Ministry and Family or Family or to Family?
David Messner and I were recently able to attend a service at the People’s Church down in Oklahoma City. That particular morning Herbert Cooper was sharing on how he quit “cheating” on his wife. He talked about the two seasons in his life where he spent so much time working on the ministry, specifically on two building campaigns, that he was in a sense cheating on his family. During the sermon he looked at 1 Timothy 3:4-5 - 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full[a] respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) Pastor Cooper pointed out that Paul indicates here that a pastor should first take care of his family and then take care of God’s family.
So should ministers prioritize ministry or family, or is there a give and take? How do you apply Jesus' words in Matthew 10:37?
I've heard a few lessons on this topic and I'm wondering if this is one of those issues that pastors and church leaders will never really figure out. I would suggest that much of it boils down to a wisdom and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit issue. However, I do think every leader needs to have set principles that will guide how they process ministering and family matters. Unfortunately, I think most pastors have seen and probably experienced getting ministry backwards. How should we process this topic? What are the best resources and advice out there? Which of these orders describes you and which of these describes where you want to live?
Ministry, Family, God
God, Family, Ministry
Family, Ministry, God
God, Ministry, Family
