Learning from Mistakes in the Ministry

My dad (a Baptist pastor in the Midwest) joined a reading club that I’d never heard of before, Ten Things, I believe it’s called, which focuses on ministry-related literature for men in the ministry. He purchased a handful of books (I imagine ten total) that have common themes, and he’s been working his way through them.

Recently, he gave me a handful of these books to read for my own ministry. Other titles besides Mea Culpa by Kyle McClellan included Collateral Damage by James B. Carroll, Biblical Church Revitalization by Brian Croft, and Conduct Gospel-centered Funerals by Brian Croft and Phil Newton. What drew me to this book over the others, I’m not entirely sure, though having recently finished Stories I Couldn’t Tell When I Was a Pastor by Bill McIver and having recently helped with the pastoral transition of my home church, I think “foibles in ministry” has been on my mind a lot lately.

Author McClellan was a reluctant author, beginning to pen these ministerial memoirs more under compulsion than conviction, though it’s clear that by publication date, he had come to realize the powerful message he had to share! This short volume chronicles his growth as a pastor and as a Christian through several “failed” ministries since he began pastoring in 1996.

While this book is certainly not a “How-to” book, it’s also not quite a “How-not-to” book, instead falling somewhere in between the two. McClellan shares both advice and warnings, yet he does so from his own personal standpoint, acknowledging that the reader’s situation will include its own unique challenges that no one can foresee.

As I read the book, in fact, I recalled my Driver’s Ed course from two decades ago, in which we watched videos of dangerous driving situations and car crashes. Such were events that we young drivers may never experience, yet just being aware of the possibilities made us at least a tiny bit more conscientious behind the wheel. I think that’s McClellan’s point here too, to make his reading pastors much more aware of potential pitfalls in ministry.

A few passages and quotes jumped out at me, a few of which I’ll share here:

Kent Hughes used to say at the Wheaton Simeon Trust Workshop, “The pulpit calls the preacher as the sea calls the sailor. It will batter and bruise us, and we will love it for just that reason.” (47)

Let me say this as bluntly as I can: Listening to Tim Keller or Mark Driscoll does not make you a church planter. Sporting a tat/multiple tattoos does not make you a church planter. Skinny jeans and flannel shirts do not make you a church planter. Sitting at a coffee shop and tweeting about how missional your are does not make you a church planter.  Growing a sweet Duck Dynasty/Joe Thorn beard does not make you a church planter. Wanting really badly to be a church planter does not make you a church planter. Thinking that church planting is a really good idea does not make you a church planter. The Holy Spirit of God alone calls and gifts church planters. (51)

“The ministry tends to attract insecure narcissists.”…I think this is one reason why so many guys plant churches. If you start a new church, there is no predecessor to set the bar regarding how the pastor is supposed to conduct himself. At a certain level, folks who are drawn to the new church are drawn to the founding pastor’s vision, the founding pastor’s personality, and the founding pastor’s whole way of doing things. It’s both liberating and dangerous. While I need to be me, being me is not always helpful, edifying, or Christ-exalting. (85)

Ministry is hard. Trying to “do ministry” as someone else is impossible. (88)

I really enjoyed this thoughtful, insightful (and at times convicting) little book. One critique I have is the excessive name-dropping McClellan gives, whether of great Christians or cultural stars. It screams, “I’m cultured!”, but it gets old fast, at least to me. Still, I highly recommend it to pastors of all age groups. I’ve already sent a few of the above quotes to my pastor friends for discussion, and I’m grateful for the spark it’s given me to be conscientious of the many pitfalls there are in ministry.

©2021 E.T.