As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
Most Christians have been members of (or at least attended) a church long enough to go through a pastoral transition or to witness an ordination service. When they do, they’ll often hear a sermon on the pastor’s responsibility to the church. It might include a look at the qualifications for pastor as listed in 1Timothy 3 or Titus 1, and perhaps also a charge from 2Timothy 4.1-2:
“Citing data collected for their Resilient Pastor research from 2015 to 2022… showed pastors suffered significant declines in all areas of well-being when asked to rank how they felt as excellent, good, average, below average, poor or don’t know.” - CPost
“1. There is a power and control issue behind the dismissal. Typically, the pastor has not bowed to the demands and preferences of a power group in the church…. 2. Reasons for the firing are often not given to the congregation.” - Church Answers
“ministry leaders are not mental health professionals… typically unsure of how to help people—including ourselves—through dark seasons. Here are four lessons I learned through my experience.” - Lifeway
“ ‘Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.’… Yet here, in 1 Timothy 3:7, as the culminating qualification for the church’s lead office, we hear that pastor-elders must be well thought of by outsiders.” - Desiring God
“When asked what they liked about being a pastor, respondents overwhelmingly highlight preaching and teaching…in a distant second place is discipling believers, with 8 percent.” - Barna
“The longtime pastor and oft-praised preacher, who died on Tuesday at age 90, fought hard to lead in his Southern Baptist congregation, earning him a reputation for faithful obstinacy” - CToday
The Gospel Coalition asked three former pastors—all of whom now teach or counsel pastors—for their best advice.
Discussion