Southern Seminary Magazine (Vol. 91.2) Pastoral Ministry in a Changing World

Five Ministry Challenges I Didn’t Anticipate
we couldn’t gather? How could we maintain
unity in a world so fractured? How could the
voice of a shepherd be heard above the din
of everything else the sheep were seeing and
listening to online? I had always trusted my
ability to look my members in the eye and
speak candidly and honestly so that they gave
me their trust. I never thought about how
I would lead when I couldn’t even be with
them for a while or have them all together,
even when we came back in multiple services.
I also didn’t know that the members of my
church would have such different opinions
about the social and medical issues the
pandemic brought.
Though the pandemic ended, many effects
remain. Some church members simply
disappeared, and we don’t know where
they went or what happened to them. Some
never came back and say they are no longer
following Christ. Habits and expectations
changed. I am grateful our church made
it through the pandemic without major
divisions or disruptions, but it was hard, and
it made me develop a different set of skills
than those I relied on before.
5 THE VITRIOL OF DIVISIONS
AMONG CHRISTIANS
I can name numerous evangelical leaders who
shared platforms and enjoyed close fellowship
ten years ago but hardly speak to each other
now. Historically, theology has been the basis
of Christian fellowships and denominations,
but in recent years, theological distinctives
have given way to myriad other issues that
previously were secondary or non-existent.
Christians don’t merely disagree about
theology or the best way to be Christian in
18 THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY