I have to say what might not impress many of you, and that is, “I am a happy pastor.” That probably sounds expected, but I have to confess that most of my life I have fought against that title.
In part because I have met so many pastors I don’t want to be lumped in with. But I’m coming to realize that there are good people and bad people in every profession. So over the last year as The Gathering has gained momentum, I’ve left behind my fears and worries about being stereotyped and have fully embraced the calling ahead.
Here are some reasons why I love being a pastor.
1. I get to teach and explain and apply God’s Word, the Bible. Yes, I believe it. Through my studies and my experience, I have faith that the Bible is indeed God’s Word, revealed, preserved, and protected. It has life and power. It speaks to us, reads us, knows us, knows what we’re thinking, knows what we’re hoping and dreaming for; knows when we’re broken, knows when we sin, knows that we carry our shame and hide our hurts.
2. Not only do I get to teach God’s word, I get to do it from the position of offering hope. That is my number one word; hope. If I defined what I do in three words it would be to help people change. If I got a couple more, it would be to help people keep their promises.
As a pastor or leader of any description it is very easy to let the day-to-day demands and some of the messy (and let’s admit it) weird messed-up people that you run into in every profession in every city at every level, discourage you and make you take your eye off of the ball.
3. As a pastor I get to be a part of this worldwide revolution as well. In our next series, I’m going to teach on the subject, “We Don’t Do Fear.”
We do grace, we do hope, we do second chances and new beginnings. We’re driven by the prevailing power of faith, hope, and love. We know that our God has offered us a radical promise. That is, not only does He love us individually, he cares what happens to us and is more than ready to help and provide. Man, what other profession do you get to do that 24/7?
4. I love being a pastor because I love seeing the looks on people’s faces as they leave. They look at me with a smile and say, “How did you know?” I love that. That means that the anointing of God is working.
5. I love seeing people come together and take the initiative to create something that wasn’t there before.
6. I love the process of creating something out of nothing. This is my second turn. I never intended, wasn’t going to do it, and even said, “I’ll never start another church.” But God is larger and smarter than any of us and I’ve learned never, ever, ever say “never.” I love being a part of the creative process and seeing it happen again. Since I’ve been this way before, I have more patience for the process.
If you are a discouraged pastor and some of the reasons I’ve described here don’t resonate with you, hang on, be patient. Remember this, we all go through the black hole. Let me say it one more time, we all go through the black hole. There is no shortcut. There is no fast way, great program, or conference that is going to put you ahead. Because the truth is, when God is building His church and His Kingdom, He is just as interested in building you.