So…taught two weeks ago on fighting and conflict within churches. Chatted with some people I met that day, one of them a former pastor, and it got me thinking. If being a pastor is about taking care of people and guiding people…and it is supposed to be such a noble thing, then why do so many pastors ultimately burn out and drop out of ministry? Why do so many suffer from pain, and from loneliness, and from heartache, and from feelings of failure. If the church is ALL THAT…then it ought to be a joy to work as a pastor within the church. While it is for some, for many (if not most), it is anything but a joy.
So...in my opinion, something is inherently wrong with what the church has become (at least in America) when its leaders become joyless and loveless and lifeless because of having to deal with all the stuff that goes on - the fighting and the conflicts and the selfish agendas and all that other crap.
As one who has done it for 20 years - it annoys the heck out of me that it has become this way. Why is it this way? I can think of a number of reasons:
- having to deal with crap from people who are supposed to be like Jesus (cause they call themselves "Christians") but who are really nothing like Jesus.
- Having church "leaders" tell them what to do, how to do it, what to think, what to teach...when these so-called leaders basically have a Sunday School education in the Scriptures and in dealing with people.
- Having people who only have the aforementioned Sunday School education in the Scriptures, tell them how wrong they are in their interpretation of the Bible. "So...I know you can read the Greek and the Hebrew languages and that you have devoted your life to studying the backgrounds and the world of the Scriptures; and I know that you have enough schooling in theology to choke a horse...but the book I read by Tim Lahaye says differently so YOU NEED TO CHANGE!" (whatever)
- not being able to have friendships within their faith community because they are afraid of the possibility of offending someone.
