Why the high drop-out rate?
- It was more difficult than they realized
- You have to literally trust God – not man - to make it
- You have to be highly motivated, self-motivated, and resilient to endure
- It didn’t pay well enough for them
- No one gave them a church, a pulpit, or a stage for free
- It requires a great deal of faith – really it does
Every church I have ever attended or led, including PCC, has had the same type of folks show up. They are like comets; they appear suddenly, flash bright across the sky and burn-out quickly.
Most people who say they are called into the ministry simply are not prepared for the hard and brutal work ahead. They just want to be given a pulpit, preach sermons, and enjoy accolades from audiences.
But real ministry is ugly, messy, and scary. Often, we pastors feel inadequate. The job is enormous. The responsibilities are great. The demands are too numerous to mention. The complaints are many. Criticisms are ever present. People love us, and betray us. We get wounded. We get healed. We fail. We recover. We preach. We move forward. We build. We overcome. Most people have no idea of how challenging it really is. That’s why most do not last. Or they dart from church-to-church looking for an easy place to land.
Santa Rosa County didn’t need another church when we planted PCC ten years ago. It didn’t need another group of preacher wanna-be's who were looking for easy street. But what this community did need and still needs is God-called, God-fearing, men and women who have endurance, and who will fight the good fight of faith. Santa Rosa county needs more churches, more preachers, and more God-honoring Christ-followers who are willing to love the unlovable, reach the irreligious, and expand the kingdom one life at a time. This area needs people who are driven with passion for the lost – not those looking for accolades, easy street, and a position in the church.
Those who are genuinely called feel as if this is the only thing they can do with their lives. It is right for a man or woman to give themselves completely to the work.
If you can do anything else with your life, do that instead.