Mama always said

Mama Always Said

When I look back on my childhood, I can remember some of the things that my mom said that made me very happy. “Do you want some ice cream?” “Would you like to have some friends over?”  and “What would you like me to make you for dinner?” There were other questions and comments that made me shudder. “Just wait until your father gets home!” “If your friends jumped off a bridge would you jump too?” and “It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt!” I still remember the things my mama always said.

There was a day when everything we believed about life came from our parents and other immediate family members. If I wanted an objective opinion on an issue I would have to go to the library and look it up in an encyclopedia. I still find it hard to believe that I researched information at college using the “card catalogue.” 

When I became a pastor there was generally one way to be a pastor and a good pastor simply had to master the basics of pastoral ministry in order to have some measure of success in a local church, however that success is defined. That path of pastoral ministry has been obliterated and lays on the floor in pieces. Today there are multiple methods, styles, philosophies and approaches to do every pastoral task and function.

Not only are there more possibilities in how we “do” church, our laypeople have immediate access to all those possibilities. Anytime a pastor does anything new, a layperson can find a well-known and respected pastor who has written a viral blog about why that new thing will be the death knell of the Church, and by extension your church.

If you are like me, you have received countless emails and have had countless articles shared with you via social media on the positive and negatives of what we are doing in leading the local church. We are left to figure out what to do with that information personally, professionally and relationally. We in the Church have taken what Mama always said to a new level these days.

Here are a few tips that I have found helpful in my own personal, professional and relational ministry.

Be comfortable with who you are in Christ.

You may have never had a viral post. You may have never been published. You may never pastor a “large” church. There may be better preachers, leaders and administrators. However, you have been set apart by God as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He called you to this work of pastoral ministry for a reason. He thinks you are worth something as a pastor. Be comfortable with who you are in Christ.

Learn from everything you read.

I usually read at least some portion of everything I am sent. I am not afraid to discover things I don’t like in an article because I am seeking to present myself before the Holy Spirit so He can shape me. I usually find something in everything that helps me grow as a pastor. Grow as a minister every day regardless of how the sent article or post makes you feel.

Rarely, if ever, assume the motive of the sender.

Where we can get into relational trouble is by assuming the motive of the sender. The sender may not be trying to say they can’t stand you. They may not be saying they can’t stand your style. They may not be saying you are incompetent. To think negatively of the motive behind everyone who sends you articles will likely make you miserable. When in doubt you could ask the sender, “What was it about that article that spoke to you?” The question just might open a door of communication and value for each other.

Be certain

We want to have a teachable spirit. In fact, we need to know when our certainty was born from incorrect data or assumptions so we can make necessary course corrections. However, when all the competing philosophies and styles create indecisiveness in us it will result in a confused congregation. Nothing will kill the mission of God in your church like a pastor that doesn’t know where God is leading the church. Your congregation needs you to know how and in what direction the Lord is leading. You don’t have to discover that way alone but you do need to discover that way.

One thing is immediately certain, there will be no shortage of information for our pastors and laypeople to have access to in how we do ministry. There will be times when what you read is refreshing and inspiring. There will be times when what you read makes you feel like you are failing everyone around you. Hang in there sister and brother because my mama always said there was One who would never leave us and would never forsake us. You are His child and you are called.