{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Church Answers","provider_url":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com","title":"Things I\u2019ve Learned Since Leaving the Pastorate | Church Answers","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"QPc4sgubMU\"><a href=\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/things-ive-learned-since-leaving-the-pastorate\/\">Things I\u2019ve Learned Since Leaving the Pastorate<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/things-ive-learned-since-leaving-the-pastorate\/embed\/#?secret=QPc4sgubMU\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Things I\u2019ve Learned Since Leaving the Pastorate&#8221; &#8212; Church Answers\" data-secret=\"QPc4sgubMU\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Man-preaching-from-the-pulpit.png","thumbnail_width":1200,"thumbnail_height":628,"description":"I grew up in a church tradition that viewed being \u201ccalled to preach\u201d as the ultimate in spiritual attainment. At one time in the 1980s the church\u2019s hallway featured photos of between ten and fifteen young men and grown men who had \u201canswered the call.\u201d We attended our pastor\u2019s \u201cYoung Prophets Class\u201d on Sunday evenings where he preached to us about the calling, and we preached to each other, trying desperately to sound like we knew what we were doing. We eventually started a periodic Sunday afternoon service at which one of us would preach to whomever showed up. I remember being instructed that we should increase the attendance because if we couldn\u2019t, we probably wouldn\u2019t be able to grow a church as the pastor. In 1989, I was called to my first church, beginning a full-time pastoral ministry lasting just over twenty years. But, since resigning a dearly-loved church in 2009, I haven\u2019t held a full-time pastorate or staff position. Here are a few things I\u2019ve learned since then."}