So You Have Been Called to Your First Church

Romans 10:15 says, "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things " The Bible says that the feet of those who preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ are beautiful.

According to www.pastorburntout.com:

13% of active pastors are divorced;

23% have been fired or pressured to resign at least once;

33% felt burnout within their first five years of ministry;

45% say that they experienced depression;

70% don't have close friends; and

1,500 pastors leave their ministries each month due to burnout, conflict, or moral failure.

If 1,500 doctors left their practices each month, 1,500 teachers left their classrooms each month, or 1,500 managers left their offices each month, we would declare a state of emergency.

What is so beautiful about this chosen profession? Why are there such ugly results from a ministry that the Bible calls beautiful? It was this passion and this thrust that led Dr. Anthony D. Johnson, ThD, to interject his experiences into this discussion. Somebody has to recapture the beauty of ministry. He says, "Please let the mess from my mistakes create ease for you in your assignment."