As a new pastor in a small church I hungered for colleagues and routines to guide and shape my work. I had neither. I was a solo pastor in a “redevelopment” congregation; the routines that had guided the church before my arrival were exactly the ones that needed adapting.
Maybe that situation would cause another inexperienced pastor to thrive, but it didn’t me. Instead, I had to learn how to trust my gut and to shape my own routines. My second call and a terrific colleague taught me how to do that even more. That lasted eight years.
It’s funny how things come around, because my present call gives me colleagues and routines in abundance. Only now, 13 years after my ordination, it’s taken some time to figure out what to do with them. I’d got used to making it up as I go.
What do you wish you had? Learn to flourish without it, then it will come.
YoRocko! 