Before You Quit the Ministry: Learning to Count Like Jesus.

Before You Quit the Ministry: Learning to Count Like Jesus. Some helpful biblical instruction from Pastor Mathis.

We have over two hundred pastors in this room, and if Barna’s recent report is accurate, then about 85 of you considered quitting in the last twelve months. This past March, Barna’s survey on pastoral confidence and vocational satisfaction reported that 41 percent of the pastors they queried thought about walking away in the last year. That was down 1 percent from 2022, which was up 13 percent from 2021.

But most of us don’t need survey numbers to know that these last few years have been hard times to be a pastor and to endure in the challenges of pastoral ministry. And in such times, Philippians is a great choice for a pastors’ conference.  In particular, I love the pairing of “the epistle of joy” with this theme of endurance. Paul wrote while enduring incarceration, and he wrote to a church enduring opposition. And yet Philippians is known for radiating with joy. No other epistle, and maybe no other biblical book, shines so brightly with so many explicit mentions of joy and rejoicing and gladness in such short space. So we are set up very wisely and wonderfully for illuminating both this theme and this letter, and for learning to count the joys of ministry, not just the costs.

Unity, Humility, and Joy:  Chapter 2 continues the focus on unity begun in Philippians 1:27, with exhortations to unity within the church (verses 1–2, 14–16), and humility in the soul (verses 3–4), and with four personal examples.

Verses 1–2 extend the charge to unity, and verses 3–4 commend humility as the channel to such unity. And the Philippians are not on their own to obey, but God himself is at work in them (verses 12–13) to humble themselves, and so, in the face of external opposition, to strive side by side for the gospel, not against each other.  For the Philippian church, opposition was not new. Acts 16 tells us how quickly persecution followed on the heels of the gospel first coming to Philippi. Paul cast the spirit out of a slave girl, and he and Silas were soon beaten with rods and imprisoned. What’s new, and newly threatening, is that Paul has heard of some emerging divisions inside this local church. So Paul, imprisoned again, now in Rome, writes with the burden that the Philippians freshly seek unity and humility, and follow four tangible examples of humble, joyful endurance.

Chapter 2 is wonderfully concrete with these four personal examples: Timothy and Epaphroditus in verses 19–30, and Christ himself in verses 5–11 — which is the heart of the chapter and the Christian faith. And it’s where we’ll focus in this session, and see not only that Jesus endured but ask how. And there’s a sneaky fourth personal example, Paul himself, in verse 17.

If we try to capture Paul’s essential structure in this chapter of exhortations and examples to a church newly encountering tensions within, perhaps it would go like this: pursue (1) unity in the gospel, (2) through humility in your minds, (3) learning foremost from Jesus’s enduring to the cross. So: unity in the gospel, through humility of mind, like Christ at the cross..."

“...In pastoral ministry, unity, not conflict, is our long game. We’re not angling for conflict. We angle for real peace and unity in the gospel. Our calling is not to spoil the peace, but to pursue true peace, -even when- it requires tension and conflict to get there. At heart, pastors are peacemakers, not troublemakers. And we sometimes (if not often) discover trouble that regretfully requires more trouble, in order to pursue true unity and, in the end, have less trouble. But we don’t delight in trouble. Nor do we seek to add unnecessary trouble to the sad amount of necessary trouble we already have in this age. Rather, we delight to be unified in the gospel — and unity in the gospel is precious enough that we’re willing to endure intermediate tensions and conflicts along the path to peace and unity.

Which presents us as pastors with countless needs and challenges for wisdom. We need to know when to handle challenges to gospel unity with one-time private conversations, and when to give trouble more extended private attention, and when to address trouble with public attention in some form, as in a sermon or sermon series, or in a congressional letter, or via church meetings.

In other words, how much attention do we give to sin and error and for how long? These are some of the most difficult challenges in pastoral ministry. And this is why plurality in leadership is so important and precious. Alone, none of us makes such decisions perfectly. We need a team of brothers to help discern what challenges in our own congregation to unity in the truth are worthy of our attention, and how much attention, and for how long.

And is this unity uniformity? Twice verse 2 says to be “of the same mind” and “of one mind.” We might call it like-mindedness, a shared perspective or cast of mind. It doesn’t mean sameness, that everybody believes all the same things about all the same things, but that at the heart, and in the end, there is a like-mindedness in what matters most..."

"So, we are not afraid of relational tensions in ministry, and we check ourselves to make sure that our part in those tensions is owing to the long game of unity, not division, and especially those divisions that stem from selfish ambition and conceit….

Adversity, Betrayal and Christian Ministry

Few things in life are more painful than personal betrayal.  I have found that those who have experienced ministry mutinies first hand are far more sympathetic than those who have not endured a Psalm 55:12-14 experience.  The following quotes by D.A. Carson and Spurgeon are quite insightful:  "One is not long in ministry before one observes some curates, assistant ministers- whatever a particular denomination labels them- subtly trying to undermine their senior minister, wickedly trying to assume power, covering the operation with a gauze of pious verbiage and a veneer of humility." D.A. Carson.

C. H. Spurgeon, "Ten years of toil do not take so much life out of us as we lose in a few hours by Ahithophel the traitor, or Demas the apostate."

"Expect To Be Misunderstood, Misrepresented, Belied, Ridiculed..."

Charles Spurgeon's advice to faithful ministers of the gospel.  "Expect to be misunderstood, misrepresented, belied, ridiculed, and so forth; for so was the Sent of the Father....As the Father sent His Son into a world which was sure to treat him ill, so has he sent you into the same world, which will treat you in the same manner if you are like Christ."

...."For my part, I am quite willing to be eaten of dogs for the next fifty years; but the more distant future shall vindicate me. I have dealt honestly before the living God."

Monday Blues: Never Resign on a Monday!

This article was written by Pastor Tom Ascol and was originally posted on the Founders website.  Used with permission.

"It’s common wisdom among pastors that no important decision should be made on a Monday. Especially a Monday morning. The nature of pastoral work causes the Lord’s Day to be a day that typically requires a great expenditure of physical, emotional and spiritual energy for a man who gives himself to regular pastoral preaching. Standing before a church that is gathered together with unbelievers, knowing that they expect and need to hear the Word of God accurately and helpfully proclaimed is a weighty responsibility. Preaching is spiritual warfare and it is a rare Lord’s Day that I do not go home painfully aware of the attacks of our enemy that have come before, during and after my efforts in preaching. I suspect that most preachers know something of what I am talking about.

The result is that most pastors are not at their fighting best on Mondays. I have probably resigned my pastorate a hundred times in my mind…on Mondays. Fortunately, it only takes a little experience to recognize this pattern and to guard against putting too much stock in Monday-morning contemplations of life-decisions.

The Ultimate Measure of a Man

What is generally true concerning all men is especially true of pastor-shepherds.  The worth of a soldier (Christian/pastor) is not determined during times of peace but is proven during times of (spiritual) conflict.

Acts 16:13, "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."

Live in Light of Eternity

photo credit: hvchurch.com

And Jesus was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself.  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:23-26)

"The sands of time are sinking" and "the dawn of heaven breaks." 

Therefore, "I have born scorn and hatred, I have born wrong and shame,
Earth's proud ones have reproach'd me, for Christ's thrice-blessed name.
Dark, dark dark hath been the midnight, but dayspring is at hand,
And glory, glory dwelleth in Immanuel's land." (Anne Ross Cousin, 1857).

 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them,  and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.  And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." (Rev. 21:3-5)

 

Don't Be a Fair Weather Christian

"It is a poor faith which can only trust God when friends are true, the body full of health, and the business profitable; but that is true faith which holds by the Lord's faithfulness when friends are gone, when the body is sick, when spirits are depressed, and the light of our Father's countenance is hidden. A faith which can say, in the direst trouble, 'Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him,' is heaven-born faith."   Charles Spurgeon

"Therefore, We Do Not Lose Heart...(Don't Give Up)!"

Having observed the American church for most of my life as a pastor's kid and upon completing my first decade of pastoral ministry I have learned that most shepherd-leaders face far more attacks from "worldly Christians" then they ever do from the outside world.  The epistle of 2 Corinthians is case and point.  If I am being honest with you however it is only recently that I have come to appreciate the pathos of this glorious letter.  Sure I understood Paul was "depressed" and that his ministry in Corinth had come under heavy fire from within but I did not understand why this fearless leader was so discouraged and heartbroken. What gives Paul?  Weren't you the apostle who told others to, "Act like men and to be strong and courageous(1 Cor. 16:13)?!?"  Why then did you retreat from Corinth like a puppy dog with his tail between his legs (2 Cor.1:23-2:4)?  How come you sent someone else to interact with the congregation on your behalf?   That does not sound very manly.   Why so many tears (2 Cor. 2:4; 12:19-21)?  Do you think you have it worse off then Jeremiah, besides, haven't you endured much greater suffering than this?  If you were actively trusting in Christ than why did you still "have no rest in your spirit? (2. Cor 2:13; 7:5-6)?  Why do you appear to threaten this immature and fleshly congregation of what will happen if they don't repent, submit, and make things right (1 Cor. 4:21; 2 Cor. 13:10)?  Isn't this approach a little heavy-handed and/or domineering?  And why do you invest so much ink talking about all the things "you have endured for sake of God's elect" (2 Cor. 4:8-18; 2 Tim. 2:10)?  Isn't your list of what you've been through in 2 Corinthians 11 a little "self-serving?"  Finally, why are you even defending the integrity of your ministry and the validity of your apostolic authority (2 Cor. 11:1-12:21)?  Shouldn't ministers of the New Covenant just be faithful and leave our reputations and ministries in God's hands?   Suffice it to say, it took over twenty years for me to understand and appreciate the agony of Paul as expressed in the raw letter of 2 Corinthians.  Experience is often a wonderful teacher (painful as she sometimes is).

A Retrospective Analysis of the First Ten Years

The past decade of pastoral ministry has been very sanctifying and for that I thank the Lord (Rom. 8:28-30).  In faith I am holding on to the promise of Philippians 1:6.  "Who I am is in between of who I want to be and what I am." I am highlighting of course the already/not yet component of sanctification/glorification (note Rom. 6-7).  As I have said before, I had no idea how challenging church revitalization would be when I graduated from seminary back in 2005.  That one would have to be willing to suffer loss of health, reputation, friendships, and worldly success/accolades in effort to build Christ's church God's way (2 Tim. 2; 3:12).   Surely this battering accounts for some of the staggering numbers related to the high dropout rate among ministers.

I humbly admit that I also did not realize how much my sinful flesh desired the approval of men.  Part of my internal agony and pastoral burden over the years is a reflection of how I wanted both the favor of God and the applause of men.   In other words, if a shepherd is trying to establish a Word-driven ministry (from top to bottom) he will find out rather quickly that their are many occasions when you cannot "have your cake and eat it too."   A reoccurring test that I have encountered during the first decade of pastoral ministry is this: What's more important, biblical fidelity and the approval of God, or nickels and noses?  Am I more interested in building a pure church that is truly Christ-centered or in telling people that I pastor a large and "successful" church?

Desperate Times Call For _____________________

The High Dropout Rate Among Ministers: An Analysis.

Here is a dropout rate churches don’t talk about?

"50% of pastors do not last 5 years & only 10% will retire as pastors.

Maybe we should talk about this?" (per @jaredcwilson)

I can think of three factors that contribute to this very sad statistic:

1) Many men who drop out of the ministry were never truly called to begin with.

Let's not make this first point more complicated than it needs to be.   When the going gets tough, 'hired hands' typically find something easier to do.  For some it means going back to school, working as a postman, or doing landscaping the rest of one's life.  Anything other than the pastorate.

As the Shepherd par excellence, Jesus put it this way in John 10:11-13. "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.  "He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them. "He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep.

Missionary David Brainerd's Helpful Perspective

Maintaining the right perspective in life and in pastoral ministry is very important (note 2 Corinthians 4:16-18).   This is one of the reasons why studying Church history and why reading Christian biographies is so helpful.

Consider for example this helpful quote by David Brainerd.  "It is good for me to have endured these trials and have seen little to no success."

This reminds me of the Psalmist in Psalm 119:71, "It was good for me that I was afflicted that I might learn your statutes."  

During seasons of life when disappointments seem to mount and where little ministry fruit is found it is good to recite songs like "Be Still My Soul."  I have recently enjoyed this contemporary version of the classic hymn,"Be Still, My Soul."

1. Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul; thy best, thy heavenly, Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

2. Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

3. Be still, my soul, though dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears;
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrows and thy fears.
Be still, my soul; thy Jesus can repay
From His own fulness all He takes away.

4. Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul; when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Biblical Exhortations For Battered Pastors (pt. 5)

In this, my final post in the series, I (Todd Pruitt) am picking up where I left off in part 4...

4. Devote time to reading works by and about battered pastors.

All pastors need companions. This is especially true for the battered pastor who, out of a sense of shame, will draw inward into isolation. It is in those times when he needs to know he is not alone. Devote time to reading the accounts of pastors who experienced great pain but nevertheless endured. We need the stories of these men who persevered. Specifically, we need the stories of those pastors who endured through personal attacks, betrayals, and unrelenting criticism and slander.

Become acquainted with the following works:

The Roots of Endurance by John Piper - When I was undergoing my own experience as a battered pastor, this book became a very good friend. The chapter on Charles Simeon is well worn. Also you will want to listen (over and over) to Dr. Piper's outstanding biographical addresses on Charles Simeon and Charles Spurgeon. They are a wealth of sober thinking and encouragement.

The Full Harvest by Charles Spurgeon - The pastor of London's Metropolitan Tabernacle goes into excruciating detail about the terrible slanders leveled against him. He was battered by outsiders in the press, doctrinal compromisers within his denomination, physical maladies, and a tragic event which haunted him until the day he died.

Lectures to My Students by Charles Spurgeon - The chapter entitled "The Minister's Fainting Fits" is worth the price of the book.

New Life in the Wasteland by Douglas Kelly - This little exposition of 2 Corinthians pays special attention to Paul's sufferings as a pastor. Highly Recommended.

5. Shun self-protection.

A Faithful Flock that Perseveres!

I originally began publishing this new blog in order to highlight the triumphs and tribulations of church revitalization ministry.  Along the way I have tried to magnify the unchanging character of God.  God is good and He does good.  To Him alone belongs the highest praise!

Because this blog is very much a work in progress there are still many important stories that need to be published.  Some of these chapters have not yet unfolded and many others are simply waiting to be told.  The following is one of many posts that is long overdue:  One of the major ingredients of every successful reformation story is a faithful flock that perseveres.  If the Spirit of God calls a man of God to come and faithfully preach the Word of God there must be an eager congregation that is willing to receive the inerrant Word and to do the work of ministry.  Effective ministry is always a team effort (see my exposition of Colossians 4:7-9).

God must raise up, add to, and/or preserve a faithful remnant that will continue to press on in the midst of various setbacks.  This is true of any local church but is especially true in reformation contexts.  Most revitalization efforts take many, many years before they begin to fully blossom (note for example the pre-reformation Reformers) and herein lies the problem.  Because we live in a "microwave society" it is not uncommon for church members to grow impatient and/or to become frustrated with what has not yet come to be.  Some of these friends eventually set sail for bluer waters.  This is no doubt one of the most discouraging realities of reformation ministry for leaders and laity alike.

Let's return our thoughts a final time upon the faithful flock that perseveres.  In one of my very first posts I wrote this, "It needs to be said at the onset that some of the believers who were apart of this ministry for many, many decades are true saints of the highest order.  These faithful believers had been praying for reformation and revival long before I ever arrived.  Their piety and prayers combined with the steadfast courage of a group of layman is the human reason why this local church now stands strong in the Lord."

During the past many years of ministry trials and God-sent triumphs our entire church has been purged in the Lord's holy fire.  I have been honest about the dross that has been removed and the gold that has been refined along the way.  What I have not emphasized enough are the faithful believers who have patiently endured this season of gospel maturation.  In the Lord's kindness He has preserved a number of long time FBC members (Christian servants) and has added a number of crucial like-minded saints along the way.  This faithful flock has chosen to patiently endure trials of various kinds in order to become the kind of church the Lord loves to bless (see Revelation 2-3; Acts 2:42).

Despite our many wrinkles and warts I humbly believe that FBC Freeport has become the most Bible-driven, grace-exalting, Christ-focused local church in Stephenson County.  I write all of this to the praise of His glorious grace!!!  Ephesians 3:20-21; Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.