{"id":31348,"date":"2022-09-10T15:26:49","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:26:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/4-steps-to-survive-a-ministry-crisis\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:26:49","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:26:49","slug":"4-steps-to-survive-a-ministry-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/4-steps-to-survive-a-ministry-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Steps to Survive a Ministry Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"
Josep Castells photo – Unsplash <\/p>\n

By Rob Hurtgen<\/em><\/p>\n

More than likely, you\u2014like most other pastors\u2014are going through a crisis in your ministry right now, but it’s not going be your last crisis. <\/p>\n

The key to surviving a crisis isn’t limiting the number of them but learning how to navigate them. <\/p>\n

How you respond to a crisis in your life and your pastoral ministry can grow a pessimistic and cynical spirit or will enable you to endure and thrive in future times of difficulty. <\/p>\n

Thankfully, within the pages of the Bible, we’re not only given examples of those whom faith thrived in adversity but principles necessary to flourish amid the storms of life. <\/p>\n

1 Peter 1:13 is one such verse presenting four steps to survive a crisis in the pastorate ministry.<\/p>\n

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Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.<\/em><\/p>\n

1. Remember who you are<\/strong><\/h3>\n

First, Peter says, “Therefore,” remember who you are. Peter delivers a simple but powerful reminder that the men and women are in Jesus. <\/p>\n

Despite the hardships, difficulty, and persecution imposed on those churches, Jesus has given them a living hope. Who<\/em> they are is critical to know how<\/em> they endure.<\/p>\n

Surviving through a pastoral crisis requires remembering whose<\/em> you are and who<\/em> you are. <\/p>\n

Your identity isn’t in your position, the accolades, or invitations to speak at the<\/em> conference. Your identity is in Jesus.<\/p>\n

Pastors, it’s easy for us to align who we are with what we do. After all, nearly everything in ministry and life is wed together. <\/p>\n

Separating who the pastor is from what the pastor does is challenging at best. <\/p>\n

However, to thrive in a lifetime of ministry, especially during times of crisis, you need to habitually remind yourself that you’re first and foremost one who’s saved by Jesus. <\/p>\n

If the Lord has blessed you with a wife and children, then you’re also a husband and a father. <\/p>\n

Lastly, you have the calling and the privilege to serve a local congregation as its pastor. <\/p>\n

Separating whose <\/em>you are, who <\/em>you are, and what <\/em>you do is essential.<\/p>\n

2. Be ready to act<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Second, Peter calls for them to have their minds “ready for action.” <\/p>\n

Here the apostle delivers a plea to be mentally prepared with a sense of urgency, expectation, and endurance\u2014ready for what’s next.<\/p>\n

Thinking actively during a crisis asks what can be done with the situation you’re facing. <\/p>\n

Active thinking does not dwell on was lost, nor does it focus on what or who caused the crisis. <\/p>\n

Active thinking also doesn’t attempt to draft too much certainty forecasting the future. Active thinking has two steps: What should be done now<\/em>? What needs to be done next<\/em>? <\/p>\n

The difference between those who survive a crisis and those who are crushed by them is the ability to define the one small step that can be taken today. Then determine a new action tomorrow. <\/p>\n

3. Live with sober-mindedness<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Third, Peters calls for “sober-mindedness.” That antithesis of sobriety is inebriation. <\/p>\n

An inebriated mind doesn’t think clearly, believes what’s not true, and has reduced inhibitions. An inebriated mind lacks clarity.<\/p>\n

Pastor, in your crisis, act with sober-mindedness. Sober-mindedness speaks to interpreting the situation you’re facing with clarity. <\/p>\n

As an inebriated person has difficulty distinguishing between what’s real and what’s false, so does inebriated thinking. <\/p>\n

Sober-mindedness addresses your ability to receive what’s happening, separate what’s true and false, and interpret what needs to be responded to and what should be ignored. <\/p>\n

While active thinking accesses what’s going on, sober-mindedness is the ability to understand what’s happening and how to respond.<\/p>\n

4. Have hope in what’s to come<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Finally, in verse 13, Peter calls the churches to set their hope entirely on the grace they have and will receive. <\/p>\n

Peter is commanding his readers to live for something greater than their immediate moment. <\/p>\n

A command to live with the eyes of our hearts on the eternal kingdom and the One who’s bigger than our problems.<\/p>\n

Enduring in times of crisis requires living above the hardship and looking to Jesus\u2014to look to a certain future rather than be entangled to the ever-changing present. <\/p>\n

The more we look to Christ, the smaller the world, and our problems in them, become.<\/p>\n

Until the Lord tarries or calls you home, you’re not in your last crisis. There’ll be others.<\/p>\n

If you follow Peter’s instructions, you’ll survive and be better for it. Your faith will be stronger on the other side of the valley. Just don’t give up.<\/p>\n

ROB HURTGEN (@robhurtgen) <\/strong>is the husband to Shawn, father of five, pastor of First Baptist Church Chillicothe, Missouri, and doctoral student at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also blogs at robhurtgen.wordpress.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Josep Castells photo – Unsplash By Rob Hurtgen More than likely, you\u2014like most other pastors\u2014are going through a crisis in your ministry right now, but it’s not going be your last crisis. The key to surviving a crisis isn’t limiting the number of them but learning how to navigate them.  How you respond to a … Continue reading “4 Steps to Survive a Ministry Crisis”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31348\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}