Something I try to do every so often is pause and reflect on what I’m learning… Truthfully, I need this practice, as a chronic “forgetter”…

Last week marked our one year anniversary of moving to Johnson City. So (in no particular order), here are 10 lessons I’ve been learning this year…

1. One of the best ways I can serve my family and my church is cultivating my own emotional health.

The old adage ‘you can’t give what you don’t have’ is really true. Christian leaders are so often motivated by a mix of noble, God-glorifying intentions and also a level of pride, deep-seated insecurity, need to control, etc. We need continual doses of self-awareness and spiritual renewal. And we’re never done with this.

2. Spiritual health does not necessarily equal church “activity”.

Sometimes the best thing for a person or family is to not be involved in something. Maturity does not equal number of programs attended (though hopefully they help). It’s easy to lose sight of that.

3. Studying the Bible transforms you.

Something I’ve been surprised by is how stretching the preparation to teach can be, not mentally but spiritually. There is a way to spend 20-30 hours in the Word and be unaffected by it, I suppose – if it’s all academic. But I have found the prep time to be deeply convicting and challenging. In many ways, the actual teaching of the content is the easy part. Sitting underneath it all week is the challenge.

4. Teaching the Bible to people is a weighty responsibility.

When people come on Sunday, they hope (and expect) to hear from God Himself – through the teacher. What a privilege and sobering responsibility… to “accurately handle the Word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).

5. Serving (leading) in a church is about laying down your life for a group of people.

It’s not about a career path or “platform for influence”; church leadership is about giving your life away to a specific group of people. The nature of it is sacrificial.

It is fulfilling and rewarding, but it is not glamorous.

6. Change happens slowly in a church, and needs to.

Communication is vital when you have so many layers to consider (elders, staff, volunteers, congregation, etc.) Patience and perseverance are virtues you can’t do without. My patience has been tested big time this year.

6. Pastoring requires sensitivity and thick skin at the same time – a tension we need God’s help to walk out.

You deal with a lot of opinions in this role. And you need to be able to engage those without becoming detached and callous or prideful and defensive (an easy trap for me).

7. When people leave, it hurts.

There is a gut-punch that you experience when a family pulls up their roots and goes somewhere else. People leave – and sometimes for good reasons – but it still stings. I was told by a pastor previously that this aspect of being a pastor was painful, but I didn’t really understand that until this year.

8. Church life is complex.

Unlike some ministries that focus on one particular age group (kids, students, parents) and/or aspect of spiritual growth (evangelism, discipleship, outreach, etc.), at a church you have to deal with all of them. You also deal with long-term relationships, a great blessing but also a challenge.

9. You’re never done.

Like most ministry jobs, you’re never done. There’s always more to do. Always. This is (again) why emotional health is so important. Going home physically (and emotionally) takes intention.

10. Church leadership is an invitation to “grow in public”.

“Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress…” (1 Tim. 4:15). I’m challenged by these words to a young pastor. Leading in a church well requires transparency – giving others a window into what God is doing in you. This is not always my first impulse, but I’m growing here. And it’s a good reason to write a post like this!

What are some lessons that God has been teaching you in this season?