Volume 3 Issue 6
I heard you say recently that it’s never been harder to be a pastor. What do you mean by that?
Your question is a very important one for our time. With ministers falling by the wayside in denominational churches, and sadly even in Apostolic churches, this is an important issue to examine. I want to give you three main reasons why it’s so difficult these days to pastor a church.
Number one, it has been noted that we are living through the de-Christianizing of our society, and that this has become, in effect, the post-Christian era. I believe this is true. It is very difficult to minister in society without understanding the anti-Jesus sentiments that are developing in our world.
Secondly, along with the de-Christianizing of society there is a broadening anti-authority attitude that affects the way we deal with people. You simply cannot say,
“Do this because I say so.” Leadership and direction has got to reflect an understanding of this anti-authority phenomenon.
Third, I would cite the loss of the servant hood principle as one of the things that makes it very difficult to pastor today. When I say “difficult,” I do not mean impossible; I simply mean it is difficult unless we are willing to appreciate the new challenges that the ministry must meet.
And this third reason is one of those challenges. People have lost the servant hood principle of life. Churches have become places where people expect to he served or “blessed.” Also, the product/marketing approach to church has placed new pressures on ministers.
There might be many other things that we could put on such a list as this, but I think these are the primary areas that challenge us in these times. Pastors must be on guard for these pressures.