frustration
its amazing how quickly you can become frustrated in "pastoral" ministry.... as my first experiment in what it means to be a "pastor" (whatever that means) i am finding that there is always more to be frustrated with than to be excited about....there are many beacons of hope on the horizon but they seem so distant, so far, so unreachable.... still i will press on....
an interesting set of statistics posed on signposts gives a bleak picture of this whole crazy job....
· 80% of pastors say they have insufficient time with spouse and that ministry has a negative effect on their family.its sad but true ..... hey another Metalica reference....
· 40% report a serious conflict with a parishioner once a month.
· 33% say that being in ministry is an outright hazard to their family.
· 75% report they’ve had significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry.
· 58% of pastors indicate that their spouse needs to work either part time or full time to supplement the family income.
· 56% of pastors’ wives say they have no close friends.
· Pastors who work fewer than 50 hrs/week are 35% more likely to be terminated.
· 40% of pastors considered leaving the pastorate in the past three months.
5 Comments:
I read those stats somewhere last year and they depressed the hell out of me. But there must be a reason so many people put themselves through it?
As a smart friend of mine once said, "A sacrifice isn't a sacrifice unless it's a sacrifice."
Romans 12:1,2
Be of good cheer, and be filled with the Holy Spirit!
keep it up though mate, we're excited even if you're not
it's alright love, i'm sure we'll have a conversation that's not ministry related one day... :)
You can't understand what it is to be in ministry until you've done it; no one can verbally explain it to you, perhaps like marriage or having children. My experience has been one of high stress for sure. It's like being in a different world. But it helps to remember you're called there and purposed there, and capable. Labor of love I suppose. A calling to leave the old life behind and pick up the new.
Post a Comment
<< Home