A year ago, I was preparing myself for licensure in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. I took a lengthy written exam, which I then had to defend in an oral examination a few months later. As I sat before a handful of pastors within our district, I fielded questions left and right about determination and free will, how one must respond to the Gospel, and numerous others I can no longer recall. At the end of it all, I was pleasantly surprised when they approved me. One of the pastors (the most encouraging that day) said that he himself worked a secular job for years even though his heart was in the ministry. Eventually, he found himself in the pastoral role he is in today.
I wish to be clear. There is nothing wrong with working a secular job. There is nothing inherently less worthy about it. We can’t all be in full-time ministry. Yet, I feel strongly about how God has led me to this point, and it is *quite* discouraging to now be a thirty-something and performing tasks way outside my training. I attempt, to varying success, to glean lessons for when the day will come when I will be in vocational ministry. My goal is to start to writing about these lessons, not only to crank out some writing, but also to serve as a reminder of my growth now, as well as what men and women in the congregation deal with on a daily basis.
The first is that for those people who have secular jobs, and especially when families are thrown in the mix, free time does not exist. Let’s look at my daily schedule:
- 5:00am – wake up, shower, brew Laura’s coffee, prepare the boys’ lunches, make Laura some eggs
- 6:30am – get Laura and the boys on the road
- 6:35am – get myself on the road
- 8:00pm-5:00pm – work
- 6:00pm – arrive home from work, only to have two hours with the boys and Laura before we go to bed at 8:00pm (repeat ad nauseum)
If you see something missing in here, it’s because it sadly usually is. There’s zero time for growth, fellowship, and development. I’d be willing to bet that this is true for many in any congregation. When they come to church on Sunday, they are starving, and some may not even realize it! Pastors need to respect that time, and respond appropriately. Churches have an unfortunately small window that they are willing to sit still and listen to God’s Word being proclaimed. How we use that time to equip, encourage, and exhort for the coming week is crucial!
Being short on time also impacts what people are able to do in the ministry. I’m involved with a series we’re doing right now, and the only time I can break away from the family and accomplish what I need to is Wednesday night, when Laura has youth group. That means on a Wednesday night, instead of being part of a Bible study, fellowship, or choir, I’m sitting at home alone typing feverishly to try and finish before Laura gets home with the boys. Working a secular job is teaching me to appreciate those that volunteer their time to assist a ministry for which one day (Lord willing) I would like to do vocationally.
It’s teaching me that I’m going to need flexibility in how I respond to a person’s spiritual needs, and that it doesn’t always fall within my daily office hours, or at a time that I’m not trying to get a task done. Ministry is about the people, and if I make it about a to-do list, I so easily will go off course.
For now, I strive to be faithful to where God has called me at this time. Let me be honest — it’s difficult! I have several of these I’ve been thinking through, so hopefully I’ll be updating a little bit more as the days go on!
Awaiting That Day 