Good Pastor, Good Parent
July 1, 1994
One morning a pastor grabbed his attache case and was hurrying out the door when his wife said, "Now remember, honey, we're moving today. When you come home, our furniture won't be here."
The harried pastor mumbled something and rushed out the door.
After a full day at the office, by habit he drove home down the same street and into the same driveway. He walked to the front door of his old house and found it locked. He looked in the front window and saw no furniture inside.
Standing there scratching his head, he saw a boy on a bicycle riding down the sidewalk. "Sonny," he called out, "do you know where the family that used to live here moved?"
The boy replied, "Awww, come on, Dad. Mom told you this morning we were moving!"
Good pastors aren't always good parents. Good parenting takes time, and time is one thing pastors seem to have in short supply. We face emergencies that prevent us from keeping every family commitment. We work many evenings, and on weekends -family times for most people--we are extra busy.
I haven't been a perfect father. Some weeks I don't take my day off, and I'm not proud of that. I am away from home most of the day. That's partly because of ministry demands, but also, quite honestly, because ministry is my passion. I eat, drink, and sleep church life. I love to work and have to tear myself away from the office.
At the same time, I love my family. My wife, Karen, and I have four children with whom I love to spend time. My oldest son, Rob, serves as an urban pastor. Lora is married to a minister. The two younger children, Joel and Amanda, still live at home.
I don't want to shortchange either pastoring or parenting. But sometimes that seems impossible. How can you be a good pastor and still be a good parent? ...
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