Sweet. I'm crazy optimistic about this new blog. I've all sorts of questions that I can't wait to bounce off of you guys. Many are practical or come from my curiosity about y'all's ministries others are silly but I'll ask 'em anyhow. I have questions about worship music, funding, compassionate ministry, follow-up ministry, kids min, and a million other things but by far I've found that for me the greatest struggle in church planting is falling in love with the people. It's both exhilarating and horribly yucky at the same time. I can provide details on some of that later but here's what I'd like to know now.
1.What is your greatest struggle?
2. How do you deal with it?
G&P, Dan
Great question to start with.
ReplyDeleteI think my greatest struggle shifts with seasons. Right now, financial struggles are my biggest struggle. I have been in vocational ministry for 15 years and have a deep sense of call and Missio Dei is not currently paying the bills. We are not struggling at church, ie can we make our lease payment, etc. but the reason is I am not making a living wage. So, I have been working at making it work to go bi-vocational. I have done it before and have not been employed by the church my whole adult life. But somewhere in me still has such a deep call to the work of Missio Dei and Recovery Road. The time it takes to work takes a lot of time and energy away from ministry. I struggle because I feel like I am not trusting God with what He has called me to do, but if a man doesn't work, he shouldn't eat. hmmmmm!
that's my biggest struggle at the time.
Okay, let me try this again : )
ReplyDeleteI posted a longer bit here but I accidently deleted it when I tried to sign in. I’ve retyped the gist of it below.
Basically I am the worst person to chat with about this issue because I have in no way figured it out myself. Here is what I know has happened with me.
I’ve found trouble in bi-vocational ministry both times that I made a serious attempt at it over the last eight years or so.
1. The first time I tried it and my family suffered greatly.
2. The second time I tried it and the ministry suffered greatly.
The problem is in order to pull it off I have to take the time from some place else. I struggle with the whole work/eat thing because my issue is not idleness as it was in Thessalonica, my guess is that it’s not your issue either. I’m thinking you work your tail off over there! We church planters tend to struggle more with turning work off than with putting our hand to the plow. If it weren’t for my wife helping me with balance I’m not sure I’d ever stop working. The problem becomes what happens when I work, work, work, and still don’t eat. : )
Where do we find this time to take another job?
Family? God? Church? Taking time from any of these areas makes all of them suffer. Is money that important? Can I remain obedient to God and chase the money that I need to live on? Certainly many can, but can I do it?
What is tent making? Can I do that? How? What does it look like? Paul did it, but never is it suggested that he did it in such a way that it took away from the call on his life.
When Tim and Si showed up Paul stopped making tents.
Another issue: What if we’re good at this other job? How do we go to work someplace else and do it as if unto the Lord without creating a scenario where the Lord’s work in our ministry suffers? Presumably if I work someplace else and I work hard as if my supervisor is Jesus I’ll be a good employee. How can I manage being a good employee at another job? The good employee gets asked to work late, the good employee gets called to take over time or to fill in on vacations. If I become a good employee someplace else, Cloud and Townsend will be excited because I'll have to buy ten more copies of Boundaries!
Maybe the greatest temptation that would arise from being a good employee would be being offered a promotion! More money—yes! Easier job—yes! More hours? Yes. Bigger and better tents frighten me.
I did a better job explaining all this the first time but what it boils down to is I don’t have any good advice, maybe we can get some others to sign up and help us think through this one.
I'm seriously worried about eating and yet I had enough bread today.
Peace, Dan
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ReplyDeleteI was thinking about going back to what I was doing 25 years ago.
ReplyDeleteAn American Gigolo. Payed the bills. Actually got me connect with those in need of ministry. Actually, it was a self perpetuating ministry. The more I was out there, the more people were in need of recovery. The more they needed recovery, the more they needed me.
HA! IT's good work if you can get it.
ReplyDelete