Why I Am Not Leaving The Ministry Or The Church 

“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 

If you read various articles from a variety of different news services, you might have noticed a  recent trend. Christian leaders and pastors have decided to leave the ministry. Statistics indicate  the rate of pastors and leaders leaving the ministry is unusually high. For some this is simply  resigning from the church where they are serving and for others it seems stepping away or  distancing themselves from the Christian faith. As someone who has now been in full-time  ministry for over 30 years, most of those years as the Senior Pastor, I am aware of the unique  pressures we are facing today. And I have had those moments when I wondered if it was worth  it. And yet, I still believe there are many reasons not to give up.  

In the spirit of the comedian and former host of the Late Show, David Letterman, here are my  Top 10 Reasons Why I Am Not Leaving The Ministry Or The Church . . . no particular order. 

Strong belief in the biblical idea of calling 
When I was growing up there was a strong emphasis on the idea of God calling people to  vocational ministry or missions. Many times, at a youth or college event, the speaker would give  an invitation and make the appeal, “If you feel God is calling you to full-time ministry you can  come and make that public.” And I did several times. Though I was not exactly sure what full time ministry would look like, I certainly felt I was being called by God to serve him vocationally.  As I was preparing for full-time ministry in seminary, I remember many professors saying, “If  you don’t feel called to serve as a pastor or missionary you ought to go ahead and consider doing  something else.” And then they would add, “because ministry is too hard if you don’t feel deep  down that you are called by God to do this.” Many years later, I agree. Now, after over 30 years  of full-time vocational ministry, I can sometimes say, the only thing that keeps me going is this  deep sense of serving the Lord in ministry is what God has called me to do.  

What else would I do or where would I go? 
This may not be true for many pastors, but in my case, the truth is I am not really trained or  qualified to be anything but a pastor. Since I have been serving in full-time ministry my entire  adult life, I really do not have many other skill sets. If the Lord were to lead me out of ministry, I  believe he would provide the right job. But honestly, I don’t know what that would be. After  Jesus had given a particularly hard to understand teaching to his disciples and other potential  followers, many decided it was time to abandon Jesus (John 9:25-71). After the fall out Jesus  looked at his disciples and asked them, “Do you want to leave me too?” Peter responded, “Lord,  to whom shall we go?” (John 9:67-68). I can relate to Peter’s question . . . to whom else would I  go or what other job would I do? 

I enjoy what I do.  
There is no doubt, at times, the ministry can be very burdensome. Church conflict, counseling  hurting people, sermon preparation, funerals, weddings, meetings, and more meetings can all  take a toll. However, most of the things required as a pastor, I do enjoy. Sermon preparation is  challenging. Sunday comes every week. However, as someone who feels strongly that one of my  

spiritual gifts is preaching, I usually enjoy both preparing for my Sunday message and delivering  it. I love interacting with people and helping them in their time of need. I like the flexibility and  variety that ministry offers. I enjoy being my own boss though I know I am accountable to my  church family, leadership, and ultimately God. Most days, I enjoy doing ministry and count it a  real privilege.  

I believe the next generations benefit greatly from an experienced pastor who has remained  in ministry. 
There is news about a group of people often referred to as the “nones.” People who have left  the church and have no affiliation with organized religion. The majority of those who make up  this group are the younger generation 30 years and younger. Though I believe the information  

about this group is true, my own experience is there is a solid young group who are serious  about their faith and are longing for more experienced Christians and leaders to take them  under their wings to model authentic faith. They have a heart for ministry and want to reach  their generation with the gospel. They will lean into an experienced pastor who has been in the  ministry for a significant amount of time so they can learn and grow. This is an incredible  opportunity for many experienced Christian leaders.  

I believe most churches benefit from long, effective ministries.  
Not only does the next generation benefit from experienced pastors but I believe local churches  and ministries benefit greatly from long, effective tenures. I am aware of churches where the  pastor stayed too long. Yet, that is the exception, not the rule. When a pastor plants his life in a  church or country, they minister with enthusiasm and effectiveness, then the church or ministry  thrives. Unfortunately, long tenures still can be hard to find. This is why committing to stay over  a significant amount of time is critical in kingdom work.  

It is a very important form of stewardship.  
“To whom much has been given, much is required.” (Luke 12:48) These are the words of Jesus.  Or as Uncle Ben said to Peter Parker in the Spider-Man series, “With great power comes great  responsibility.” The longer one serves in ministry, the more knowledge, wisdom and experience they should have. And with this knowledge, wisdom and experience there is a responsibility for  stewarding this well. When someone leaves the ministry prematurely, they take all of this with  them. Again, I want to be clear, it does not mean God cannot use them. I am saying too often  the great wealth of ministry experience is not as available, and I see this as poor stewardship. When someone remains in ministry, they can share their experience and wisdom, and this is  good stewardship. 

What other career allows you to regularly study, teach, and preach God’s word? 
A big part of pastoral ministry is preaching and teaching the word of God. If someone has a  passion for this, they are in the right role. If they are doing preaching and teaching regularly,  they better be passionate about the word of God. I often think to myself, I make a living by preaching and teaching God’s word. What a job! 

I believe it is a privilege to be there for people in their highs and lows of life. 
The pastor’s job is sharing life with their church family. As the adage goes, “A pastor marries  them and buries them.” And the list goes on with baptisms, hospital visits, baby dedications, weddings, funerals, and crisis intervention. There is a responsibility that comes with many of  these tasks and yet, to be able to minister during these pivotal moments can bring great  satisfaction. Even in an international church which has a high turnover rate, I still can look out  on the audience and think, “I baptized them, I did their mother’s funeral, I remember doing their  wedding 8 years ago, etc.” There is a special bond a pastor experiences when sharing life with  those they care for and love.  

I believe the local church is the hope of the world.  
The local church is the hope of the world because the local church contains and distributes the  only message that can transform lives. The local church proclaims the message of Jesus offering  forgiveness and salvation to all who believe. Jesus stated he would build his church and the  gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). Despite opposition, incredible  change, war, political instability, and the list goes on, the local church continues to thrive in  many places around the world. The local church remains the hope of the world.  

I believe a marriage and family does not have to take second place to ministry and the church. 
Ministry is not only challenging on the minister, but it can also bring unique challenges on  marriages and families. There are unique challenges that come to the family of those who serve  the Lord vocationally. And yet, I believe if ministry is done with the right attitude and a healthy  balance is exercised, ministry can be a blessing to marriages and families. I have been blessed to  have a wife who feels as called to the ministry as I am. My wife and I see our ministry as a  partnership. We have one daughter who was very involved in the ministry with us. My wife and  I tried to keep a healthy balance between ministry life and our personal life. We did our best to  share the ups and downs of ministry without compromising or putting our daughter in a place  where she felt left out or not valued. Most importantly, we lived out our faith together with our  daughter. Gratefully, our now grown daughter is walking with the Lord and loves the church. 

Bonus 
I get a foretaste of heaven every Sunday. This is specific to my ministry as a pastor of an international church. Our church is multi-cultural, multi-national, and multi-denominational. Sometimes as we are singing praises to the Lord or as I am preaching and looking out on a very  diverse congregation, I think, this is a little like John’s vision on the island of Patmos when he  saw a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language. (Revelation 7:9) I know not  every pastor gets to experience this but for me it is a big bonus. It is one of the things that keeps  me motivated and going. It is one of the many reasons why I am not leaving the ministry.

Dr. Paul Dreessen 
Senior Pastor 
International Baptist Church San Jose, Costa Rica