When my husband became a Lead Pastor five years ago, we entered a new season of ministry. It is very different to lead and build a church than it was to do campus ministry, and the first couple of years made one thing very clear: the learning curve was a beast.
Our church, Mosaic Church Austin, has had three different names and three different Senior/Lead Pastors. It has not always been a bastion of healthy church culture. We have watched other leaders in our church and in other churches make poor decisions that cost them their jobs and caused great pain to the people in their churches.
Put simply, there is an eject button on our seats on the front row. If we can’t do this job well, Jesus will find someone else to do it for Him. We strive to lead with humility and submitted hearts full of fear and trembling that it is a holy God we serve and His precious people we are tending.
Pastoring is a kind of hard living that has been known to strain the pastor’s family to a breaking point.
That’s why I logged onto Amazon one night and searched for books that could help us. We aren’t breaking yet, but some days seem longer than others, and some aches don’t subside as easily as we would like. Also, our children are getting older, and they are forming their own opinions about this life they didn’t choose. Mr. Fantastic and I long to parent and pastor for God’s glory. We don’t want our children to resent the church or resent us for failing them while we fulfill God’s call. We have mentors who help us, peers who link arms with us, and friends who cheer us on. And we have books. Lots of books.
One of the books I ordered that night is The Pastor’s Family by Brian and Cara Croft. I don’t know the Crofts, but after reading their book, I feel like I do. This is an empathetic, honest, and hope-filled resource about how to love Jesus as you answer the call to lead His church and love your family. At the end of each chapter are discussion questions for pastors and their wives to talk through. They are wonderful, practical and help hone your heart for the task at hand.
I wish we could have had this book in our hands five years ago when we were beginning this journey. Mr. Fantastic and I have learned some of the lessons in this book the hard way. Others we are still sifting through in our daily lives. As I read each chapter, I thought of so many friends who have hearts similar to ours, and bear the burden of finding healthy balance in ministry responsibility and family needs. We are all doing such an important thing, loving and shepherding God’s people. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone living in the tension of how to do it all well. You’ll be helped and encouraged by it. I promise!
