Pastoral ministry comes with many hardships, including administrative challenges. It’s part of the calling to be “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor. 4:1; cf. 2 Cor. 11:23–33).
I’ve had my fair share of admin challenges over the years. They’ve often come unannounced, demanding immediate attention. In 2008, the stock market plummeted the week I moved to Atlanta. Giving declined when the church was over a million dollars in debt. Most support staff resigned within three months of new pastoral leadership. I had to figure out the church’s operations with a notebook of outdated instructions. At one point, the sewage backed up into the children’s hall on a Sunday morning. And most painfully, in my tenth year, the financial assistant was caught embezzling thousands of dollars.
These types of challenges and countless others, big and small, can leave pastors discouraged. And this may be no fault of their own. Their church may have unrealistic expectations that they preach excellent sermons and oversee the facility. Some pastors
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