PART TWO: THE CALL TO MINISTRY IS NOT A CAREER CHOICE.

Pastor, you have never been hired by a church.

Since 1998, I have served in eight churches—four as a Student Ministry Pastor and four as a Lead Pastor. I have preached, led, and have been called away from people I loved to start all over again at another church.

Search firms have recruited me. I have submitted résumés. I have sat through interviews—some long, some tense, some strange. I have had reference letters sent on my behalf, written by mentors and friends who knew me well. Four different times, I preached a sermon “in view of a call,” stood in front of a church, and waited for the vote to be counted. (Yes – just like American Idol except only one candidate…😊)

I was fired seven weeks into one Pastorate after uncovering financial corruption. I was forced out of another when a senior pastor reversed his succession plan. I have faced conflict, confusion, affirmation, rejection, silence, and celebration.

Yet through it all, my only employer has been my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God is the one who has called me to Pastor. God is the one who sends me to churches. God is the one who has placed my name on the hearts of committees, boards, and search teams. God is the one who has elevated my resume to the top of the stack among the hundreds of resumes and applications received.

I have sought to go where God has called me to go, stay where He has led me to stay and lead with wisdom in between.

And through every season, God has confirmed the call again and again.

PASTOR, YOU ARE NOT HIRED TO PREACH. YOU WERE ASSIGNED TO SHAPE THE CULTURE.

Most pastors learn this the hard way. You surrendered to God’s call to Pastor and think you will teach the Bible, love people, and care for the church for the rest of your days. And that is an important part, but not the whole assignment.

God places pastors in churches to shape culture.

He sends leaders—not just communicators.  And leaders are supposed to lead in such a way that the culture of the church begins to reflect the character of Jesus.

"Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did." - 1 John 2:6 (NLT)

The apostle John understood our calling is not to grow a church.  The goal is not to maintain activities.  The goal is not to increase the number of baptisms, programs, or giving units. 

Pastor, God assigned you to your church to lead them to become like Jesus, and the more people who do this, the more the culture is transformed.

And, transforming a culture will be your greatest challenge in ministry.  Because shaping a culture means you do not get to blend in.  At times, you will stick out like a sore thumb.  Transforming a culture means some will view you as the person who just doesn’t understand “how we do things around here.”

Listen to the words God spoke to Jeremiah…

YOU MUST NOT BECOME LIKE THEM. THEY MUST BECOME LIKE YOU.

"…If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you!" Jeremiah 15:19b (NLT)

Slow down. Read that verse again. 

These words can help explain why so many pastors feel lonely and out of place.

You love your church, but you feel like a stranger inside of it. You love your church, but you often wonder if that love is reciprocated.  You love your church, but you are frequently treated like an outsider. 

Trust me, friend, that is not a sign that you missed God’s call. That is an affirmation you are right where you are supposed to be.

God does not call pastors to blend in with the church. God doesn't want you to become like them. He calls pastors to shape the church. You were not sent to reflect the culture of your congregation. You were sent to lead them toward the character of Christ.

Your church will not drift toward health. You have to lead them.

So ask yourself, "If the people I pastor begin to live the way I do, would they become more like Jesus?"

If the answer is no, that is a problem.

But, if the answer is yes, then keep leading.

PASTOR, DO NOT FORGET WHY YOU ARE THERE.

You did not get the job because you were the best candidate. Trust me, there were people far more qualified, experienced, and more spiritually mature than you.  (They were also better looking. 😊) You are not serving the church because you had the right connections or because you preached your best sermon in view of a call. 

You are only there because God assigned you to serve Him, there.

And, you were sent to lead your church to reflect His character. A church that reflects the character of Jesus will create a culture that invites people to Jesus.

So, don’t turn in your resignation when the church is slow to follow. Don’t get discouraged when leadership feels more like sloshing through a muddy field that sucks your boots off as you trudge. That is part of the weight of leadership.

Pastor, please remember that you were not hired as a project manager to protect what already is and has been. You were assigned to lead people to what God wants next.

So lead.

NOW…A WORD TO THE VOTING CHURCH

In my experience, I can affirm that some people will only ever view the Pastor as a “hired hand.”  A customer service representative.  Pulpit supply.  A chaplain.  A preacher. An Interim.

But those people are few and far between. 

So, to the church who voted for your pastor…

Many of you prayed. You fasted. Some of you served on the search team. Some of you cast your ballot for the man God has called to serve as your Pastor.  God stirred your hearts. God directed your decision. God led you to Him. God answered your prayers.

Your Pastor will not get everything right. He will make decisions you do not always understand. But if you believe God placed him there, then trust the One who sent him.

Your Pastor is a man under assignment. And the same God who assigned him to your church is still working through him now.

Take care of him.

Pray for him.

Encourage him.

And, unless he is leading you away from developing the character of Jesus, follow his lead.

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