Eight blessings after ten years of ministry at CBC
Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA
A successful pastorate is as much dependent on the church as it is on the pastor. Since 2012 I have been privileged to pastor Central Baptist Church in Waycross, GA. There have been seasons of great joy and great sorrow, but there has not been a day I was not thankful for this fellowship. Recently, I have been reflecting on how pastoral ministry differs once you pass the 10-year point. Below are my observations of eight blessings that have come from pastoring CBC over ten years.
1. The good fruit of tested relationships
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rodgers sing a duet with a great lyric, "You can't make old friends." The blessing of old friendships is not just the amount of time spent together but that the relationship has remained and grown through times of testing. In the early days of most relationships, there are niceties and politeness. Though this is appreciated, it is a cover for the lack of depth in the relationship. However, over the course of ten years, there are ample opportunities for the relationships to be tested. Relationships that have survived and prospered beyond the pleasantries of shallowness into the deeper waters of grace are a blessing indeed.
2. Prayer is more personal and deep
Recently I visited a member who was in the hospital. Throughout my ministry, I have made thousands of similar visits. I walked into the hospital room, expecting this visit to unfold like so many before. However, not long into the visit, the church member told me, through tears, of a painful situation in their family of one living in sinful rebellion. We have talked together many times about this issue. Sometimes, we have rejoiced when it seemed there might be a movement towards repentance and restoration, and other times we wept over the pain of the broken relationship. This church member was not sharing any new information with me during this visit. Still, the emotions were so raw that tears, grief, and prayerful pleas seemed to tumble out. When I prayed, I certainly asked the Lord to minister to the medical needs that were the cause of the hospital stay, but I gave the greatest attention to pleading for God to rescue the wayward family member. I know the wayward family member. I know the entire family well. I have been with them in moments of joy and grief. I do not pray for them as an outsider but as one who grieves and will rejoice with them when their prodigal child returns.
Having ministered in this church for over a decade has changed the intensity and intimacy of how I pray. Over the last decade, I have attended birthday parties, graduation parties, weddings, welcoming home newborn babies, welcoming home adopted children, retirement celebrations, wedding anniversary celebrations, and many other happy occasions. I have also been in the homes of church members when spouses died, couples weeping because they could not have children, parents struggling to deal with a teenage child's pregnancy, pregnant mothers who have miscarried, unwed teenage mothers who choose adoption for their babies over abortion, hopeful parents when adoptions fell through, those who are shocked when a cancer diagnosis was received, those who are fearful when their jobs were lost, and many other times of heartache and crisis. As a pastor, it has been my honor to walk with many in our church through the joys and sorrows of this life. As I have, it has given me the ability to pray for them more personally and deeply than in the early days of my ministry here.
3. Greater joy in restoration and renewal
This may seem strange to say. You may think that joy in restoration and renewal is equally great no matter how long you have known someone. This is true enough, yet time gives a perspective and knowledge to spiritual restoration and renewal that cannot be appreciated otherwise.
Over the years, I have enjoyed having a front-row seat to watch what God was doing in the lives of some of the men in our church. Before God drew their hearts to a deeper relationship with him, they were not "bad" people as the world judged them. They had good jobs, provided well for their families, attended church, and were well respected in the community. Though their outward appearance looked good, they were not totally surrendered to the lordship of Jesus. However, when God began to move in their lives, everything changed. Hobbies that had consumed their attention no longer held an idolatrous hold on them. Church attendance that once was optional became an authentic expression of obedience. Private sins that had long been accommodated and excused as not a big deal began to break their hearts. They actively repented and worked against them. Certainly, I would have rejoiced in their testimony of spiritual renewal regardless of their history. However, knowing it while witnessing God's transformation in their lives made my joy even greater.
Recently I had a conversation with a business owner in our community who is not a Christian. He had known one of the men in my church whom God had transformed for a long time. When he learned I was the man's pastor, he joked about how it must be a challenge. I knew what he meant as prior to God's renewal; this man was brash, arrogant, braggadocios, fixated on his hobbies, and not always easy to be around. But it was a great joy to testify to all the ways God had transformed him. I had seen and witnessed it, and my joy was made all the more because of it.
4. Blessing of true friends
One of the painful experiences of ministry is that some whom you thought were friends abandon you with no explanation. These wounds are significant, but the blessing of true friends who stick with you is greater still. Ministry that stretches beyond a decade allows for friendships to develop that are gifts of grace. Friends who are available in the middle of the night to come over and watch your kids while you take a sick child to the emergency room. Friends with whom you can share the blessings and struggles of raising children. Friends who treat your children like their own grandchildren. Friends who accept you as you are and enjoy your company. Friends who are unafraid to speak truth into your life.
5. More honest conversations and preaching
The more you know your congregation, the more honest your preaching and conversations with individuals will be. The first task of preaching is to declare the word of God rightly. A faithful preacher on his first Sunday at a church will do this. Every pastor strives to proclaim God's word and give biblically faithful counsel from the pulpit and in conversation with individuals. Now in my eleventh year at Central Baptist Church, I know the congregation more intimately than in year one. I know better the areas where the congregation excels and struggles. I know where we have succeeded and failed. The first task of preaching is to declare the word of God rightly, but the second is to apply what the word says to how God's people are to live. The more intimate I am with the congregation, the more intimately I can apply God's word. Encouragements are more specific, and warnings are more urgent because I know the congregation.
6. An appreciation for the true character of the people
First impressions are not always the best judge of a person's character. To truly know a person's character, you need time and experience. Pastoring a church for ten years or more allows you to see people's true character.
The brother who struggles with impulsive reactions but who is quick to cool off and consistently faithful to return to the task no matter the difficulties.
The sister who can be bossy and opinionated but who is able to organize and direct unto excellence and who will contend for her point of view but will not back down when defending me against unfair treatment.
The Sunday school teacher who seems to be meek and shy but, when tasked with teaching God's word, comes alive and is an exceptional teacher.
The leader who initially seems gruff and unconcerned but proves insightful, biblically faithful, and a great advocate for the ministry.
The brother who is bombastic and loud but sees needs that no one else recognizes and quietly works to meet them.
The sister who expresses frustration with my decision, but after which goes about faithfully serving with a happy attitude.
The better I know the members of CBC, the more I love them, appreciate them, and enjoy the opportunity to serve the Lord with them.
7. Opportunities to grow and mature
If you pastor a church long enough, you will have some successes and failures. Some of your decisions will prove correct, and others will not. As the years pass, there will be seasons when something is helpful and others when it is not. One of the blessings of pastoring a church for a decade is the opportunity to see how decisions have worked and not worked. This allows you the opportunity to rethink decisions and change course. Indeed, no pastor or leader should change course so often that those following are confused or frustrated. However, maintaining a course because you refuse to admit it is not the right direction is an abdication of responsibility.
Over these last ten years, some of the things we have done have been very helpful for the congregation. On the other hand, there are some decisions we have made that; if I had the opportunity again, I would make very different decisions. Most of these are because I recognized that our decision was not helpful or beneficial to the congregation.
Beyond simply evaluating the outcome of decisions, I continue to grow in understanding God's word, maturing in my faith, and developing as a pastor. Ministering in the same place for over a decade has provided the opportunity for faith maturing and pastoral development that would not likely happen in shorter tenures. Unquestionably it is the Lord who matures my faith and pastoral ability, but it is also a testimony to the church that the congregation provides a fertile context for the Lord to work.
As I have begun my second decade at CBC, I am thankful for the perspective these past ten years have provided and the opportunities the next ten years will offer.
8. The church is my family's church
By God's grace, we came to Central Baptist Church when all four of our children were young. Though my oldest two sons have some memories of previous churches, their church experience memories are primarily connected to CBC. Over the last ten years, I have invested my life in the church, but the church has even more so invested in my family and me. Sunday school teachers, VBS teachers and workers, and youth leaders have all ministered to my children. When paying for summer camp was a challenging expense, church members helped lighten the burden. When our children succeeded in school and athletics, our church celebrated and rejoiced with us. When Dana and I wept in heartache for our children to be obedient to Jesus, members of CBC wept and prayed with us.
In the view of eternity, our lives are but a momentary mist. And ten years in the course of a life is only a percentage of the whole. However, in the formative years of childhood, ten years is paramount. I am so thankful that the formative years of my children's lives were spent among the fellowship of CBC.
Indeed, many more blessings come from serving a church for over a decade, but these are the ones that have been most on my mind and heart. If you are a pastor, I would enjoy hearing the blessings you have experienced from serving a church for ten years or more. Likewise, if you are a church member, I would enjoy hearing your perspective about the blessings for the church and individual members when pastors serve for ten years or more.
My next blog post will be on my observations of the burdens that have come from pastoring CBC over ten years. Gratefully, the list of burdens is a short one.
