The Unbounded Affliction
The company of the discouraged is not an exclusive club, but it is a costly fellowship.
Bruce W. Thielemann
Discouragement in ministry knows no bounds. It spreads across denominations, regions, and ages. It strikes seminarians and seasoned pastors alike.
And it can devastate pastors and their ministries. "Regardless of what we believe about the strength of God or perseverance of the saints," admits a Presbyterian pastor who's struggling with discouraging times himself, "discouragement breaks some people. They leave the ministry. And it's not sufficient to say they were never called. They were simply too discouraged to keep going."
That applies, sadly, to even the most experienced, hard-working, and energetic pastors, as Roger Landis, a pastor in the Midwest, discovered. Though names and identifying details have been changed to protect the people involved, the following account is based on true events.
Roger Landis had been a pastor for a long time — thirty-five years, in fact — but in all those years he'd never seen a search committee interview go more smoothly. It seemed that everything this Indiana church was looking for, he fit.
"We want more Bible teaching and less evangelism," Buck, the head of the search committee, said. "Pastor Fraley was a wonderful man, gifted in evangelism. Never a service went by without an invitation. But now, with all the new Christians we've got in the church, we need somebody who's strong in teaching and preaching, who can guide them in Christian living."
"Well," Roger began slowly, considering his words carefully, "Bible teaching would have to be my forte, I'd say. I have led people to the Lord, but evangelism is not my primary gift. I love nothing better than to study and preach God's Word."
Roger ...
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