Good Morning Pastor!
Welcome to the first edition of the “Monday Morning Pastor’s Letter.”
Now that you have had a chance to catch your breath after the holidays, it is a good time to bring the New Year into perspective. You may not feel like it but it still must be done. Realistic goals and expectations for you and your congregation are imperative for you to reflect at the end of December and say, “We had a great year!”
When I was a young pastor I felt the burden of ministry in ways that I never dreamed possible. My expectations were not realistic and I soon became disillusioned with the whole situation. I was critical of my congregation’s spirituality, my leadership’s lack of vision and God’s inability to zap everyone into place! I failed to realize that we are all “fellow strugglers” and that all congregations struggle with spirituality and all leadership teams struggle with finding a balance between vision and reality. I was the one that really needed to be zapped. After months of frustration I finally realized that I was not God! Too many pastors claim ownership to the church, which belongs to Christ and Christ alone.
I have a pastor friend who is about 60. He has been pastoring a church in a small rural community of around 800 people for about five years. Since he has been there they have increased in attendance from about 60 to nearing the 200 mark. They have added a new sanctuary and paid for a major portion of it. And there has been major spiritual growth in the lives of the people as well as numerous conversions per year. When I asked him how hard he was working to accomplish all of this he said, “I really am not working hard at all. In fact, I am kind of taking it easy. And everything just seems to be coming together with ease.”
He is an extremely wise pastor. He has learned that Christ is the head of the Church and he has become responsible to Him for his part. When you think about it, who could possibly carry on Christ’s role as the head of the church and survive? I tried. It didn’t work for me and it won’t work for you.
So, I’ve said all of that to say this. Let Christ be the head of your church this year and you just be the pastor. Try it and see what happens.
Blessings flow when I get out of the way and let God go!
Striving To Do God’s Will,
Lyn Sahr
Prov. 3:13
