{"id":752919,"date":"2021-08-03T05:00:20","date_gmt":"2021-08-03T10:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/?p=752919"},"modified":"2021-08-02T05:52:57","modified_gmt":"2021-08-02T10:52:57","slug":"10-reasons-ministry-pain-is-really-tough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/10-reasons-ministry-pain-is-really-tough\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Reasons Ministry Pain is Really Tough"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most of us who have done ministry for any length of time know the pain of this work. Sometimes it\u2019s gripping . . . ongoing . . . overwhelming. Here are some reasons why it is especially difficult pain:<\/span><\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> <\/span>We start ministry with excitement and joy, never thinking about the potential pain.<\/b> But, then it happens. It catches us off-guard, and we\u2019re not immediately sure what to do with it. Confusion compounds the pain.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. No one can adequately prepare us for the pain.<\/b> Veteran pastors, seminary professors, and good friends can share their experiences, but there\u2019s no way to describe the pain until you\u2019ve felt it. No way.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Sometimes it\u2019s good friends who bring the pain. <\/b>It really hurts when someone you love stabs you in the back. Losing a Christian friend\u2014particularly for unknown or unfounded reasons\u2014hurts.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. It often comes unexpectedly.<\/b> I still think about times when I thought our ministry was going quite well, only to be caught off guard by conflict and opposition. Not only does the pain hurt, but it then also feels like you\u2019ve missed something somewhere as a leader.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Our families often hurt more than we do.<\/b> That\u2019s because they sometimes hear more than we do through the grapevine, and they also naturally jump to our defense. Even when we might let go of the pain, our family may still struggle.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Some of the reasons\/causes for the pain are ludicrous.<\/b> I\u2019ve often said that we pastors could not make up some of the things we\u2019ve faced in ministry. I stand by that statement\u2014it\u2019s amazing what crazy things some church members will believe (and do).<\/span><\/p>\n

7. When pain robs us of our joy, we sometimes begin to question our calling . . . or whether we still want to fulfill that calling.<\/b> That is, the situation hits at the very core of who we are. Pain leads to questioning, confusion, and doubt.<\/span><\/p>\n

8. After too many episodes of pain, some of us begin to look for the next pain.<\/b> We\u2019re sure it will happen, and we don\u2019t want to be surprised\u2014so we operate with suspicion of anyone who doesn\u2019t seem to be on board. That\u2019s a terrible way to lead.<\/span><\/p>\n

9. Sometimes our pain reminds us of times when <\/b>we were wrongly the cause <\/i><\/b>of someone else\u2019s pain. <\/b>We want to let it go, but we still carry guilt over yesterday\u2019s actions. The enemy resurrects the situation in our minds, and we give him a stronghold.<\/span><\/p>\n

10. Many of us choose to carry the pain on our own. <\/b>We don\u2019t readily share with our spouses, lest they get angry and hurt, too. Nor do we typically talk with other pastors if we don\u2019t want them to see us struggling. Our isolation in the pain only compounds it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Church leaders, what would you add to this list? And, what do you do to avoid letting yesterday\u2019s pain consume you today?<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Most of us who have done ministry for any length of time know the pain of this work. Sometimes it\u2019s gripping . . . ongoing . . . overwhelming. Here are some reasons why it is especially difficult pain: 1. We start ministry with excitement and joy, never thinking about the potential pain. But, then…","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":752922,"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":[1,195,190,177,191],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-752919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church-answers","category-conflict-and-people-problems","category-family","category-lead","category-mind-body-and-spirit"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n10 Reasons Ministry Pain is Really Tough | Church Answers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Most of us who have done ministry for any length of time know the pain of this work. 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