I have learned

Fifty years ago, I walked across the stage at Walla Walla College and grasped my diploma. Shortly there after, my wife Donna and I began pastoral ministry in the North western United States. I entered the ministry with high hopes and the clear sense of a heavenly calling.

I can say, unequivocally, that I have not been disappointed. The ministry has provided me with plenty of challenge, endless opportunities for service, and, most of all, the privilege of leading hundreds of men, women, and children to Jesus Christ and His church. The ministry also taught me things that two generations of preachers in my family before me and a plethora of school work could never have covered.

I have learned . . .

I have learned that, for the most part, people have not changed. They still need to be loved, prayed with, nurtured, and heard. It is the pastor's great privilege to minister to his people in times of crises, to uphold them in their sorrows and celebrate with them in their joys. No one should ever be too old, too sick, or too young to benefit from a pastor's com passionate heart. As Henri Nouwen has so aptly said, "The minister is not called to cheer people up but modestly to remind them that in the midst of pains and tribulations the first sign of the new life can be found and a joy can be experienced which is hidden in the midst of sadness."¹

I have learned that the minister's family should merit his highest love and concern. If a young minister marries, serving as a pastor makes him no less obligated to be a sensitive, caring and helpful spouse. I have learned that togetherness in marriage is achieved by the sharing and nurturing of common interests, and participating in the simple art of having real fun together.

After thirteen full marathons and over fifty half-marathons, I have found that walking together has helped to keep my wife and me close. And if a marriage is blessed with children, the children should become a supreme priority when it comes to daily interests. This is the minister's first mission field. I have never once regretted the hours I spent shooting baskets with my son or the time spent playing table games with my daughter.

I have learned that people in the pew are interested in preaching. Almost without exception, whenever Christian people are asked to list important qualities in a pastor, preaching heads the list. The preacher of God's Word can move and change hearts with the aid of the Holy Spirit. I. H. Evans says "Preaching is not a mere profession, a comfortable, material-providing vocation at which a man can earn an easy livelihood; it is a calling, a work, a service, which exacts toil, sacrifice, study, and higher qualifications than any other vocation."²

I have learned that the minister should value himself and his body temple enough to follow good health habits of exercise, rest, and an adequate, balanced diet. Too many pastors have failed in this responsibility and set a poor example for "the saints." One overweight pas tor said to me, "Hey, the Lord is coming soon, and He will change me at that time."

I have learned . . .

I have learned that no minister can forsake his personal devotional life and his daily close connection with heaven, at least not without paying a dear price. This daily manna-seeking does not come naturally, but must become an intentional priority if a minister is to have power with God and power with people. At the door of a church where I had just spoken, a person who had spent years in ministry and suffered a moral fall said to me with tears, "Lloyd, be faithful! The happiest years of my life were spent in the ministry. I'd give everything I possess if I could be there again."

I have learned that a minister must live above reproach because of Whom he represents. He needs to set his eart on becoming a person of high integrity and impeccable honesty in the home, in the church, in the community, and out on the golf course. Honesty with the IRS. Honesty when turning medical reports in to the conference (one clergy person I know tried to move the decimal point over to the right one notch in this way, a $30 bill became $300).

I have learned that it is possible for the minister to be content in whatso ever state or country he may find himself. Moves come and go. Blessed is the person who can throw his heart and soul into his present position and work as if he may be there forever.

I have learned . . .

I have learned that a good pastor can learn how to become a servant/leader in the church, serving with humility and love, and leading by example and vision. He is never hesitant to consider another's viewpoint. He does not rule with a heavy hand or make arbitrary decisions without the benefit of wise counsel from other congregational leaders. He knows full well that the congregation was there before him and will be there after him. Working with them has limitless benefits for the pastor and the congregation.

I have learned that some of the pastor's most satisfying work is to join the Holy Spirit in establishing the Word of God as a final authority in his congregation's heart and to teach them to have confidence in the Spirit of Prophecy. It is essential for them to understand that both of these resources ultimately come from the same Heavenly Origin.

I have learned that there is never a time when courtesy, tact, and a gracious winsome attitude is out of place. We all know the statement: "If we would humble ourselves before God, and be kind and courteous and tenderhearted and pitiful, there would be one hundred conversions to the truth where now there is one."³ Every one of these Christian graces should become a part of every successful pastor, a part of his very makeup.

I have learned that destructive criticism works like a cancer to the soul of the one who participates in this activity. There is no place in a minister's life and work for petty sarcasm, condemnation, or disparaging words. Such activity will not assist anyone toward the heavenly kingdom.

I have learned that I am a fullblooded part of the human family, with its frailties and weaknesses. I have made mistakes and have fallen short in all of the above categories. However, I have learned, best of all, that there is plenty of grace available and abundant forgiveness extended not only to the men and women in the pew, but graciously given to ministers as well.

These are some of the lessons I've learned after 50 years in the ministry, things that, as I said, two generations of preachers before, and all the book work, could never teach me.

It has all been well worth it