“Be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to grow angry.”
James 1:19
“Pastor, I need to talk with you immediately, Can I come in?”
“Pastor, my wife just left the house with her suitcase packed; can I come over?”
“Pastor, the ambulance took my husband to ER…Help!!!”
When these moments come in your ministry, which they will, how will you respond?
(1) Not pick up the phone?
(2) Run immediately to help, leaving everything, to be the rescuer?
(3) Offer some trite statement like, “Don’t worry, God is still on the throne?”
THREE RESPONSES
I propose three ways to handle situations like this:
Being a Savior isn’t your prime job, it is being a path to the Savior and that takes wisdom. So to get wisdom you must first listen. As you listen, get a pad and paper and write down the obvious stuff. . .
A. Name, number and time of call.
B. List main points that they say, questions they have, feelings.
After a while, God will start showing you the degree of urgency…because often, selfish people make everything urgent. Like a mouse in the basement, an argument over what movie to watch, or a cut on the child’s elbow, they want to be rescued, NOW! When you respond to every moment of crisis, you may be forfeiting your important time with God and family for the selfish wants of others. How often did Jesus do what the people wanted him to do? (Luke 12:14, John 2:3-4, Luke 4:42-44)
(2) Proverbs 11:14 – ________________________________
Get advisors, use your elders, invite your fellow pastors to help. Too many pastors are mavericks, and when you enter into a hotbed situation you may be very vulnerable. Bring your wife with you when grieving women are involved; make it a habit to call wiser pastors. Too often it seems pastors are men who go running in the mess before they assess, and then they find themselves way over their head. (Remember, people mostly operate out of selfishness…they are not always telling the truth).
(3) Exodus 18:14-26 – ______________________________
Delegate, delegate, delegate! This is the only thing that will save and expand your ministry.
Question: How do I determine which cases I should take care of myself and what to delegate?
Level 1: Do your best to delegate the person who says, “I just want a friend!” Remember, you don’t have all the time in the world. Establish a friends ministry for people who just want to talk. (80% of problems)
Level 2: Crisis moment, and it is obvious I need to engage the situation. When it is an issue of discipleship, deal with it by (1) developing trained people in your church who can disciple, but (2) for smaller churches or more serious issues, this may mean you are the only one who can help. (Includes issues of Abuse, Divorce, Pornography, and Addiction).
Level 3: They need professional help. Be willing to admit your main job is the word, discipleship and prayer…you are not Sigmund Freud! Pastors are not super-heroes, there are people out there that have the expertise you need to lean on.
FINAL ADVICE
The more you read, the more equipped you become. Here are some books that are necessary to help with issues of urgency:
– “Boundaries” By Henry Cloud (Issues dealing with healthy relationships)
– “When Love needs to be Tough” James Dobson (Issues dealing
with marital abuse and estrangement)
– “Where is God when it Hurts” and “Disappointment with God” Philip Yancey (Issues of despair and doubt)
– “Reason for God” Tim Keller (Issues on Forgiveness, Love and existence)
Be a reader, and fill your soul so you will be more equipped when life is falling apart.
GOD IS USING IT TO GROW YOU
Often, a crisis is used by God to make you a better pastor. When we are scared, God shows up. So wait on him, you don’t need to be the hero, he is.
Memorize this: Lamentations 3:19-33, it is what ministry is all about!
the wormwood and the gall!
My soul continually remembers it
and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
It is good for a man that he bear
the yoke in his youth.
Let him sit alone in silence
when it is laid on him;
let him put his mouth in the dust–
there may yet be hope;
let him give his cheek to the one who strikes,
and let him be filled with insults.
For the Lord will not
cast off forever,
but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion
according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
for he does not afflict from his heart
or grieve the children of men.
If you have tracked along with me for the last eight weeks I hope this has been helpful. The goal was to get you to think and wonder what is required to minster. The final thought I have for anyone entering into the ministry is this, “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24)
