I miss pastoring a church. I really do. And I hope to never pastor a church again.

Uh....what?

It is true. 

Consider your typical church. People in leadership positions who, with the best of intentions, feel a church needs to adhere to their ideals. The businessperson feels the church needs to be run like a business. The politically minded person feels the church needs to be run like a political endeavor along political party lines. Younger folks feel the church should follow their ideals and concerns and the older folks should be quiet and let the future happen while the older folks feel like the church should follow their ideals and the younger folks should be quiet and respectful. In any church situations there are tidal forces at work all the time. And the typical way a congregation handles these differences is to form a committee. Then, of course, there are the bullies who try to intimidate and the schemers who try to go behind everyone's back to get what they want.

So, what is the pastor's job? Almost any church will say that the pastor's job is to see to the Spiritual needs of the church. The congregation will handle the rest. But that doesn't work. The pastor is drawn into every controversy. People come to the pastor to see what he (or she, as the case may be) thinks about the 'problem.' The music is too loud so could you tone it down? The church is to dim (or to bright) so could you fix it? The grass needs cut, don't you think? The curtains in the restrooms are tacky, so we need a committee. The pastor goes into his first church feeling he is going to be the Spiritual leader and instead finds he is an administrator. And with all of this, he has to be careful not to overstep his bounds. This is why most pastors don't make it five years.

So, while I miss pastoring a church, I hope to never pastor a church again. (Notice I didn't say I will never pastor a church again. After dealing with the Lord for half a century I have come to see that if I say 'never,' He will create a situation where 'never' becomes a necessity.) However, I am pastoring right now, just not a church. 

Janet broke her arm playing with the granddaughter. Patty has personal issues and needs to be comforted. Rosa had some serious surgery and is struggling to bounce back. Bert is conflicted. Neil is trying to maintain his cool around silly people. Suzy is working hard to do her job in spite of her cancer. These are people who live in my building. I lead a weekly worship service. Some of these mentioned come, some don't. But I consider them all a congregation. As yet, no one has refused prayer. Even the lady who rejects Christianity in favor of a reincarnation theology, allowed several of us to gather around her in prayer when her husband died. I have been in the ministry almost forty nine years, and I am finally getting to minister 100% of the time.

For me, the ministry has been an awesome privilege. I have help people, I have impacted people and I have made some really close friends. But the responsibility and the juggling act often takes away the enjoyment. But here, now, it is different. I am having fun!