ChristianityTodayLibrary.com
Member Login  |  Email:  Password    Not a member?  Join now!
home
 Search:  browse by topicbrowse by publicationhelp

Seminary &
Grad School Guide
Search by Name
 

or use:
Advanced Search
to search by major, region, cost, affiliation, enrollment, more!


Member Services
My Account
Contact Us
LeadershipStaying your course amid the forces of ministry.
Winter 1998

FREE ARTICLE PREVIEW

 ARTICLE TOOLS

Progress Your Can Measure
Overcoming discouragement so you can move ahead.



While serving a small church in a small town, I heard about pastors who ran themselves ragged to keep ahead of their parish's possibilities. My problem wasn't overwork. Mine was a loss of motivation for work that produced little progress. I coveted the stress of the too-fast life. Instead, I'd awake each morning to the question, "What should I do today?"

It wasn't that there was nothing to do, of course; there just wasn't much immediate reward for doing it. The church was small and certainly needed to grow, but the town was small, too, and my attempts at church growth always came up hard against the small town's barriers to change.

I was admonished in seminary to study diligently and preach good sermons. But in my little church, it soon became apparent that the extra time in my study didn't impress anyone; a simple Bible study seemed to please everyone as much as a sermon I'd worked on for days. People needed to be visited, but I had seen everyone in the parish, plus all of those on the fringes of the church family, in the course of three weeks.

Ours, like many small-town, small-church pastorates, was a caretaking ministry. At the end of a day, I'd come home feeling like I'd achieved little—nothing of lasting value to the church, and certainly nothing recognized in wider circles as the marks of success.

The combination of my church's inertia and my declining interest in caretaking left me with a lot of guilt. I thought, I'm being paid with people's hard-earned money, but what am I accomplishing?

I felt that I'd failed, and with no one to tell me otherwise, guilt became paralysis. How does a pastor fight the discouragement and see some measurable progress?

1. Take time to grow When I was younger and less sure ...



Are you a CTLibrary member?
To read the rest of this article, log in here:
Email  Password  

Like the preview? To read this complete article
and 26,671 more in the archive—JOIN NOW!

Easily find high-quality, well-researched materials that provide a Christian perspective on topics ranging from headlines to history.

Start using this invaluable tool TODAY for preparing your Bible studies, presentations, class lectures, sermons, meetings, and more.

It's easy and quick to join:

sign up! Brought to You by Christianity Today
 FREE e-Newsletter!

Even if you're not a member you can take advantage of the free "CT Library" twice monthly e-newsletter!

Sign up today for the FREE e-newsletter! All fields required.



 

Note: Members also automatically receive this free e-newsletter.

Subscribe!

Subscribe to Leadership Journal

Risk-free trial issue

Give a gift subscription



Shopping
ChristianBook.com
  Books|Music|Videos|Gifts

Bible Studies
Leadership Training
Small Group Resources
Libreréa Cristiana

Featured Items






Magazines:
Books & Culture
Christianity Today
Church Law & Tax Report
Church Finance Today

Leadership Journal
Men of Integrity
ChristianityTodayLibrary.com
Resources:
BuildingChurchLeaders.com
ChristianBibleStudies.com
Christian College Guide
ChristianHistory.net
Christian Music Today

Christianity Today MoviesChurch Buyer's Guide
Church Safety
PreachingToday.com
Seminary/Grad School Guide


Christianity Today

www.ChristianityToday.org
Copyright © 2012 Christianity Today
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Contact Us | Advertise with Us