The Longevity of a Pastor's Ministry

Right, and also, when a man is marked by the character, a pastor and a deacon are going to be in positions where they have to say some very hard things.

And I think it's really a two -pronged approach. The first is, his character gives him the right to say it.

The authority that God has placed on him gives him the authority to say what he has to say. But also, if he's a man of character, he will say those things in such a way that it comes through and is driven by love.

And how many things are not said because your own heart is convicted, I can't say that because that's me.

Yeah, yeah, absolutely, and that means that that goes into your service, that goes into your preaching, that goes into so many different arenas of ministry, and really is unhealthy for the church, if you find yourself in that situation.

And one other thing, Chuck, when I was in Bible college,

I remember reading a story, now this was, goodness, over 10 years ago. I'm an old man,

Chuck. But one of the things I remember seeing... Does that make me? Yeah. I remember reading a story where the average tenure of a pastor was about five years, and it may have actually been lower than that.

I think it was lower than that. Do you think that that plays a role in a misunderstanding and even a low view of the office of pastor?

Probably a low view of the office of pastor, but also a low view of the church, not the office of the church, but a low view of the church.

Because so often what happens, I think, and there's probably a place for both sides, but let's say from the church's side, so often what you find is a group of people who become very possessive about the church.

This is our church, and we were talking before the podcast, and you were talking about hearing people speak in a way that,

I was here before you got here, I won't be here when you leave. So you hear that kind of talk, and obviously these people, this is my church, and I'm protecting it.

And they fail to realize the best way to protect it is to get your hands off of it, in a sense, and come to the scripture and say,

God, what do you say? And then from the pastor's standpoint, perhaps the same kind of problems exist where a church is seen maybe more as a stepping stone or a stopping place for a little while, rather than here's where the

Lord has planted me, and I'm going to give my life here until He moves me, and then seeking to live there and love those people and preach the truth.

I understand I would be in a very odd position, because I've always lived here.

We moved into this town in New Albany when I was five years old. And so this is my world, this is where my roots are.

But because I have known people the entire time I've been here, that also gives credibility.

They've seen growth, they've seen the sanctification, they've seen these things. And there are friends that I've had for that long that I have to say hard things to, and that longevity leads so much credibility to the words that you say.

If I know you for three years, I have an idea of who you are. If I know you for 15 years,

I really know who you are. And so, do you think that there's also an effectiveness in ministry that's impacted by a short 10 years?

Yes. And I've read, I don't remember who said this, but I think I've seen a couple people say, like, you're there for five to eight years before you really kind of, you know, you're out of the honeymoon stage, you're past the uncomfortable stage, perhaps, and really starting to settle in and be accepted as the pastor who knows these people and knows their lives and they know something about your life.

So many of these things, these qualifications even, they take time to observe. And as you're saying, the life takes time to observe.

So how are you going to bring the weight of character to bear on the words you say if you're there such a short period of time that people have not had the opportunity to really observe your character?

But we don't want to say that it's always God's pleasure for a person to be at a location for a long period of time.

We're not God. And I don't mean to say that. I don't mean to say that if that's your entire experience, that you're a failure.

Or that a church is a failure if they've got a string of four or five pastors that only stayed for a few years each. Right. Well, I think what we are trying to say is that if the average in our country is three to five years, then that's a problem.

Yeah. Yeah, definitely. And also, there is an idealized, I don't know if goal is the right word, but there is something to strive for.

And pray for your pastor, if it's the Lord's pleasure, that he would be there for the next twenty -five years.

Or that if you are a pastor, pray that you would be in the place where you'd be for twenty -five years.

But I think either way, would there not be wisdom in stepping forward, moving forward, planning as though you're going to be here for twenty -five years?

Now, God can move you, clearly, but intentionality. Yeah, intentionality.