Uncategorized – The Pastor's Life

A Pastor’s Christmas: Worn Out or Wonder?

Christmas is a mixed bag for pastors. There is a reason many pastors look forward to the week between Christmas and New Year more than any other part of the Christmas season!

Let me ask you a question. What are you feeling as December marches toward Christmas Eve? Dread, Joy, Anticipation, Anxiety? I certainly have felt all of those things!

This Christmas I want to remind you, encourage you to live the life you are hoping others will find. Pastor out of the overflow of your own deepening walk with Jesus.

Christmas is filled with opportunity and challenge. It is a great time to sow gospel seed and draw in gospel nets. Christmas is a key opportunity to help more people embrace the life changing love of Christ; to help those we shepherd embrace deepening levels of His work in their lives. We feel the excitement and the pressure. The challenge is while we embrace the work we can also hinder His deepening work in us as well. It can keep us from experiencing the same peace we invite so many others to receive. It can keep us from refreshing time with our own families.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. Matt. 2:10

This Christmas I want to remind you, encourage you to live the life you are hoping others will find. Pastor out of the overflow of your own deepening walk with Jesus.

Nurture your own wonder that the Word would become flesh to reveal the Father to you. That the Lamb of God would come to take away your sin. That God would so humble Himself in order that we might live in the blessing of His glory! Wow! Doesn’t that make you heart want to stop, reflect and worship?!

When our hearts are filled with wonder that lingers in Jesus’ presence and deepens faith in His powerful work, we are set free from the fleshy burdens that hijack the season. When our soul overflows with Jesus’ presence, His fragrance is more readily spread through ours.

You already know how this happens. Here is the reminder. Whatever else you do this season, create regular space to sit in Jesus’ presence. Lean in to the good news of great joy that caused Shepherds to leave their work and take a closer look. Adjust your plans to follow the star signs that lead you personally closer to Jesus’ presence. Take time to look more closely at Jesus! When we do this as pastors, He transforms us in ways that make it more likely others will be transformed as well.

Merry Christmas to you dear pastor! I am grateful for you. I am praying this is truly a season of peace and joy for you.

May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ. 2Thes. 3:5

Preach Powerfully this Easter!

Easter can feel like the Super Bowl for Pastors. If you are scheduled to preach this weekend, I don’t have to tell you about the excitement and weight of preaching on Easter. In reality, it should be no different than any other week, and yet as fleshy humans the idea of the crowd gets in our head and distracts our heart.

If you are going to have an off-week, you don’t want it to be this one. Along with Christmas Eve and Mother’s Day it can be among the highest attendance days of the year. If nothing else, it is the one weekend that all who claim your church as their church are most likely to show up at the same time! If you find yourself struggling today thinking about what or how you will preach this Easter Sunday, I pray the following thoughts might encourage your heart and overcome any struggle or pressure your flesh brings to bear.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need to validate your worth through an amazing Easter sermon performance.

A Realistic Ministry Marriage

Our first marriage preparation assignment was to list our expectations for the marriage. We were then to share them with each other and respond one of three ways to the other’s expectation. The response choices were: 1. Sure no problem, 2. I’m willing to work on that and 3. No way!

As “extremely mature” 20 and 21 year olds at the time you can imagine our lists would be good material for the late night comedy circuit. While the exercise was good, our marriage prep wasn’t that great. Thankfully, God allows us to revisit and deepen our marriage every time we help other couples prepare for marriage.

Too often we have expectations that are simply not realistic… like I can lose weight AND eat my favorite donuts regularly. Or closer to home… We will be the greatest married couple in the history of history right out of the gate. Marriage is challenging on its own. Ministry brings additional layers to the mix.

Hardship and sacrifice are part of following Jesus in a fallen world. The right question is not who is to blame when hardship comes but whether we will follow Jesus when they come.

My Best Resignation

There were a few times I wondered if I should quit. Maybe if I got out of the way the church would do better, grow faster, have greater impact. Have you ever felt that way?

There is an old pastor cliché that says “Never resign on a Monday.” There is great wisdom in that. It’s similar to the cultural wisdom that says we should never make a big decision when under great stress. The challenge of course is that big decisions often come with great stress!

It is our own drivenness that wears us out. Satan allies with our flesh in persistent whispers about our worth and even our calling. We feel like resigning

Authenticity in Marriage & Ministry

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Gal. 1:10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

I love aquariums. They are my favorite part of any zoo. For years I kept one in my church office that made me smile just when I needed it! Currently I have a small tank with blue nano shrimp and live plants that has been fun to nurture. Aquariums can be fun UNLESS you feel like you live in one!

One of the challenges of a ministry marriage can be the public nature of your everyday lives and relationship. Wherever you are, it seems eyes are watching in a different way than they might for other people, especially if you live in a smaller community like we did. People have their expectations for what you should be as a pastor or a pastor’s wife. Sometimes that is reasonable. Other times not so much

If I can’t let my wife be who she is, then how can I ask the church to do that?

The core challenge is that fishbowl expectations squeeze you into someone else’s mold. Everyone has hopes for their relationship with you. It doesn’t always feel safe to be yourself. We want the church to grow. We want people to like us. Our head knows not everyone will; but our hearts still want to try.

Together in Marriage & Ministry

Matt. 19:5-6 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Before you read this post, I’d like you to take a minute and reflect on this question: What unique challenges, hardships & temptations does ministry add to marriage?

If you’ve been in ministry more than a week, you didn’t have to think very long did you? There are great joys that come to ministry couples, but there are also unique challenges. Enough that many conclude they can either do well in ministry OR with family but not both.

I’d like to share a few posts offering biblical encouragement to help you thrive in marriage while also serving well in ministry.

The first of these is so obvious that it is easy to overlook. It is Be Together: What I mean by this is prioritize staying connected emotionally, relationally & physically. That is a defining mark of marriage after all isn’t it?

If all our energy is spent on others leaving nothing for our wives we might find we aren’t together even when we are in the same room.

Finding Christmas Rest

Silent Night, Holy Night, All is calm, all is bright… Sleep in heavenly peace, SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE?!

There is a lot to love about the Christmas Season: the music, the lights, the treats! I love the joy my wife takes in decorating our home. I love the reconnection with people at church that we may not have seen for too long. If I were honest though, what I love most are the moments that feel like resting “in heavenly peace.”

Unfortunately for many pastors, the season increases busyness, frustration and stress. We work to help those in darkness find the joy of Christmas peace for the first time. We work to help believers fully experience Christmas joy through deepening, obedient faith. Too often though we do this without finding time for our own souls and families to enjoy that same rest. Jesus’ Christmas rest is something we must choose to receive.

My simple aim in this post is to encourage you to choose Jesus’ peace this season no matter what responsibilities you have left before Christmas day.

Mark 6:31 And He *said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a little while.” …33 The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd…

I wonder if our families feel a bit like the disciples in Mark 6:331-34.. After a busy season, Jesus calls them to come away with him alone to rest. BUT then it notes that the people saw them and ran ahead to get where they were going before they got there. So many came that Jesus ended up teaching all day and asking the disciples to serve a giant meal with almost no physical resources! Doesn’t sound like rest to me. In the same way I fear our family’s hope to rest with us gets hijacked during the Christmas season!

Appreciation Challenges

But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, 13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. 1Thes 5:12-13

“Pastor Appreciation Month” is a mixed bag for most pastors. It began through the initial work of Focus on the Family in the early 1990’s. While most of us didn’t follow Jesus’ call for the human appreciation, it feels great to receive genuine gratitude. That can make it weird because our focus is making disciples, building Jesus’ church and fishing for people NOT fishing for appreciation! We feel strangely uncomfortable thinking or talking about pastor appreciation.

I want to just name part of that challenge out loud because you probably can’t in your setting. A core challenge includes the range of ways church approach it. Some churches are incredibly generous (think trip to Hawaii or Israel). Others seem oblivious to it. Many in the middle have good intentions but it snuck up on them or there just wasn’t thoughtful leadership to do something meaningful. So it ends up feeling more like an obligatory afterthought than genuine appreciation. It isn’t about what is spent, but the level of authentic appreciation shown. Some of my favorite blessings were heartfelt words shared in writing or verbally. If you are in ministry long enough you will experience all of them. If you are a pastor, stick with me a bit longer.

No One Should Pastor Alone!

It is not good that the man should be alone… Gen. 2:18

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Prov. 27:17

I like my alone time. Apparently I’m not alone. Statistics reveal that a surprising number of those in ministry are introverts. That means people drain us even though we love them. Restoring our energy happens best alone. BUT I learned early on that no one should pastor alone! Genesis 2 clearly reveals that we are not meant to live alone. God Himself declares that it is not good!

Sadly, too many pastors serve in isolation and disconnection. I have been there, you likely have as well. The reasons for this include geographical distance, busyness and the size of our communities and churches. If we are honest, the greatest barriers are insecurity and its distant cousin… pride. Though it is out of context, I hear Jethro’s voice from Exodus 18 whispering “The thing you are doing is not good, you will wear out yourself and those you serve!” (Exodus 18)

Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Gal. 6:2

Welcome to the Pastor’s Life!

“… upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” – Jesus Matt. 16:18

Welcome to the Pastor’s Life! What a blessing to begin serving you in the areas of Leadership health. I am humbled by God’s call and the privilege you have given to be part of the KNCSB state team.

As a rookie pastor, I remember hearing John Maxwell answer the question “What is the one thing I need to know to be a great leader?” His answer was, “The most important thing you need to know about leadership is that there more than one thing you need to know.” HOW TRUE!

A few decades later, I am still learning! How about you? Leaders are always learning aren’t we? We learn new skills, new tools, new information, new levels of faith and holiness, new depths of God’s heart & faithfulness. Yet, the more we learn the clearer foundation stones of healthy ministry become.

A great deal of learning involves relearning and reminding. Reminding sinks things deeper. Reminding can be annoying, but it can also be encouraging, refreshing freeing! Reminding can sharpen the clarity of our remembering and sharpen our active follow through today!

In these articles I hope to encourage you, sharpen you and serve you through both learning and reminding. You have plenty of places to find something new. My invitation is to remember your first love, your foundation, your calling… your SAVIOR.

You are not working alone. Jesus is the most gifted in the room. Jesus is the best leader in the room. Jesus is the smartest person in the room. Jesus sacrificed the most in the room.

The pressures and pace of ministry too often propel us forward in ways that cause us to lose our footing. We have all been there, It could be you are there right now. The good news is that as we remind each other of the gospel core, both impact and health deepen.

For today I’d like to remind you of one foundational reality: Jesus is building His church! Read that again. Let it sink in. Wow! You are not working alone. Jesus is the most gifted in the room. Jesus is the best leader in the room. Jesus is the smartest person in the room. Jesus sacrificed the most in the room. Jesus who called us is with us in His building project! A project that will not be delayed or disrupted by any other power.

As Fall looms with a mix of excitement and anxiety, ground your heart in this truth. Jesus is building His church. He has invited you to be part of His project. Relax, follow His call, keep in step with Him and enjoy the opportunity! I am praying for you, and Jesus is with you.

If I can be of any help to you or your church. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.

John Shields

KNCSB Leadership Health Director

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: