{"id":732860,"date":"2021-02-01T20:41:26","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T02:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/?p=732860"},"modified":"2021-02-01T20:41:26","modified_gmt":"2021-02-02T02:41:26","slug":"8-things-to-do-when-you-wonder-if-ministrys-worth-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/8-things-to-do-when-you-wonder-if-ministrys-worth-it\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Things to Do When You Wonder if Ministry\u2019s Worth It"},"content":{"rendered":"

I heard a similar story again this past week. Another pastor was in a difficult situation in a difficult church. When you hear enough of these stories\u2014or more specifically, when you experience one\u2014you wonder if it\u2019s worth staying in ministry. If that\u2019s where you are, here are some suggestions:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Return to your calling.<\/b> No matter what we face today, it\u2019s usually hard to deny or ignore God\u2019s calling in the past. Go back to the beginning for encouragement.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Remember who the real enemy is<\/b>. It\u2019s not the flesh and blood people you\u2019re dealing with. They\u2019re sinners (perhaps, in some cases, in need of church discipline), but they\u2019re still not the enemy. That\u2019s Satan and his forces.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Find at least one supportive prayer partner.<\/b> Don\u2019t walk through anguish alone; let somebody kneel next to you and join you in seeking the Father. If you don\u2019t immediately have someone for this role, ask God to raise up someone for you.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Invite your spouse to share your pain.<\/b> Too often, we want to shield our spouse and family from our pain\u2014but our spouses generally want to bear the burden with us. They really do love us with an undying love.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Hold on to this truth: all churches are messy, but there <\/b>are <\/i><\/b>good churches out there<\/b>. Out of hundreds of thousands of churches in North America, some are at least healthier than others. If you\u2019re in a bad one, don\u2019t assume every church is equally problematic.<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Cling to past life-transforming moments through your ministry. <\/b>Ask God to help you see how He\u2019s used you in the past and is still using you today. Just one or two of these stories of God\u2019s hand will remind you that ministry\u2019s worth it.<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Recognize bitterness for the idol it is.<\/b> If you let bitterness consume you, you allow others to influence you negatively. Don\u2019t let your pain become an idol that hinders your walk with God.<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Prayerfully consider if the Lord\u2019s dislodging you from your current place of service.<\/b> He might be\u2014and sometimes He uses painful circumstances to move us in that direction. Seek His guidance.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If you\u2019re a church leader wondering today if ministry\u2019s worth it, you have many readers of this site who would love to pray for you. Let us know how we might pray.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I heard a similar story again this past week. Another pastor was in a difficult situation in a difficult church. When you hear enough of these stories\u2014or more specifically, when you experience one\u2014you wonder if it\u2019s worth staying in ministry. If that\u2019s where you are, here are some suggestions.","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":732861,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"publish_to_discourse":"0","publish_post_category":"1","wpdc_auto_publish_overridden":"","wpdc_topic_tags":"","wpdc_pin_topic":"","wpdc_pin_until":"","discourse_post_id":"","discourse_permalink":"","wpdc_publishing_response":"","wpdc_publishing_error":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[195,191],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-732860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conflict-and-people-problems","category-mind-body-and-spirit"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n8 Things to Do When You Wonder if Ministry\u2019s Worth It | Church Answers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I heard about another pastor in a difficult situation in a difficult church. 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