Smaller, Simpler, Slower
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This post is written by my friend Mike Osborne. Mike is an experienced pastor, a field shepherd with Standing Stone Ministry, and the dean of students at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. Mike is also the author of the book Surviving Ministry:How to Weather the Storms of Church Leadership (Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2016).
The pastor across the table from me at Starbucks is on edge. His left foot taps nervously as we talk and sip our coffee. His eyes dart around the room and avoid mine. And he can’t stop checking his phone. It’s like he can’t wait to leave and get things done. Important, urgent things. Kingdom things. I ask him, “How are you doing?” He takes a moment and says, “I’m OK.” But he’s not. It’s written all over his anxious face.
This man is not unique. Many of the people leading our churches these days are uptight, worried, and overly busy. I know because I used to be one of them. I was a pastor for over 35 years. I know what the pressure feels like. The pressure to preach better sermons, attract new people, stimulate generosity, have a model family, raise up leaders, engage the community, build a following, and more. Reputable research says that about half of all US pastors feel the demands of ministry are greater than they can handle. But while the demands are many and the weight of responsibility heavy, much of the pressure of ministry comes from within the pastor himself. As for me, it was my own insecurities that drove me as much as the expectations of my parishioners. A big church was my validation. My sleepless nights were not so much due to anguish over people’s souls as to my fear that I was not measuring up.
Now, nearing retirement, I am away from the front lines of pastoral ministry and I see things differently. I spend my days shepherding pastors and young seminarians. Many of them are like my pastor friend: driven, harried, and insecure. So I am telling them what I wish someone had told me years ago: Aim smaller, go slower, and think simpler.
Aim smaller. Very often in life, bigger is not better. Less can actually be more. Fewer church programs can mean your people have more margin for rest, reflection, friendship, and time with family and neighbors. A leaner church budget can help you equip more volunteers, tame your utopian ambitions, and make strategic use of resources. A smaller membership roll can make space for closer relationships. We leaders in the US too often follow the advice of the rock group Daft Punk: “Bigger! Better! Faster! Stronger!” We reward the spectacular and despise the ordinary. Jesus, on the other hand, rewards small advances: the cup of cold water offered to a child, the mustard seed of faith, the widow’s two copper coins, the five loaves and two fish. He tells us, “What is exalted among men [like the idolatry of big] is an abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15, ESV)
Go slower. One of the darling sins of pastors is impatience. We expect too much too soon, of both ourselves and others. We want to be holy, loving, kind, and successful…right now. We think like the hare in Aesop’s fable and forget that the tortoise won the race. Pastoral ministry is meant to be slow and plodding, “a long obedience in the same direction,” says author Eugene Peterson.1 Again and again in the Scriptures, God commends quiet, steady perseverance. Even Jesus, who had the most pressing mission in history, maintained a leisurely pace. He stopped to chat. He told stories. He reclined at table. He enjoyed family and friends. He was selective; he did not heal every blind person, feed every mouth, or visit every village. If we slow down, we might find that we last longer, make fewer mistakes, and enjoy the journey a lot more.
Think simpler. We make things far more complicated than they should be. When I look back at some of the vision statements I crafted as a pastor, I am embarrassed by their complexity. Those churches that say, “We exist to love God, love each other, and love our neighbors” have it about right, in my opinion. There are ways to simplify your life and ministry. Beside your to-do list, have a not-to-do list. Say no more often than you say yes, even at the cost of disappointing people. Delegate so that you focus on the things only you can do. Rather than creating another program, another initiative, or another campaign, rely upon the Scriptures, the sacraments, worship, fellowship, and prayer to transform your church. Those are the simple, time-tested, trustworthy means of grace that God provides the pastor who longs to see Christ formed in his people.
Before we left Starbucks, I dared my friend to make a courageous shift in the way he does ministry. I will dare you as well, pastor. Do it for your own longevity and joy, the good of your people, and the glory of God: Aim smaller, go slower, and think simpler.
1 Eugene H. Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1980).
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This is so good. Thank you Mike. And thanks, Randy, for posting it. Jack would have benefitted. Maybe lived longer!
And these words are helpful to us all.