{"id":857924,"date":"2025-10-09T05:00:42","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T10:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/?p=857924"},"modified":"2025-10-08T15:54:01","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T20:54:01","slug":"what-to-do-when-ministrys-a-mess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/what-to-do-when-ministrys-a-mess\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do When Ministry\u2019s a Mess . . ."},"content":{"rendered":"

I pastored a church for 14 years before I became a seminary professor more than 29 years ago. I loved pastoring, and I miss some part of it every day. I miss preaching to the same people each week, baptizing new converts, serving the Lord\u2019s Supper, officiating weddings, overseeing child dedications, and honoring believers and their Lord at funerals. I miss celebrating victories and sharing heartaches with other believers.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, my role as a church consultant has also reminded me that pastoral ministry is tough. Our congregations are likely not as messy as the church at Corinth, but they\u2019re still messy. People still sin. Undiscipled people\u2014including some who\u2019ve never become believers in the first place\u2014are still in our congregations. At the same time, our enemy aims his arrows at churches in hopes of turning believers against each other.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what do we do when ministry\u2019s a mess? I make no claim that I\u2019ve always been successful in working through the mess, but here\u2019s a response that has helped me recurrently for several decades: <\/span>return to your call.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

I realize that folks debate the nature of a \u201ccall,\u201d but I cannot deny what happened to me. I was not raised in a Christian home, and no one in my family (at least to my knowledge) had been praying for me. Certainly, no one was praying that I would be the next \u201cpreacher boy\u201d in the family. Nevertheless, it was the first time in church in my life that I sensed my call to preach.<\/span><\/p>\n

I talked with my pastor at the end of the service, and he helped me pray to be a Christ-follower. As he began to make the closing announcements from behind the pulpit, I sensed clearly in my mind these words: \u201cI want you to preach my word.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I did not know there was a call to preach, nor did I even know there was a Holy Spirit. All I knew is what I heard in my head and heart. So clearly did I hear these words, in fact, that they have never wavered in 50+ years since I first heard them. Now, it\u2019s hard to estimate how many times I\u2019ve returned to those words over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n