Lessons To A Pastor Who Left Too Soon

Have you ever felt like giving up? Maybe not, but I’m sure that many of points below will ring true for anyone who has. Consider them and be prayerful that the enemy doesn’t discourage you today!

Consider calling or emailing a fellow minister today and encourage them today!

• I wish I’d known how much people loved me. The day I resigned I began to learn how much people loved me for who I was, not what I did.

• I wish I’d known how much I loved them. The same folks I’d been frustrated with were the ones I now grieved over losing.

• I wish I’d known how much good was happening. After I left, the church continued to slowly grow. My people were beyond where I thought they were.

• I wish I’d known there were alternatives to quitting. I could have taken a leave of absence, talked with other pastors, and worked personal maintenance into the weekly routine.

• I wish I’d known the importance of keeping sharp. Good conferences and books are ways God might have chosen to meet my needs.

• I wish I’d known what God had accomplished through me. God used me to draw together people for a church plant when there was absolutely no reason for them to gather with me in the first place.

• I wish I’d known how much inappropriate pride was involved. Pride prevented me from talking to others, from considering options, from taking time off.

• I wish I’d known how hard ministry really is. In Paul’s letters to Timothy, he uses verbs of commitment and sacrifice – endure, persevere, work hard, train, study, take pains.

• I wish I’d know there is no perfect place. Many problems in ministry are common to every church, because people are basically the same wherever you go.