Lessons From 30 Years Of Ministry

Thirty Years ago, I left my job as a parole officer and entered my first semester of seminary in preparation for pastoral ministry. A lot has happened since then, and I am grateful today to be teaching at the Baptist Theological Seminary in Zambia. Previously, I pastored three wonderful churches in America, the most recent a pastorate for over seventeen years. While I’m still learning and growing, here are a few things God has taught me over the years.

1) Feelings Of Inadequacy Are Healthy

I cannot count the number of times I feared church members would discover how clueless I was to be their pastor. Some feelings of inadequacy are healthy as a minister feels the weighty responsibility of leading God’s people (cf. 1 Kings 3:6-9). Thankfully, God blessed me with gifted staff or pointed me to laypersons who were equally gifted to lead.

2) Being Ourselves Is Essential

Phillips Brooks offers a succinct definition of preaching as the communication of “truth through personality.” ¹ Among other things, Brooks means God has given each pastor a unique personality through which He intends to do His work. As such, pastors should feel the liberty to be themselves, resisting the temptation to compare themselves to other pastors or ministries.

3) Everyone Has Value And Is Worthy Of Respect

Each person is made in God’s image and, therefore, is worthy of respect. Whether ministers agree with others’ input and opinions, they honor them by allowing them to share and by listening carefully, believing God may reveal something they need to hear.

4) Fear And Guilt Have No Place In Ministry

Unfortunately, in my early ministry, I often made decisions out of fear and guilt. Either I was worried about what others would think or felt compelled to do something simply because it was expected. In more recent years, God liberated me from these feelings and gave me the assurance that He was guiding me to make decisions in keeping with His perfect will.

5) God Always Honors Biblical Preaching

People really do grow through faithful exposition of Scripture. It’s always a joy for pastors to hear from church members as they share what God has been teaching them through the preaching of His Word.

6) Taking Time Off Is Important

Most of the pastors I know are hard workers and love their churches. But pastors need to be reminded that rest is a biblical principle and taking time off keeps them energized and blesses their families, too.

7) People Love Hearing The Gospel

The gospel truly is “good news!” People never grow tired of hearing God loves them unconditionally and accepts them entirely in Christ, even when their religious performance leaves something to be desired.

Pastors: What lessons have you learned in your years of ministry?

1. Phillips Brooks. Lectures On Preaching (New York: A.P. Dutton and Company, 1877), 1-34.