Before I was nineteen years of age, I committed my life to serve God through congregational leadership in a pastoral role. There was much about myself I did not understand. However, with sincerity and humility, I said ‘yes’ to God’s calling and gave everything I knew and understood about myself to all I knew and understood about God. And, through the years, God has helped me learn more about both of us. As I enter my fiftieth year as a pastoral minister, there are many reasons why I enjoy being a pastor. Therefore, I am beginning a series this week to share a few of these enjoyments with you.
I begin with the cornerstone of my enjoyment. What I enjoy most, what I appreciate most, what I value most about serving as a pastor is being trusted. I value, enjoy, and give thanks to God for trusting me with a call to serve Christ’s Church through this pastoral pathway. I was on a path to major in psychology and pursue a career in human resources. Yet, through that year of my call, I kept praying, asking God to guide me to understand what I should do with my discipleship. Over several months, it became clear to me that God trusted me to lead other people in the ministry of Christ. This awareness was tremendously humbling.
However, it was also uplifting. God’s calling moved me to lower myself before God to say, ‘Here am I, send me.’ Yet, God’s calling also moved me to rise to the challenge of pursuing training for ministry and opportunities for professional development so I could offer my best to God and God’s people.
Intertwined with God’s trust in my calling is the trust God’s people present to me. People who work hard, sacrifice to care for their families, volunteer in the community, and strengthen organizations and institutions have blessed me with their trust. Individuals who are professionals in their vocational fields have realized (most of the time) that I am also a professional in my vocational field. Most members and leaders of the churches I’ve served have appreciated that their pastor has studied and continues to study prayer, biblical interpretation, theology, pastoral care and shepherding, pastoral preaching and the prophetic voice, congregational health, congregational vitality, congregational growth, staff relationships, worship, faith formation as one aspect of human development, discipleship, mission, education, spirituality and devotional life, grief, counseling, marriage & family, etc. People have trusted me to help them begin their journey of faith, their marriage, and their vocational choices. People have invited me inside their private world to carry their burdens with them and trusted me with their secrets of shame and guilt. People have allowed me to embrace them in their most difficult moments and welcomed me into their suffering.
Next week, I’ll offer a second aspect of my enjoyment. In this fiftieth year of ministry, I renew my commitment to God and to you. Let us trust one another as we pursue God’s mission in 2024-2025 and beyond. To the future!
