Theology on the Lighter Side – Why don’t churches have overtime pay? – Because working for the Lord is a full-time blessing!
Working as pastor or staff at a church can be a blessing, but it can also be overwhelming. As the world becomes darker, the “job” gets harder, the stress gets greater, and, often, the rewards of seeing new believers gets more infrequent. Quoting from a recent National Christian Foundation article on the subject (details here)….
“In 2024, most pastors have faced a multitude of issues they could never have anticipated, and it’s weighing on them. Together, a radically shifting culture, an intense political climate, concerns about new technologies, and a multi-year, global pandemic have produced a tsunami of challenges they can’t (and shouldn’t have to) handle alone.”
From a Barna study (details here) in 2022, the three top reasons why pastors are considering quitting full time ministry are:
- The immense stress of the job (56%)
- Feeling lonely and isolated (43%)
- Current political divisions (38%)
It can be hard to be a shepherd when the flock is in rebellion or not showing up at all.
Acts 20:28 – Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
This weight is particularly heavy when placed against Scripture that calls for a higher accounting of those in a position of spiritual responsibility.
James 3:1 – Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
However, God, not the pastor, is ultimately in control of the heart of man.
1 Corinthians 3:6-7 – I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words
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