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Part 2--Why Many Pastors Quit The Ministry on July 5th
By Raul Rivera
In my previous article, I wrote about the emotions and feelings that many pastors and leaders struggle with during the summer months. Pastoral suffering reaches its peak in the month of July when vacations and time away render many seats empty on Sunday mornings. When THAT suffering joins forces with the 4th of July falling on a Sunday, an even greater sense of unfounded peril and doom will convince any pastor that the congregation has banded together to forsake the work...with the Lord as their ringleader!
A cure for the common thought of a pastor
The agony of July 5th has a cure that can be administered by one question and one phrase. As I asked in the previous article, "Is God enough for you?" Beyond the burnished pulpit and copious resources that come with large crowds, beyond the dreams your heart has long held dear, is having His presence in your life enough to satisfy you to the degree that numbers really do not move you? What if the Lord chooses to not give you any more than what you already have? Can His presence alone be your satisfaction?
Take a minute and ponder the questions before you answer them . . .. Now that you have answered (hopefully), you can feel free to receive part two of the cure.
Ecclesiastical Entrepreneurism
Part two of the cure is made up of two words: ecclesiastical entrepreneurism. "What? I have never heard of it." Let me explain! While many pastors decide to take the summer as a time to check out, I take it as a sign to prepare for growth. When things get quiet in the ministry, make some of your own noise using your gifts and talents.
What is Ecclesiastical Entrepreneurism
So! What is ecclesiastical entrepreneurism? In essence, it is a MINDSET springing from the conviction that a pastor and ministry leader is not only a spiritual leader, but also a CEO of a corporation. As a CEO, you need to think like a business leader and seize the opportunities that will come your way. Now that summer is in full swing, do not make the mistake of coasting through the month of July and thinking it is okay! This is the time to prepare for the future prosperity of the church by establishing a church-owned, for-profit concern.
The days of depending solely on tithes and offerings for the church's well being are over. Do not misunderstand me. Tithes and offerings are very important! What I want you to contemplate, however, is the idea of your ministry owning a for profit business. The law allows churches and ministries to own for profit businesses that make real money for the church.
Break out of the traditional
When you survey churches across America, less than 3% of churches earn income outside of tithes, offerings and pledges. That is and continues to be the traditional method of income generation for churches, but the time has come to no longer depend on the traditional. Life is too short to live satisfied with the traditional; there are "new wineskins" that God has for THIS time and season. Why not start and run a ministry owned business and break out of the traditional methods used in times past? Why not begin to carve a new way of doing church business?
What if your church had additional revenue sources?
What if your church owned business ventures that produced income greater than that of the tithes and offerings? What could you do with that kind of money? Where could you take the ministry?
I know the struggles that pastors have to quietly suffer. They have dreams and visions far greater than their current financial picture can support. The problem is not the size of the dream. In almost every church I have visited, pastors dream big, but the finances limit the execution of those dreams.
Let's face it; we have a long way to go. Most churches are stretching their faith by believing God for $1,000.00 in the offering, just so they can pay rent. If we want the Lord to entrust us with a million dollars of income, we must place ourselves in a place where we are forced to trust HIM for a million dollars. A for profit venture is just the way to do it.