It should not come as a surprise that when pastors get together (at denominational meetings, joint services, or conferences) we talk shop. The usual topics are the three “Bs” — buildings, bodies, and budgets— along with discussions about the latest doctrinal controversy, who is teaching what, and current cultural and political trends which impact church life for good or ill. Since so much of what ministers do is intangible, it makes sense that we would look for ways to evaluate how our particular part of Christ’s vineyard is performing. One of the ways to do this is to compare numbers and talk about trends. Motives here are mixed, of course, but much of this is merely routine chit-chat and part of catching up with other friends in the ministry.

I was ordained in 1988 and have spent much time around other ministers in the years since. What follows (offered in a spirit of informative good humor) are things ministers admit to worrying and fretting about while chatting with their fellows. We tend to keep this stuff to ourselves, but truth be told, most of us have dealt with these fears, worries, and frustrations at one time or another.

So see these “secret” fears, follow the link below

Read More