THE THREE STRUGGLES OF PASTORS

THE THREE STRUGGLES OF PASTORS
- by Chad Graves -

In the last week I have had meetings with multiple pastors. It has been a reminder and an eye-opener. Pastors all over the country are dealing with intense stress. Recently, 3 different churches asked me if I knew of anyone I would recommend as a possible candidate for them. Many churches are without pastors.
 
I will repost something I worked on a couple of years ago below. Pastors, if you are reading this, I hope this is helpful to know you are not alone.

Pastors tend to have three struggles:

• The struggle with people.

• The struggle with self.

• The struggle with God.

These three struggles and how you respond to them will determine the length of your tenure.

The average tenure for a pastor is just around 3 years at a local church. The average tenure of a man’s pastoral ministry is ten years according to some research.

I have been interviewing pastors and studying what a pastoral tenure looks like over the years. These Interviews range from pastors who have been in ministry 37 years to men who have burned out to fresh new pastors in their first years.

I think these are common stages in most pastorates:

The Honeymoon Question:
Can you believe we get to do this?

The Titus 1:5 Question:
How am I going to address issues?

The Loss of Innocence Question:
How can God bless such brokenness?

The Harvest Question:
Will success or failure become my identity?

The Team Building Question:
Who will be invited to the table?

The Crisis of Self Question:
What do I do when I am at the end of myself?

The Decision Question:
Will I Keep Doing this?

The Boredom Question:
Is this it?

The Emptiness Question:
Why has this become so painful to do?

The Sustained Question:
Will I be faithful?

The Mentoring Question:
Will I leverage my influence?

The Legacy Stage Question:
Will I finish well?

Well I hope this helps. I love pastors.
May God help them as they faithfully continue.

NO RESERVES, NO RETREATS, NO REGRETS

One of my heroes of the faith is the little-known missionary William Borden.

William Borden’s funeral took place at The Moody Church in Chicago.

During my college years, I discovered the beauty of the gospel while attending The Moody Church.

Here's something my team filmed a few years back on location.

THE PRESIDENT AND MY GRANDPA

14 years ago, my Grandfather spent 5 minutes one-on-one with then-President George W. Bush.  

Set aside your politics for a moment, because this is just a neat, purely American story about my Grandpa Storey.

My Grandpa Roy Storey didn't take his freedom for granted.  He sacrificed a lot to immigrate to the U.S. from India with our family in the 1950's.

14 years ago today, this elderly man who came to the free world met the leader of the free world.
 
My Grandpa Roy was personally honored by the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush.  
 
It's breathtaking for our family that the President spent 5 personal minutes with my Grandpa (all captured by television crews below), tenderly holding his hand, thanking him for his volunteer service, and then motioning over my aunts to join them beside Air Force One.

Original newspaper report from Peoria Journal Star:

When Roy Storey got a call from Washington, D.C., telling him he was going to meet the president of the United States, the Peorian hung up the phone.

"I thought it was the telemarketer," he said with a laugh. "She called back immediately. She said, 'Mr. Storey, I don't want to take your money.'"

The mistake was understandable, and the 85-year-old was elated to learn that President George W. Bush will present him with the President's Volunteer Service Award as he arrives in Peoria on Friday.

"To me it's a big honor," Storey said Wednesday. "It's sort of a surprise - I'm just an old guy, going on with my daily work."

During his six years volunteering with the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), "Grandpa Roy," as he's known by students, tries to instill some parental guidance in children who he said have grown up in hard times, much like him.

His earliest memories are of growing up in an orphanage in a little village in the foothills of the Himalayas.

He recalls being beaten by teachers during his time in the orphanage and said he had a very poor education. Through all the hardships, however, he kept his quick wit and work ethic.

"Those values I try to teach the students," he said. "I tell them my stories, I share with them. I'm a very strict mentor."

Storey's tutored more than 100 students a year at three Peoria District 150 schools, Von Steuben, Glen Oak and Hines elementary schools. He teaches reading and math to the 5- and 6-year-olds four days a week and said he's thinking of adding more schools.

"I like to keep busy," he said, adding he can't wait for school to start again.

In addition to the tutoring, he also reads to children at local libraries and has visited area nursing homes.

"It's about trying to make a difference in people's lives," he said. "That's my aim in life."

The president will present the national award during his trip to Peoria for a fundraiser for state Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, who is running for the 18th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Bush has met with more than 650 volunteers since March 2002 as he travels throughout the United States.

In addition to that award, the Illinois Humanities Council, a not-for-profit educational organization, awarded Storey with the Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award for his work with RSVP.

RSVP is a program for residents older than 55 to share their skills and life experiences through volunteer service.

Storey said his three daughters are also proud of his upcoming presidential recognition. Two will be joining him for the honor.

"I have to behave myself," said the self-proclaimed prankster.

Pausing long enough to get out a burst of laughter, he added, "I will."

Listen to God + Do What He Says

NEVER APOLOGIZE for Wanting Your Church to Grow

60 Seconds of Fast Leadership Fuel

One Way Missionaries

There was an era of missionary zeal around the turn of the 19th century that bred a group who became known as One-Way Missionaries.

When they departed for the mission field, they packed all of their belongings into a coffin and bought one-way tickets because they knew they’d never return home.

A.W. Milne was one of those missionaries. He felt called to a tribe of headhunters in the New Hebrides.

All the other missionaries to this tribe had been martyred, but Milne didn’t shrink back into safe Christianity.

Milne did not fear for his life because he had already died to himself. His coffin was packed.

He served in the New Hebrides for more than fifty years.

The tribe buried him and wrote the following words on his tombstone:

“When he came there was no light. When he left there was no darkness.”

What an incredible inscription of someone’s life.

Imagine what the church would look like today if every single follower of Christ exhausted their lives to reach more people far from God.

#MakeYourMark

Never Give Up

Jumpstart your day with this live recording from this morning’s Fearless Leadership Coaching.

How to Rebound When You're Fatigued, Frustrated or Unfocused

THE NEW NORMAL

Fatigued. Frustrated. Unfocused.

That’s where the majority of leaders are right now.

The post-pandemic world is here and masks are coming off.

As everyone slowly emerges from our social hibernation, we’re all trying to pick up the pieces of the aftermath.

ADRENAL EXHAUSTION

If you’re like me, the past 14 months have been a crash course on crisis management.

Living on adrenaline and swift pivots take a toll on your psyche and emotional health.

You may be feeling fatigued, frustrated or unfocused.

I should know because I’ve experienced all three!

Take a deep breath. You’re going to be okay.

You Did A Great Job. Really.

If nobody else has said these words to you, allow me the honor:

You did a great job.

There was no one you could call.

We had nothing to measure our progress against as leaders.

This summer is a season to tap the brakes, catch your breath, and learn from this experience.

Now is the time to rethink, retain, and retire so that you and your organization can experience a fearless rebound in the Fall.

THE FEARLESS LEADERSHIP PODCAST #55

In the latest episode of my podcast, I tackle how to rebound.

For what it’s worth, here are some shareable key quotes from Episode 55:

Navy Seals 101:
You don’t RISE to the level of your competition… You SINK to the level of your training.

When you’re SQUEEZED, what’s IN you COMES OUT!

Under pressure, do you devolve into UNITY or SELF-PROTECTION?

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