When Things Aren't Working Out as Expected

Today I heard something very wise.  Someone said that when things you thought you were supposed to be doing seem unsuccessful, stop and look at what you are doing that IS successful and is bringing fulfillment to your life and then do it more often.

That certainly applies to anyone's life, but it struck a real chord with me today.  When you work in church ministry it is easy to adopt an ideal or preconceived notion of how that ministry is supposed to work in order to quantify your success or failure.  Sometimes the preconceived notion of outcome happens.......and sometimes it doesn't! For anyone in a job like ministry where outcomes can be difficult to recognize as successful or failing there is always tension, wondering, temptation to discouragement, constant nerve wracking analysis in trying to figure out if you are doing what needs to be done for a church congregation or not, whether you are meeting goals that are often nebulous.

One of the presuppositions about church ministry is that the number of regular attenders in a church congregation are supposed to increase over time.  But what if no one new shows up in that first year?  Or two?  Or three? Or four?

Another one is that the pastor will inspire more people each year to want to attend Bible study and spiritual growth among the congregation will become obvious to one and all.
But what if no one comes to the study and you never really know for certain where your congregation stands in relationship to your faith's traditional beliefs?

Another one is that if you are a good pastor you will inspire  your congregants to start up new programmes for attracting youth and young families so that as the oldest members become unable to carry on the ministries of the church there will be newcomers primed and enthusiastic about taking them over.
But what if there are no interested young families or youth despite your best efforts and those of your congregants to interest them in attending and participating? What if you are performing more funerals than baptisms each year?

Another one is that the pastor will be able to inspire long time congregants to new enthusiasm to increase their participation in the weekly details that keep the church running smoothly---volunteers of all ages will suddenly pop out of the woodwork and fall all over themselves to help out with things they have never helped with before.
But what if the congregants are too tired, too busy, gone too often, to do any more than they have been doing?  What if circumstances in their lives have worn them out so badly that they are no longer excited about "doing"?

There are many more presuppositions and expectations that ministers in all areas of The Church have for themselves and the people they minister to.  These are only a few of the more common ones.  What happens when expectations are disappointed?  How do ministers avoid complete despair and the depression that comes on when they feel they have failed their people and done poorly in meeting their ministry expectations?

Part of the answer is to take our eyes off what is not working and look more intently at what is working.  

What about the contributions to the local ministerial association that are so appreciated by fellow clergy?  What about those wonderful visits with some of the young people who don't come to the church but who are keen to talk about Jesus with us at other times in other places?  What about the Bible courses taught to other groups  of people who do not attend our churches but who are keen to learn and to be discipled?  What about the dinners we serve up in our homes for congregants to come and just have a social time that breeds good communication and a sense of comfort and safety for them with the pastor?  What about that nursing home service where you can sense the gratitude of people who are shut in that we would come and include them in the church community outside the walls of their residences? These things are not happening as part of the mainline ministry and yet the feeling of satisfaction that accompanies them shouldn't be taken lightly.

What sorts of things bring you fulfillment in your calling, what positive experiences are going on still in spite of the apparent failings in meeting "the usual expectations" of your ministry or other type of career? Maybe those "side issue" events that so fulfill and inspire you are really the major events of your working life.  Maybe they are as important as what you conceive your "real" job to be. Maybe they actually indicate your true calling in life no matter your recognized position.

My husband loves to teach.  Over the past year he took every opportunity to do so in many different circumstances.  When he is tempted to be discouraged about other parts of his ministry, to feel a failure when expected results don't happen as often as he would hope, he just starts thinking about how fulfilled he is when teaching people who really want to learn, who respond to his words and who are encouraged by what they are learning.  His sermons are improving on Sunday mornings because he has been in teaching mode at other times during the week.  He is enjoying the rest of his ministry more because he has one particular area whereby he feels fulfilled nearly every day.  He loves to teach and does it well.  He is less stressed about other things because he doesn't have to focus only on what seems to be wrong in other areas of life.  No one person is called to do everything, to fulfill on their own every aspect of their job or ministry. Maybe the reasons you find yourself in a particular place doing a particular job are not first and foremost what you assumed them to be.

It makes sense.....look at what IS working and do more of it!  

In the words of the old song, "Do what you do, do well!"  Thank you Ned Miller for those good words!