Happy New Year!
I hope your year is off to a good start, and that you’ve found a healthy rhythm as you move into 2025 with a fresh pace
and renewed purpose.
However, I know that for many in pastoral ministry, that’s not always the case. The past few months I’ve spoken with
many of you, and I hear the frustration, uncertainty, transitions, crises, conflict, and more.
When I talk to a pastor during a difficult season, my mind goes back to a story of a pastor in Pensacola that I heard
in a sermon over 25 years ago. It struck me so deeply that I tracked the story down online and saved it. I’d give credit to the original source if I could, but it was a Google search from long ago. I’ve shared this story many times with different people at
different moments. Let me share it with you.
Ted Traylor, who pastored Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida, for many years, recounted an incident in an
article titled “Water from Home.” It happened when he had to terminate a worship leader who had served the church for 24 years. Traylor explained, “It appeared to me he was in the wrong place now, given the times and our needs. He was gifted in other areas,
not in the skills we needed, and I approached him about making a move.”
The staff member balked and resisted the change for a full year. Soon, Traylor’s recommendation and the staff member’s
resistance became public, and people began to take sides. Ultimately, Traylor asked him to resign.
The day the staff member announced his resignation, the church held a business meeting. People stood to accuse Traylor,
blame him, and express their desire for him to leave. In the days and weeks ahead, the tension only intensified. Anonymous letters arrived, and people vilified him and his wife. It was the lowest point in his ministry.
One night, while returning home from dinner with his young son, Traylor turned onto his street and saw three men
standing under the streetlight outside his home. He recognized them as church members. He sent his son into the house and approached the men, wondering if they had come to tell him it was time for him to go.
He called out and asked, “What are you doing here?”
One of them replied, “We’ve been on a little trip today.”
Another said, “Preacher, have you ever read 2 Samuel 23?”
Traylor responded, “I’m sure I have, but could you refresh my memory?”
His friend continued, “That’s the chapter where David was fighting with his men, hiding out in a cave while the Philistine
army was nearby. David longed for water from the well in Bethlehem.”
The man continued, “We remember how you used to talk about the well back where you grew up, in Pisgah, Alabama. You
said it was an artesian well that flows so cold and pure that you’d stick your head down and drink until you nearly drowned. Well, we got up this morning at 5 o’clock and drove to north Alabama. Preacher, we’ve been to Pisgah.”
Traylor exclaimed, “That’s a six-hour drive!”
They nodded. “We’ve been on the road 14 hours today. We just got back 30 minutes ago, and we’ve been sitting here
praying and waiting for you to come home.” One of the men pulled out a quart jar filled with water from the well at Traylor’s childhood home.
Ted Traylor cried. They all did. These three mighty men had brought him refreshment from his own Bethlehem. It was
a gracious act of love when he needed it most. But they weren’t finished.
“Preacher, your dad told us about the rock ledge where you used to go and pray. You’d walk out there as a teenager
to talk and listen to God, to pray over your calling, and to practice preaching. We brought you this.”
They pulled out two large chunks of rock.
“Anytime you get discouraged, Pastor, just go out in the yard and stand on these rocks. The God who called you will
be the One who takes care of you.”
And there was more.
The men pulled out an old coffee can, filled with moss, dirt, and blooming rhododendrons from the mountainside near
the well.
“Remember those rhododendrons that grow on the side of the mountain? We want you to know that the God who is the
Lily of the Valley will always bring a fresh flower to your soul if you trust Him.”
Traylor jokingly reminded them that picking those flowers was illegal and could result in a fine. They laughed and
said, “This was one time we figured it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”
Toward the end of their visit, one of the men spoke for the group: “Pastor, we’ve talked about this all day—six hours
up and six hours back—and we want to make this statement to you: We will die for our pastor. We will die for you. If you stay straight, moral, ethical, and biblical, we will die for you. But if you are immoral, unethical, or unbiblical, we will kill you.”
Another added, “Preacher, we’re not serving you. We’re serving the King who called you. And we’re in this together.”
Traylor found his Mighty Men. They gave him something to stand on. He later reflected that his board stood with him,
even when they occasionally disagreed with a decision. He often heard the comment, “Our pastor hasn’t done anything immoral. We’ve asked him to lead, and he’s led.”
Traylor concluded with wisdom born out of the fires of struggle:
“Perhaps I could have averted the crisis, or at least minimized it, if I had brought some of these men around me
earlier. Knowing how they stand with me, I have relied on them since.”
Not every pastor has Mighty Men in their church to rely upon, but church struggles and battles don’t have to be fatal.
Here are a few options born out of experience and observation:
1.
Identify your “Mighty Men.” Who in your church can you call on at any time to share your heart—the good and the
bad? For me, in my first church, it was Dan. I could go to him for encouragement, counsel, wisdom, and friendship without judgment.
2.
Engage with Regional Teams. Whether or not there’s no one in your church you can rely on right now, consider
connecting more with our Regional Teams. These teams are filled with pastors who know what it’s like and what it takes. If your area doesn’t have an active regional team, would you be interested in providing leadership?
3.
Take advantage of CNC resources. Whether you need to clarify, align, and strengthen your board, or you and your
spouse need a space to refocus and reaffirm your call to ministry, we have programs to help. One such opportunity is the Compass program offered by our National Office.
4.
Consider a sabbatical. If you’ve been at your church for a while and feel that a more focused, extended break
would be helpful for your long-term ministry, CNC has tools and templates to help you and your church plan and benefit from a sabbatical period.
5.
Access crisis support. CNC has limited funds set aside to help pastors and their families navigate personal crises,
whether it’s counseling or other support to refocus and reaffirm your calling.
You’re not alone in this journey. Let’s walk through this new year together, leaning on one another and trusting the
God who called us.
Joel
God, we pray you would strengthen our CNC pastors and leadership so that they would be energized to communicate the life transforming message of Jesus. Our hope is many in their communities would experience the love and forgive
of Christ and begin to follow him. Increase their desire to read the Bible and our desire to memorize verses. We pray this by faith. Amen.
