5. Work hard. Don’t be that guy who is last to church, preaches, let’s everyone else take the slack, ducks out early. Seriously – just don’t. People will tell you pastoring is hard work, and it is – but don’t become a prima donna. Get in there and help set up the sound desk, stay late and talk to everyone, even Mrs Jones who you are convinced is going senile, be at the prayer meeting first, learn how to set the church alarm system. Just get involved. Serve teas and coffees. If you are joining a team in a larger church, don’t be the slacker. Be the hard worker.
4. Don’t be quick to accept a church that need a pastor. Churches between 30-70 people are cats. They are just like cats: they will wander to you, wander away from you, they will be independent. Do some investigation – I know you want to preach, but that’s only 1 or 2 hours a week, and you have a lot more hours to fill and the kind of church it is will make a massive difference. If they have run off the last 3 pastors in less than 2 years, you will be gone in two years. You are not that good, No one is that good. Find somewhere else.
3. Your greatest asset in the church will be the dear old saints who have been walking with the Lord thirty or forty years, draw from their wisdom, find out their secrets about life in the Word and following Christ. Your greatest liability in the church will be the dear old saints who have been not walking with the Lord thirty or forty years. Enjoy!
2. Don’t let them mistreat your wife. Never ever ever let them mistreat your wife. Or children. You will be in a greenhouse and people will be looking. They can look, but if they throw stones, ensure they have no responsibility or future in the church until they can respect your family as an extension of you.
1. Don’t work too hard. Pick a day of the week (I find Fridays best as it means I hit that weekend refreshed) and turn the phone off, turn the interwebs off, and enjoy. Let nothing interrupt that day off. If you want to read, read; if you want to watch a DVD, watch a DVD. Go out for lunch, don’t cook. Have a day off every week and rest.
