“Your church address is not an accident. Your community is not an accident. And your calling is not an accident. God is in it all. God is the power of it all. Celebrate these realities. You were called to this specific church in this specific community at this specific time.”

If you are the pastor I met in Richmond, Virginia recently, thank you.

Thank you for your encouragement. Thank you for your faithfulness. And thank you for your wise words about pastors and struggles: “It is good to know I am not alone.” Your words were meaningful. Your words were powerful.

You were speaking about the thousands of church leaders at Church Answers. You were speaking about the number one benefit you get from being in this safe community. You see the vulnerability, the lack of pretense, and the acknowledgments of struggles among other pastors and church leaders. It is a constant and encouraging reminder you are not alone.

I want to share those same words with the community who reads this blog post. I want you to know you are not alone. Ministry can be tough. Ministry can be frustrating. Ministry can even be depressing. But ministry in the local church can also be one of the greatest joys you’ve ever known.

Allow me to give you three reminders. It is my prayer these three brief points will be a source of encouragement and hope for you. It is my prayer they will be used by God to encourage you to keep pressing on. I simply call them the three accidents that did not happen at your church.

1. Your church address is not an accident. God placed your church where it is for a reason. You might be dealing with deferred maintenance issues in your building. You might be wishing your facility was up to 1980 standards. You might long for a faster-growing demographic. You might desire a more visible location. But God put you at your church address for very specific reasons. Celebrate your location. Celebrate your place in the world God has called you to minister.

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