The one ugly attitude a few pastors had coming out of the pandemic …

Over the past year, many people were heralded as heroes in their self-sacrificial service to others during the pandemic.

From healthcare workers to people working in grocery stores and restaurants, people who kept services going for the rest of us were applauded for keeping essential or needed services going while everything else was closed.

Among the genuine heroes throughout the pandemic are the many, many church leaders who worked tirelessly in serving both their congregations and their communities. Pastors had to work harder while learning new skills and figuring out how to keep a church together when meeting in person was no longer allowed.

Scott Free Clinic served many of these pastors through our “Pastor Care” services as they struggled with managing all of the demands that came with ministry in unique times.

But separate from these spiritual shepherds “rising to the occasion” as they were strengthened and led by the Holy Spirit came a few pastors sounding very sour notes in response to this new challenge to church leadership. Their cry was, “I didn’t sign up for this!”

Oh yes you did!

When any person responds to the Gospel and surrenders their life to following Jesus Christ, they are buried with Christ in the baptismal waters and raised to walk in newness of life — a life to be lived entirely for Jesus.

The same goes with being ordained into vocational ministry.

When you heed God’s call on your life to be “set aside” (that’s what ordination is) for vocational ministry, you are NOT signing up for a comfortable, cushy job as a CEO of a corporation, or the President of an organization, or even the leader of a non-profit; what you are doing is surrendering to the call to be the under-shepherd of God’s flock, His family, and lay your life down in service to our King and the work of His kingdom.

No matter what.

Regardless of the circumstances.

When Stephen was set aside as a Deacon, he didn’t agree to that job minus any possibility of being stoned to death.

When Saul stopped tormenting the first church and became Paul, the greatest church planter in the New Testament, he didn’t say “yes” to the job minus any possibility of being thrown in prison, or beaten, or shipwrecked, or exposed to all kinds of hardships.

If you want to go back before the church, Moses didn’t answer God’s call to be a leader as long as the people didn’t grumble and only cooperated, and the prophets didn’t say they would be God’s messengers as long as they weren’t hated for delivering the message. Just think of Hosea, who God instructed to marry a prostitute to use his life as a message to the people! Hosea certainly had reason to say, “I didn’t sign up for this!”

Yes he did.

So did all the others.

When you answer God’s call to ministry, you say “yes” to whatever circumstances ministry will entail. That includes the griping and unparalleled complaining of congregations over how you handle a pandemic, or current politics, or whatever tomorrow may hold.

Just as in a marriage, when couples pledge to be faithful to one another for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, the minister surrenders his life to be poured out in service to the King and in care of the flock assigned to his care and protection.

I understand how tempting it can be for ANY pastor to want to think and feel, “I didn’t sign up for this!” I’m deeply grateful for the majority who, even being tempted to think and feel that way, knew better and shook off those thoughts and feelings. But for those who didn’t, and still think, “I didn’t sign up for this,” I encourage you to step back and, through prayer and time in the Word, look afresh at what being a servant leader in Christ’s church really means.

It usually doesn’t mean the junk taught in many of the leadership conferences or books or podcasts.

You’re not a CEO, and leading a local church is not running a business or organization.

It’s shepherding a flock for which you pour out your life, to the glory of God.

That’s what you signed up for.

Give thanks to God for the great privilege of your life — God trusting you for such great service.

If you ever need help or support in doing that great work, the ministry of Scott Free Clinic is always here for you.

Scotty