"What I Wish Somebody Would Have Told Me"

Here is my priority list:

1) God
2) Family
3) Occupation (ministry)
4) Church

I want to share a awesome blog from Perry Noble that explains this very well. Let me know what you think.

What I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me (Part Ten)

#10 - Senior Pastor/Church Leader–You MUST Take Responsibility For Setting Your Schedule.
When I first became a senior pastor I thought every time opportunity knocked that it meant that God was knocking and so I had to say yes…and it caused me to set a pace that no human being could EVER sustain.

When people would call and ask me to go to lunch, I would go. When people would ask Lucretia and I over to supper–we went. When organizations would call and ask me to speak for them–I obliged. At one time I did ALL of the weddings, the funerals, the follow up…and just about anything else you can think of–AND, as I mentioned above…I NEARLY FRIED MYSELF.

Something all senior pastors must battle through is the guilt associated with saying no. Why? Because the previous generation of pastors did it all for the flock, never really asking for help and not allowing others to discover their potential in Christ…THUS today we have hundreds and thousands of impotent churches who were built on the ministry of one man–and thus died when he left.

One of the statements I make all of the time around NewSpring Church is, “The church IS NOT effective when the pastor ministers to the people, but rather when the body ministers to the body!” One of the most liberating things I’ve ever seen in Scripture is the story of Acts 6:1-7 where the apostles actually said that it would not be right to wait on tables…BUT they raised up leaders who made sure the job was done. (Thus freeing up their schedule so that more people could be reached for the kingdom–see Acts 6:7)

Pastors, hear my heart…you cannot base effective ministry on whether or not you are meeting the expectations of everyone in your church. If THAT is the definition of success then Jesus pretty much missed the mark, didn’t He? BUT…even a casual glance at Scripture clearly points out that Jesus refused to allow the expectations of others to dictate the direction of His ministry. He FAITHFULLY followed the Father.

I took responsibility for my schedule two years ago…and it has set me free. I say NO to an overwhelming number of the “opportunities” that come my way so that I can say YES to the greatest opportunities that God has given me - Lucretia, Charisse and NewSpring. (In that order!)

Pastors, one more thing…and I am just being honest. You can work your butt off for the church, completely fry yourself emotionally, spiritually and physically, begin making bad decisions (maybe even some REALLY bad ones) AND…the church you’ve slaved for, when you begin to “fall off” in your performance, will DROP YOU like a bad habit! I’ve seen it–you have to!

I am NOT trying to cause doubt and division…but I do want to warn you of the church that will work you to death and scream your praises while you do so…I once heard a wise man say, “Those that deify will also crucify–they screamed “Hosanna” on one day…and in less than a week were yelling “crucify Him.”

I say this because I am sick and tired of seeing pastors work their tail off for lazy church members and then, when their lives fall apart OR marriages go bad OR children begin to rebel…those SAME church members who once sang their praises often turn on them and begin to want to “vote them out” so that they can obtain some more fresh meat to tear into…all in the name of Christ. (For some reason…I am thinking He is not happy about that pattern!)

Pastors…our job is to seek Jesus with every ounce of energy and passion we have…and to train the people to do the work of the ministry. (Ephesians 4:11-16 is VERY clear on this!) THAT WAY…everyone gets to participate in advancing God’s Kingdom and seeing God build His church.

SO…go ahead and set realistic expectations from the beginning. Raise people up to DO the work of the ministry instead of trying to do it all. Love your wife, your children and then your church…and don’t let the expectations of others trump the expectations and calling of God on your life.
One more note on this–YES, tragedy’s take place…things come up…audibles MUST be called from time to time…but those should be the exception, NOT the rule.