sides
Great discussion here about the nobility of ministry versus the reality of it.
I resonate with Mile20 on many points - the attrition rate for other professions may be just as high, at least what we do matters.
I also think that some churches just don’t get how to treat people in general, let alone their pastors. That makes everyone tense. Another thing - while I’m ranting - it humors me that if I walk into a doctors office or a lawyers office and try to tell them how to do their job - I’m seen as an arrogant, immature, pain in the rear.
Yet - if a lawyer or doctor walks up to me and trys to tell me how to do my job, he’s seen as a leader and man/woman of insight.
On the flip side - it takes a level of maturity to see through the crap to see God working. A level that most young ministers - me included - don’t have when the temperature is the hottest.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Mile20 // Nov 2, 2005 at 9:20 pm
As a non-minister, it can also be frustrating from this end. Seems the only way to keep a perspective is to learn to drop into the kingdom of heaven that is at hand and stay there as long as you can, and to get yourself a few other people that are striving to do the same and hang tight with them. It is from there that we have any sense of how to respond.
In my old church our pastor was being put through the Lutheran grinder (they have Grace beat!) and I remember a conversation I had with him. The church council was having fights over which parking lot to pave or some nonsense like that. I told him that they may try and stop him from spending money on his favorite parking lot but nobody was stopping him from spiritually ministering to people. Let’s let them fight it out and decide where to spend the money, and let’s get about the business of doing the kingdom work. Unfortunately, he didn’t and it caught up with him and he resigned.
Jesus seemed to go about the Father’s business in spite of the world.
Oppose, dismiss, and reach out.
2 Jerry // Nov 3, 2005 at 5:39 pm
Flag on the play: 10 yard penalty.
“..at least what we do matters.”
I hear this idea stated frequently as one reason why it is good to be doing “the Lord’s work.”
The implication is that working for a profit-based company is less spiritual because that only makes someone else rich.
All the work to which God calls us is meaningful, regardless of the profession.
Well, er, maybe except for the oldest profession…
3 Buggy-Buggy // Nov 3, 2005 at 6:21 pm
Jerry has a point. I learned from my mentor and still share with people in the public and private sector they are missionaries with a sponsor. If they are in the corporate world they are a missionary with a corporate sponsor. I have a friend who is a teacher. I’ve told her that she is a missionary to those children and their families with a public sponsor. Another friend is going to school on the GI Bill. I’ve told him that he is a missionary to the school with a government sponsor.
Never thought public, government, or corportate funds would be so involved in Kingdom work, but it is, eh?
4 jlo // Nov 3, 2005 at 11:46 pm
buggy-buggy and Jerry. Thanks for the reminder that we are all missionaries in different fields of work. I find that if I forget that, then my job becomes work and I don’t enjoy it. If I keep the focus that my job is a mission field, it allows me to enjoy what I do even when its not fun. I haven’t done such a great job at it lately, either. Thanks for the reminder.
Leave a Comment