THOUGHTS FROM A FORMER PASTOR'S WIFE--PART THREE

THOUGHT NUMBER THREE--Results of leaving a pastorate

I, personally, have probably experienced the most identifiable challenges since we left the pastorate. I have been told that issues in the pastorate affect the pastor, doubly affect his wife, and triply (is that a word?) affect his children. I can attest to this very fact--I now believe it is true, for whatever reason—that’s just the way it works.

Things that have personally been a challenge to me mostly fall into two categories, the first being the realm of vision and ministry. I was heavily involved in the ministry alongside my husband though at times a casual onlooker would have had a hard time discerning what that role was and I had the freedom to step back if I got overly busy--so sometimes I did. I taught older level Sunday school classes, occasionally preached, and attended most leadership meetings along with elders and their wives. I took an active part in helping set vision and whatever else went on with leadership roles. This was a "behind the scenes" function that most of the church never saw. Being a creative, type-A personality, I think I was often a visionary and insrumental in helping with much of the direction and details we walked out together, while at the same time I was always trying to juggle my natural leadership traits so as to not overstep a biblical role. I had launched at least one major ministry while at the church that is still thriving six or so years later and many of the ideas we shared for the direction of the church we arrived at through discussions between the two of us at home or with the other couples in leadership meetings.


The results of this new post-pastorate role for me were at first a huge sense of euphoria that we could finally relax and leave behind the aspects of the position that were not working, for whatever reason--the job duties we did not seem suited for (everyone has special gifts but no one embodies all the gifts--only Jesus gets that distinction!). A definite sense of relief immediately flooded the household after the resignation and we found more peace than we had seen in years. Maybe this is because it was truly time for us to leave this position and so God's blessing naturally followed. Mabye it was the demands of the job that were suddenly removed. Maybe it was because the phone rang exponentially less than before, maybe it was the excitement of making a major life change. I do not know for sure, maybe all of the above.

I now find I miss being involved in ground-level planning--a definite function of leadership.


More on the second most challenging thing for me coming up in a future post--stay tuned!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures of the English Garden and my vegetable garden hollyhock, complete with a busy bee! Can you see the humidity "hanging in the air" in the garden picture? It's been very, very hot and humid here for a week. We are hoping for some relief. This morning we woke up to a thick fog over everything!

Blessings, LORI