Lesson 13. Seeing the inner workings of a church on a daily basis can be frustrating, eye-opening, and just downright scary.

Most people see their church with rose-tinted glasses. Everyone gets along, we're growing in numbers, the youth group is baptizing teens left and right, the money is good, the preaching is good, we're set for the future...that's how most people see the church they attend. And for the most part, that's a good thing. I'm good with that. The inner workings and "behind the scenes" should not worry or concern them. We pay people to worry about all of the stresses and crises and to attend frustrating meetings and see the true state of the church and wear a smile on Sunday.

They're called ministers.

Now, before I go on, let me say the above is a little blunt and stretched on purpose. Let me also say that I still love going to work (almost) every day; I love my church, my congregation, my fellow ministers all very much. (and this post has a happy ending, too) It's just that, let's face it, when you work FOR a church, instead of simply attending a church, you get to see all the scary details behind the happy=g0-lucky exterior. Kind of like seeing someone without their make-up on for the first time.

Yeesh.

There a lot of things at any church that are in need of repair, of fixing, of being thrown out and started over. You can never fix them all, but if you're going to grow, like my church is currently doing at a blessedly rapid rate, you need to have some good solid systems in place to accomodate that. Let's just say...

We need some work. As does any church. I guess today it just really came to my attention all the pressing and urgent needs of our congregation that MUST be addressed if we want to continue to grow successfully.

I say all of that to say this...one of the biggest lessons you will learn (and you hear it in class all the time but you MUST realize you can't really prepare for it) is that you need to GET READY to see a side of your church you didn't know existed. And no, I don't mean that everyone is a two-faced evil monster and the church is really out to steal and plunder...I simply mean that the "business" and "day to day" side of a church is never as pretty as what everyone sees on Sundays. Churches deal with people...and that means it can't be pretty and happy all the time. There are hurts and wants and needs and finances and budgets and compromises and meetings and tough decisions and hurt feelings and the realities of God's Kingdom in a world that must still pay taxes, pay a mortgage, water and electricity bills, and all of the eccentrities that come with it.

But when it's all said and done...what really matters most, more than buildings or meetings or budgets or frustrating office work...is PEOPLE. God's people. And when you're a minister...you get to work with and for God's people, every day.

You share in their struggles and rejoice in their successes. You're there for weddings, funerals, birthdays, youth events, births, life-changing events...everything that really MATTERS, you are privileged to be present. To stand up and proclaim the Word of God to His people. To sing songs with young people every Sunday night as you minister to them by simply being their for them. To go on trip after trip in the summer and make an impact on others as well as yourself. That's what you get to do, as a job, a career...

Because God has called you to it. And there's no better job in the world than to be a minister.

One minister's opinion, anyway :-)