I fell into conversation yesterday with a friend of a friend, who began by asking me what church I went to, which precipitated a long debate about, among other things, full-time Christian work.
I’ve done it, and I was left with this impression: being a Christian whilst working for a church is like doing the long jump on the moon. The gravity is different. You go further and higher, but only in a rarified atmosphere, in a silly suit.
I said I’d rather see nobody paid to run a church full time. In my experience, the best times people have ever had in church are when they are between pastors. Why? Because people begin to take responsibility, and not abdicate it via a few notes in the collection to someone else. As the title of a book I dipped into recently goes, ‘Brothers, We Are Not Professionals.‘
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One response to “Being a Christian Whilst Working for a Church is Like Doing Long Jump on the Moon”
I’ve been employed as a minister for a while now. I too get convicted about being paid to do ministry. However my experience is not the same as yours. I’ve had awesome experiences with pastors for the church’s I have attended. They have taught me to pray, to listen, encouraged, instructed, laughed and cried with me. They have done this with humility and in the face of folk who have questioned their every move. I’ve connected with some better than with others but by in large my experience with pastors has been one that is positive. The times that the congregations I have been in have been between pastors has led not to responsible good times of fellowship but to bitter in fighting, lack luster attendence, and no central vision.
Once one gets normalized to the conditions of less gravity, rarified air and clumsy and silly space suits you find out that its the same old guy in there doing the long jumping. And he was either good at long jumping to begin with our not so much. He might also have excelled at measuring distances in the same conditions.
I began ministry because I discerned God called me to the vocation. It hasn’t always been a long glorious jump in less gravity. I’ve had days when I’ve been so discouraged that I didn’t think I could continue. In those times I’ve prayed for and even looked for something else that I could do. Without exception in those times of doubt I’ve been given an experience that has confirmed that what I am doing is what I was called to do. I remember that I am called to ministry no matter how critical that I am about it. So I continue to do what I’m called to do. And thats full time ministry.