I’m slacking

*Forgive me for not posting this week.  I’ve been trying to accomplish my ‘three post a week’ promise (which I’ve been fulfilling and enjoying) but have been slacking this week.  I’m trying to write every monday, wednesday, friday – this week is a little different

I had a conversation with someone this week that I had to laugh at (because if I can’t laugh at this it could get very frustrating)  He asked me if I knew of anyone looking for a job who wouldn’t mind becoming a secretary at the company he works for?  Like most employers in the city his company is finding it difficult to find adequate staff.   I told him “I’d keep an eye out but noone was coming to mind”.  Before the conversation ended I asked him “Oh by the way, if I do think of someone, what are some details I can tell them?”  He responded by telling me “Oh ya, starting salary is _________ plus bonus’ stock options and pension”.   Hopefully he didn’t notice my jaw hit the ground and my heart stop beating for a couple of seconds because the salary he mentioned for an entry level secretary position at his NON oil and gas company is a little more than I make (including benefits), then add bonus’, stocks and the pension!    I then told him I can type 20 words a minute – could I take the job?  O.K. – that’s a lie – I didn’t say that.

I have to be honest (this is my blog and I can be honest – just don’t tell anyone 🙂 situation like this is hard to hear about .  It’s difficult for me (and other pastor friends of mine – mostly associate/youth/children pastors because they usually don’t make close to what the senior pastor is making) to be in our situations and know how much money is out there if we want it.   It becomes an internal struggle to wrestle with my “calling” into ministry compared to taking care of my family.  God has definately taken care of myself and my family but it’s tempting to pull out of ministry and make more money elsewhere so that money wouldn’t be so much of an issue.  

Part of me feels guilty for saying that but more and more of my friends are pulling out of vocational ministry for this very same reason.  They have 30+ thousand in student loans, they can either go into ministry and make lower than 90% of their congregation or work in the secular world and make more money at a menial job and pay off their student loans and do ministry as well.   Some friends of mine from bible college that did stay in the ministry (not many) have to look for any opportunity to make money on top of their ministry jobs just to keep afloat.  This means time away from family, time away from personal rest, time away from what their “calling” should be. 

Now I feel like I’m ranting … which i may be.   It’s just very hard to stay in a vocation where your family stuggles with different pressures, your bank account is low and the stress involved with different peoples expectations is sometimes unbearable.  The pressure of living in a city like Calgary is a lot.  It’s not a cheap place to live.  It even makes things harder knowing what other people are making.

O.K. I’m not leaving my job today.  Much of what I said pertains to me, but also to anyone in my situation.  I chose to be in this ministy.  I chose to deal with what I deal with.  There is much joy in serving God in a full time setting.  Sometimes – in my weaker moments – I start thinking about doing something else – I’m guessing that in six months I’d be back in full time ministry. 

I just felt like ranting about this today. 

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