Interesting comments on a pastor putting his family vs. congregation first. What about a situation where the two are in direct opposition. We have an Associate pastor who has been reccommended to pursue another call for the health of our congregation (to allow a new Senior pastor the flexibility to build his/her own ministry team). The Associate, however, does not want to uproot his family. Which takes precedence? The well-being of the congregation or the pastor's family??
JoHannah (Guest)
Posted: September 14, 2007
As a pastors wife, this hits close to home. Scripturally and practically, I understand that if a pastor's family is a wreck, he or she probably shouldn't be leading others. I'm convinced that if such is the case, a pastor needs to figure out how to put his family first. If that means stepping out of the pastorate for a while, he or she needs to have the courage to do it. That said, a congregation needs to understand that a pastor is human and will at times have rebellious kids or a discontent wife. The test is how he handles that. Does he know how to put them first and love them through it? If so, he's probably going to be great with the hurting people in the congregation. But give the family a break - they are human too. Nothing will make them more rebellious than feeling they have to fit a certain mold. Give them space to find their own gifts and passion for Christ.
