Chapter 5 When Staying Is Faithfulness

The Ministry You Almost Left Some of the most fruitful pastoral ministries in history nearly ended in the third or fifth or seventh year — when the pastor was at his lowest and the church was at its most difficult. What separated the ministries that survived those seasons from the ones that didn't was usually not talent or strategy. It was the decision to stay one more year. The ministry you are almost leaving may be the ministry that is about to turn. The congregation that has been most resistant may be in the last stage before breakthrough. The board that has been most difficult may be about to change. You cannot know — but God does. And sometimes faithfulness is the willingness to stay in place long enough to see what He has been building. None of this means staying is always right. It means the decision to leave should be made with full seriousness about what you might be walking away from — not just the difficulty you are fleeing. "Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." — 1 Corinthians 15:58 You don't know what year three of your faithfulness will produce. Sometimes the breakthrough comes in year four. Don't evaluate the harvest in the middle of the winter.