- Working out and balancing short and long-term budgets for a non-profit organization, entirely dependent on charitable giving ...
- Community liaison to businesses, government and people living here, not to mention connecting with other pastors, leaders, churches, faith groups, non-profit organizations in the city ...
- Building manager ...
- Volunteer recruiter / organizer / empower-er ...
- Boss ... mentor ... vision caster ... detail-handler ... long-term strategist ... Board chair ...
- Counsellor ... crisis-helper ... wisdom-giver ... Scripture student and teacher ...
- Networker ... people-connector ...
- One who shares and contributes to important life moments with people ...
- Musician ... public speaker ... small group leader ... pray-er
- And the list goes on.
I also set mousetraps and sit through photocopier sales pitches.
And I am responsible to maintain my own spiritual, emotional and physical health too, in every way. To remember that I am first and foremost, one of God's kids; and my value and identity lie in that alone.
One of the most important things for pastors to learn is that we can't fix everything, and we can't help everyone. For some of us, it takes a long time to become ... comfortable with this? maybe that's the wrong way to say it ... um ... It takes a long time to be ok with the fact that we're not God. That we don't have all the answers. That we don't possess endless personal resources of time and energy.
But lately ... in just a few places ... I've been able to help, I think. Where it was most needed. At the right time.
And I'm really proud to be the pastor of a church that is small, with limited resources ... but we have some things we do well. And those things meet specific needs. And because of that ... we had something to offer that was genuinely helpful.
Tomorrow is another Sunday.
Grateful.
