I served as a lay elder for over five years. When I was ordained, I was in my twenties and had much to learn about shepherding—and of course I still do.
A few years back, my family moved to a town about 45 minutes away from our church, and though we’d remain members at our church, I knew I couldn’t shepherd a flock I wasn’t among. So the elders and I collectively decided it was time I step down.
That night was memorable—and a little hard to describe. While the weight of pastoring was lifted from my shoulders, another weight became all too apparent in the form of a terrifying question: Had I served our church well?
In many ways, I realized I hadn’t. None of my fellow pastors had negative feedback for me, and our members were incredibly gracious. But I knew how often I took the office too casually. I knew that I didn’t pray enough. I knew I didn’t measure up to the standard of Christlikeness.
And yet, I also recalled the grace of Christ which covers failures like mine. And so stepping down from the eldership was both a moment of regret, and a moment of
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