Over the last few weeks, I have been reaching out to pastors with the question “How can I pray for you?” For the most part, it has been well received. Some never responded. Thanks to Facebook Messenger, I know that they read the message. I was pretty relentless in my pursuits some days to message up to 5 pastors to get one to respond with a prayer request.
This confirmed to me that some pastors are reluctant to open up. They have difficult trusting people, even other pastors. Believe it or not, pastors can be vicious toward each other. Ministry can become a competition where one pastor trashes another pastor to his church and community. In a small community like where I reside, it takes very little to ruin a person’s reputation. They may have done nothing wrong, but one person’s reaction that stems from bitterness can be believable. Soon it spreads like a cancer. No wonder some pastors don’t feel like they have a safe place anywhere.
At this stage of my life, I’m not too concerned with how my ministry to other pastors is perceived or received. Matthew 10 tells us that there are times when you have to shake the dust off your feet and move on.
I’m determined to fulfill my God-given mission no matter what. In this transition, I still don’t know what that looks like. I feel like a fish out of water, but I hold fast to the reality that God will assign me to something that will accommodate the craziness of my life. Most churches won’t have me on staff because of my travels to pick up and drop off my kids. Who said I need to be on staff somewhere? Some churches won’t allow me behind their pulpit because I’m divorced. God can still use His Word and my mouth to proclaim it. It may be a little unconventional, but I trust God to open doors no one can shut.
I will tell you one thing that is on my heart right now. I have been on staff in churches where money was an issue. I would love to be able to provide some ministry to churches that do not have the resources but have the desire to be a biblical New Testament Church. I envision God making a way for me to provide training, pulpit ministry, worship resources, strategic planning, visionary direction, or whatever a church needs that doesn’t have the funds to do it. I don’t know what that will look like, but I know there are still some people and pastors out there who would love to have certain resources but can’t afford them. I would love for God to use me to help make it happen. Is it because I think I’m the answer? Absolutely not! It’s because I know the answer – the Lord Jesus Christ who wants them to be a shining light where they are.
Please pray for pastors as we wrap up this month of appreciation for them. Also, I ask that you pray for me that God would allow me to refresh the weary laborers who pour their lives into their congregations and communities.