but it is a hard road for a fallen minister/as all the responders know we are in an entirely different social arena than ever before/pressure on every side and also a change in mentality from the former days of pastoring/i agree with the writer and with the responders/ i myself was not as wounded as my wife and children were in the ministry and also by me/anyway i have my resume on the web and if i were contacted by a church i would respond/i do know that my ministry would be far different than it was before/thanks for the oppertunity to vent

  • Posted by Jay Wegter

    Pastor Jay Wegter says:

    Committed Christians are leaving churches because the corporate institutional model represents and increasing departure from N.T. apostalic Christianity.  A fellow pastor and myself have penned some observations on what would be necessary to escape the institutional approach.

    Thoughts on Church Renewal

    By Jay Wegter and Massimo Lorenzini

    The Need for a Grace Awakening
    So many churches need a “grace awakening.” They are stuck in maintenance mode—the congregation is coasting along on the pastor’s energy. Here is a typical way a church gets into this religious rut: A church calls a new pastor. Both the congregation and the pastor enter into the relationship with excitement and hope for the future. The new pastor experiences an initial “honeymoon” in which his faults are overlooked. The congregation enthusiastically pledges their loyalty to him. They then settle back and bask in his radiant heat as he burns himself up for them.

    The new pastor may find it superficially rewarding to operate as a “source person” who brokers the glory of God to the people. If he is not careful, his ego receives a power boost by the way the church looks to him as the professional answer-man who doles out the revelation of God. If he is a man of vision, he enjoys the newfound influence he has to lead the church. But after the first year, his happy delusions melt away as he discovers the spiritual deadness of the people. Instead of unleashing the congregation, he finds that they are operating in a parasitic fashion of dependency upon Him. They are draining him dry.  He’s an unwilling “pope” to them—a vicar of Christ, a figurehead in whom they take pride. He knows something is not right, but he can’t put his finger on it.

    Without a grace awakening, they will be unable to give back to God, their pastor, or one another.  They are operating upon reflected glory, similar to those who gazed at Moses’ glowing face after he descended the holy mountain with the law of God (Ex 34:29-35). But they themselves are not in the habit of regularly beholding the glory of Christ in the gospel. They are not daily drawing their spiritual life directly from Christ in personal communion with Him.

    In a grace awakening the congregation will begin to fix their sight on Christ and what He has done for them in redeeming them by grace. As they grow in their personal knowledge of the Son of God by the Spirit of God through the Word of God, they will be eager to follow Christ in discipleship and ministry. They will become team players alongside the pastor rather than being mere spectators sitting on the sidelines watching the ministry of the pastor. They will no longer be content to accept the ministry of their pastor as a substitute for their own ministry within and through the body.

    The Lost Spiritual Discipline of Meditation
    The majority of church members today have not learned to go to their Savior directly by meditation, worship, and adoration. Lest we forget, meditation is a godly discipline that is resisted by our natural faculties. Our cognitive faculties are dialed into sensual stimuli. As our media-saturated culture becomes more and more visually stimulated by man-made fantasies, it becomes increasingly difficult to tune our hearts into the invisible truths of the gospel. It is work to have the eyes of the heart opened fully wide to behold by faith unseen spiritual certainties. But the labor of meditation is necessary if our souls are to be ravished by the sight of our wealth in the Son of God. (the remainder of the article can be read at http://www.thegospelforlife.org under the section of articles titled church renewal.)

    Sincerely,
    Pastor Jay Wegter

  • Posted by

    Hey Rusty just wanted to say enjoyed your post especially “The trouble is that when you go back to the nets as Peter said, you will find that the world is no different. They inspect, intrud, prod and punch there too. Now you will have to add to that the Lord chasing you back to where He placed you, or at least that is what Jonah would say.”

    It put a smile on my face and made me say one hearty AMEN!

  • Posted by

    Pastor Art,
    What are you talking about?  Get the rod?  Beat the people?  I hate it when people on this blog put others down, however, you need to pray for God to change your heart. 
    You should consider leaving the ministry for I fear you have lost your love for the sheep under you care. 
    I mean are you serious?  Tell me you were joking a little bit.  Where is the compassion for the people?

  • Posted by Stop and Think

    Great question… here are my top answers:
    1. they get fired.
    2. they don’t raise enough money in the offering.
    3. They spend to much time preaching the Bible and not enough time making people feel better.

  • Posted by

    I’d suggest that pastors read “Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome” by Kent Hughes, pastor of College Church in Wheaton, IL.

    I appreciate the good thoughts expressed here.

  • Posted by

    Wow! Some good stuff. We have been out of “The Ministry” for 3 years. A wilderness brought on by much of what this brother shared.But for some reason I am asking God to get me ‘Back in the Fight!” I am working as a banker full time, painting houses like I have for 15 years, and doing some pulpit supply. I still stuggle to provide for my family and would definately advice younger seminarians to have a good Trade or vocation to fall back on when you get tossed from a church. Some of the problem is with us and our lack of Holy Spirit filled living. We need to focus on our wives & children & be an example in the Word & Prayer, daily walking with God. One pastor use to say to me “If you can do anything else vocationally, Other than ministry, then do it!” If you can’t then you know you are Called! Jesus said, “Follow Me...: Matt 4:17. That is all I am trying to do right now…
    jc, Phil 1:6 Read the Hymns “Our Great Savior” & “What a Friend we have in Jesus”

  • Posted by Cory

    I left the parish ministry almost twenty years ago for a lot of the same reasons mentioned by Scott. 

    I ended up doing retail management, not exactly a haven for sanity or good behavior on the part of customers or amployees.  But, when asked why I was in management, I often said that the church was a far more difficult occupation.  Mean customers come and go, but they do not plant themselves as a group in front of you once a week, and they do not control your income. 

    Having developed some better boundaries over the years, and the Customer Service Head Tilt, I would probably find some sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in pastoring a local church.  But the memories linger of a church board who met behind my back while I was vacation, only to meet me with a self-styled “review,” a polite term for an attack on me personally that sealed the deal for me to move on with my life

  • Posted by

    “What are you talking about? Get the rod? Beat the people? I hate it when people on this blog put others down, however, you need to pray for God to change your heart.
    You should consider leaving the ministry for I fear you have lost your love for the sheep under you care.
    I mean are you serious? Tell me you were joking a little bit. Where is the compassion for the people?”

    Yes, some of it was biting sarcasm, but the reality is I believe churches and Christians today need less lovin’ from the pastor, and more correction.  Christianity in America is fed by the consumer Gospel of “what have you done for me lately,” and this desperately needs to be corrected.  There is rampant bad theology.  Overwhelming unrealistic expectations put upon a pastor.  And I know this isn’t popular to say here, but when a sheep bites you have to take the rod to it.  Sheep need to know that attacking the shepherd (or other sheep for that matter) won’t be tolerated.  Leadership in our churches need to be firm about this because if the shepherd leaves the sheep scatter.  I would rather lose a few sheep than see the entire flock hurt.  THAT is real love for the people.

  • Posted by

    Just remember that the Apostle Paul was thought by some people to be a failure. They criticized his ministry and even denied his apostleship. But his response was, “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment . . . He that judgeth me is the Lord” (1 Corinthians 4:3,4).

    The next time any of you men, who have truly been called of God to be a minister of the Gospel, feel like you are a failure in the ministry—ask yourself the question: By whose standards? Yours? Others? or God’s?

    Many times our judgments of what we’re doing for the Lord are made upon standards other than divine ones. If some of the characters in God’s Word had been judged by such standards, they would definitely be considered failures today. I mean you think of Noah, he preached for 120 years with little results.

    I remember hearing the story of the great preacher, H.A. Ironside, who stood dejected at the front of the church where he had preached a powerful gospel message with no outward response. A mature believer noticed the discouraged preacher and said, “Remember, Harry, that the harvest is at the end of the world, not the end of the meeting.”

    We need to keep in mind that it is not our mission down here on earth to “succeed” except as we succeed in lifting up the name of Jesus.

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