Hey Pastor, Where's Your Bentley?
1500 pastors leave the ministry each month. 4,000 churches begin each year. But 7,000 close each year.That's a deficit of 3,000 churches each year! 50% of all pastors marriages end in divorce. 70% of all pastors constantly fight depression. 80% of pastors feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastor.
1500 pastors leave the ministry each month. 4,000 churches begin each year. But 7,000 close each year.That's a deficit of 3,000 churches each year! 50% of all pastors marriages end in divorce. 70% of all pastors constantly fight depression. 80% of pastors feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastor.
50% of pastors are so discouraged by their role as pastor that they would leave the ministry today if the could. 70% of pastors do not have a close friend, a confidant, or a mentor. 80% of seminary and Bible school graduates who enter the ministry will leave the ministry in the first five years. 90% of pastors say that their seminary of Bible school training did only a fair to poor job in preparing them for the ministry. 85% of pastors said that their greatest problem is that they are sick and tired of dealing with problem people such as: disgruntled elders, deacons, worship leaders, worship teams, board members, and associate pastors.
75% of Pastors are bound by Internet pornography. 90% of pastors said that the hardest thing about ministry is dealing with uncooperative people. 90% of pastors said the ministry was completely different than they thought it would be when they entered it. 70% of pastors felt God called them in to the ministry before their ministry began, but after only 3 years of ministry now only 50% of pastors believe that God had anything to do with calling them into the ministry. 80% of pastors wives wish their husbands would choose another profession. A majority of pastors wives said the most destructive thing to ever happen to their lives was the day their husband entered the ministry.
Would you want to be the Apostle Paul's armorbearer? How about a member in his church? Or would you ask where's his blessing? Where's his favor? Where's his Bentley? Where's his mansion? Where's his book deal? Where's his church's CD music project? Where's his TBN television broadcast? Where's your annual who's who conference? Too many so called Christians would never have the Apostle Paul as their pastor, because today the so called Church sees the things that the Apostle Paul experiences as a sign of weakness!
Why? Suffering ain't chic and it certainly ain't easy. The Apostle Paul was put in jail for his ministry. He was beaten up for his ministry more times than he could count. He was at death's door time after time, because people were trying to kill him and his ministry. He was beaten five times with the thirty-nine lashes for his ministry. He was beaten by Roman rods three times and pummeled with rocks once for his ministry. He was shipwrecked three times, and immersed in the open sea for a night and a day for his ministry. His ministry was a hard ministry. He had to ford rivers, fend off robbers, struggle with friends, struggle with foes, he was at risk in the city, at risk in the country, endangered by desert sun and sea storm, and betrayed by those he thought were his brothers in Christ.
He knew drudgery and hard labor, many a long and lonely night without sleep, many a missed meal, being blasted by the cold, and naked to the weather. And after all that, he had to face the daily pressures and anxieties of church folk.
This Thanksgiving be thankful for your pastors and do your best before the Lord to make their jobs easier, not harder. [Source]
75% of Pastors are bound by Internet pornography. 90% of pastors said that the hardest thing about ministry is dealing with uncooperative people. 90% of pastors said the ministry was completely different than they thought it would be when they entered it. 70% of pastors felt God called them in to the ministry before their ministry began, but after only 3 years of ministry now only 50% of pastors believe that God had anything to do with calling them into the ministry. 80% of pastors wives wish their husbands would choose another profession. A majority of pastors wives said the most destructive thing to ever happen to their lives was the day their husband entered the ministry.
Would you want to be the Apostle Paul's armorbearer? How about a member in his church? Or would you ask where's his blessing? Where's his favor? Where's his Bentley? Where's his mansion? Where's his book deal? Where's his church's CD music project? Where's his TBN television broadcast? Where's your annual who's who conference? Too many so called Christians would never have the Apostle Paul as their pastor, because today the so called Church sees the things that the Apostle Paul experiences as a sign of weakness!
Why? Suffering ain't chic and it certainly ain't easy. The Apostle Paul was put in jail for his ministry. He was beaten up for his ministry more times than he could count. He was at death's door time after time, because people were trying to kill him and his ministry. He was beaten five times with the thirty-nine lashes for his ministry. He was beaten by Roman rods three times and pummeled with rocks once for his ministry. He was shipwrecked three times, and immersed in the open sea for a night and a day for his ministry. His ministry was a hard ministry. He had to ford rivers, fend off robbers, struggle with friends, struggle with foes, he was at risk in the city, at risk in the country, endangered by desert sun and sea storm, and betrayed by those he thought were his brothers in Christ.
He knew drudgery and hard labor, many a long and lonely night without sleep, many a missed meal, being blasted by the cold, and naked to the weather. And after all that, he had to face the daily pressures and anxieties of church folk.
This Thanksgiving be thankful for your pastors and do your best before the Lord to make their jobs easier, not harder. [Source]