April 1 marked ten years of my being pastor at Oldham Bethel Church. Let's quickly get over the fact that, yes, I started on April Fool's Day. You can decide for yourself whether the bigger joke was played on me or by me. But ten years feels like the shortest long amount of time worth looking back and seeing what's what. I don't think ten years is all that long in the grand scheme of things. But it is the shortest long time that feels like a reasonable amount of time to have been in the same place, doing the same thing and that one might have learnt one or two things worth knowing over that period. So, I thought I might just share some of the things I have learnt. Some are bigger than others, some more or less significant, but they are things I know now and either didn't know before or didn't fully appreciate (and maybe I still don't). But in no particular order, here are some things:
People leave and this is normal
One thing that few people prepare you for before you begin your pastorate is that people will leave your church. I don't know a single pastor that hasn't had people leave their church. People leave for a variety of reasons, many perfectly legitimate, some perhaps less so. But even the best pastor in the world will have people leave on them both for legitimate and perfectly understandable reasons but also for less legitimate reasons and will have had fingers pointed in their direction as the fundamental reason why. People leaving is normal and is something we simply have to accept as a fact of ministry.
People leaving is always sad
The other thing about people leaving is it is always sad. If they are leaving for legitimate reasons, you will find it sad that good people, friends whom you love, are moving on. It isn't necessarily hurtful when it happens, but it is sad nonetheless, even when it is for legitimate reasons and with every blessing from the church. Others leaving badly will make you sad because they cause so much pain, either to you personally or to the church at large. It is always sad when people leave and there is rarely much you can do to insulate yourself from it.
The church is its people who are its best resource
Indeed, the church is its people which means its people are its best resource. That doesn't mean they are a resource to be exploited. Simply to say, the church is at its best when its resources are all working towards gospel ends. When each part of the body is freed up to serve in the particular ways in which God has gifted them to serve the church will be at its strongest.
Don't overestimate what you can do in a year; don't underestimate what you can do in five
Somebody said this to me when I first started in the role and I think it has been seen to be true. There are lots of things we may want to do. Lots of things we might feel are worthwhile. But change will often happen in increments and change will often come when new folks show up and get stuck in too. It takes time to instil cultural change and it takes time to either win people to whatever needs to happen or to sift those who will not be won and feel they would be better served elsewhere. These things all take time. There is a limit to what might be achieved in a year, but over five years the change in a church can be enormous in a number of ways.
God's people are encouraged by gospel work
One thing that has struck me time and again is the number of people who are encouraged by what we are doing and what is going on in our little corner of the world. Whilst it can often feel like people don't care about small ministries, more often than not, it's not a lack of care so much as a total lack of knowledge. When people haven't heard about you and don't hear about you they can't be encouraged by you. But I have found more often than not when people have heard about what we are doing and know about it, they are encouraged by it and often want to take an active interest in some way. The issue often isn't interest, its awareness.
I have made mistakes and will make more; not everything has been a mistake
There are countless things I would go back and do differently if I had the chance. Many of them minor but nevertheless things I would do differently. I am quite certain I will make more mistakes still. But it also bears saying not everything was a mistake and there are some things, even though they had hard or difficult consequences, are things I could not fathom doing any differently. Not everything that goes well is a decent decision and not everything that proves hard and difficult is a mistake. There are things I would handle differently and things I wouldn't.
It's too easy to rely on yourself and not the Lord
Hardly a pastor I know hasn't got their role because of some sort of pastoral skill. Whether that is they are great counsellors or excellent bible teachers or something, usually they have some skills that have helped them get their role. Which makes it all too easy to rely on oneself when we have, to some degree, been appointed because of some skills we have. It is easy to preach as a good preacher, counsel as a skillful counsellor, and sack off the unseen, quiet ministry of prayer that nobody will know whether you were doing it or not. We are foolish to think we ever do anything without the Lord's help and no amount of skill will make up for whether the Spirit is at work. We must remember that he does not rely on us, but we rely on him and all that we do is a waste of time apart from him.
Most people touted as experts are no such thing
I, very occasionally, get bracketed as a sort of expert. I, apparently, have great insight into discipling ESOL folks into church life or have excellent knowledge of reaching Muslims or fantastic ability to reach out to the working class. Not only have most the people I've encountered who are touted this way no such thing, nor am I! The vast majority of pastoral ministry is not complicated. It involves telling people about Jesus and helping them to walk with him. That's about it. There are no secrets or shortcuts and special groups of people, whilst there may be the occasional pitfall worth avoiding if you can, it's more just about relationships and getting to know people. In the end, we all know the gospel and can all point people to Jesus. Rather than looking to experts for their expertise, most of what we really need is just confidence that we can actually do this. We don't need special insights or expertise, we just need to get on and do what we already know we can do - share the gospel, point people to Christ and do so in loving relationships, whether that is with people like us or people who are not "our people" so to speak.
You are not the saviour of the church
It may seem obvious, but you are not the saviour of the church; Jesus is. That truth should set you free. The church does not depend on you, but on Jesus. The church does not depend on your ministry, but on Jesus. The work does not stand or fall on you, but on Jesus. Be freed by that. You can only do what you can do and you only must do what Jesus has actually said you must do, not what tradition, culture or people's general expectations (or, indeed, your own unrealistic expectations) say you must. The church need Jesus, you are only any help to them by pointing them to him and away from reliance upon you. That is true whether it is stated or merely implied.
It's a marathon, not a sprint
To that end, you are most likely to be a helpful servant of the church if you last over the long haul. Irrespective of the pressures you may face beyond your control, do not overload yourself with pressures entirely within your control. Take care not to insist everything is done by you. This not only makes you appear to be the saviour of the church (see the previous point) but also makes you a bottle neck in the output of the church whose ministry cannot expand beyond your capacity and is likely to lead to an early exit from the pastorate. Set up sustainable ministry patterns early. A mad frenzy in the early years that fizzles out is likely to be less valuable to the church and kingdom than a 40-year sustained ministry that was faithful. If you want to maximise your usefulness, aim for a sustainable long term.
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