“I assumed my job was to counsel every member until he or she overcome the problem. Consequently, I had no sense of the need to refer people, and I spent far too much time counseling.”

I’ve written previously about my lessons learned as a young pastor (here, here, and here), but I’m thinking today about things I wish I had done back then. Here are several of them:

1. Go on an overseas mission trip. I didn’t take my first missions trip until several years into my ministry. That means that I really didn’t challenge my church to think much about missions until much later than I should have.
2. Find a mentor.  I didn’t even know the term “mentor” back then. And, had I known the word, I probably would have given up too easily on finding a mentor if one didn’t respond quickly.
3. Travel across my state. Even a day long road trip could have helped me see that my little world in southwestern Ohio hardly reflected the world – it didn’t even reflect much of my state!
4. Take more regular days off. My failure to take days off more than 30 years ago has led to the same problem now. I don’t take off enough time to relax, clear my mind, and prepare to go back to the grind.
5. Set boundaries for counseling. I assumed my job was to counsel every member until he or she overcome the problem. Consequently, I had no sense of the need to refer people, and I spent far too much time counseling.

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