Confronting a church member. “She was bitter and gossiped all the time. No one else had the courage to confront her, so I had to do the dirty work. It was not a pretty situation, and I’m still suffering from the confrontation today.”

In a recent post, I shared the results of an informal Twitter poll that pointed out the greatest sources of discouragement of pastors and staff. In this post, I share the challenges of difficult ministry situations. Specifically I asked: “What are some of the most difficult situations you have had in pastoral ministry?”

This time, I am simply reporting anecdotal information in my conversations with pastors. Eight consistent themes have arisen.

1. Moral failure of a church staff member.
2. Funeral of a child or teenager.
3. Declining financial situation in the church.
4. Dismissing a friend on church staff.
5. Funeral of an unbeliever.
6. Confronting a church member.
7. Moral failure of a key lay leader.
8. Bringing order to a contentious church business meeting.

[Editor’s note: This article is incomplete. The link (URL) to the original article at Church Answers is unavailable and has been removed.]