If we were to poll Christians on which fruit of the Spirit they struggle with the most, I believe the majority would answer patience. And to be honest, I don’t believe most pastors would answer any differently. Despite knowing we need to be patient, patience doesn’t seem to come naturally to a lot of us.
In my first years of ministry, I didn’t give patience much thought. Not because I couldn’t imagine needing to be patient, but at the time, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I simply didn’t know that change often takes a long time in a church. I didn’t know how selfish and mean some “Christians” could be. But now that I have been in ministry for twenty years, I know from experience how vital patience is for every aspect of ministry.
Pastors Need Patience
Consider with me some of the responsibilities of a pastor and why patience is so important. Every week we stand before our people and proclaim the Word of God, longing to see immediate transformations throughout our congregation. But heart change takes time. We counsel those caught in addictions, walking with them through the victories and defeats, praying that the gospel sets them free. But freedom doesn’t typically come overnight. We want our congregation to embrace God’s call to live on mission and make disciples. But changing the culture of a church can take years and years.
Whether we are caring for people, seeking to change lives through preaching the Word, or casting a new vision, pastors need patience. For example, patience helps us embrace God’s timeline. My first pastorate was with a congregation on life support. I was young, energetic, passionate, and had lots of great ideas for bringing the church back to life. I had vision but no patience. Without realizing it, I was trying to move up God’s timeline through my own willpower and effort. Without taking the time to develop the people’s trust, I plowed ahead with a few ideas and ended up hurting people. The problem was not the ideas; the problem was my impatience. It was not the right timing. A little patience would have saved me and the congregation a lot of frustration.
Patience also helps us with discouragement. One of the quickest ways to become discouraged in ministry is to plan, hope, and labor without patience. We plan out ways to help our small group ministry double over the next two years. We hope to see dozens trust Christ for salvation and be baptized. We labor to raise up new leaders from within our congregation. Pastors love to hope and dream about what God might do—and we should! But without patience, it’s easy for all the planning, hoping, and labor to become discouraging reminders of what could have been when things take longer than we expected. Patience helps us to plan, hope, and labor while trusting that God’s timing is always right.
There are many other reasons why patience is so vital in ministry. Joy and contentment in ministry require patience. A willingness to persevere in difficult places requires patience. Shepherding an apathetic congregation requires patience. Therefore, while we strive to hone our preaching, guard our holiness, and model a servant’s heart, we must ask the Spirit to cultivate in our hearts and minds an enduring patience.
Jesus, Our Great Example
Thankfully, we have the example of Jesus for encouragement. What patience the Good Shepherd models for us throughout His ministry! When James and John seek after personal glory, Jesus patiently teaches them about suffering and servanthood (Mark 10:35–45). After Peter’s disappointing denial, Jesus patiently restores His disciple (John 21:15–19). With Nicodemus the Pharisee, Zacchaeus the tax collector, and the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus demonstrates how to patiently love and minister to others. Now, Jesus has called pastors to serve those He “obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28) with patience.
Brother pastor, is patience a defining mark of your ministry? Do you patiently labor as you wait for God to bless? Do you patiently care for those the Holy Spirit has entrusted in your care? Are there any areas of life or ministry where you need to practice more patience? In the ups and downs of ministry, let’s keep our focus on Jesus.
MDiv Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
The Preaching and Pastoral Ministry track prepares students for pastoral ministry in the local church with a special emphasis on expository preaching.
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