My wife and I were in a conversation recently about our years together. We will celebrate 33 years of marriage this year, and we dated for almost six years. The simple math was a surprise. We have been dating or married for nearly four decades!
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It was a good conversation. But I had my moments of regret. Times that I was too busy for my family. My tendency to want to win an argument with my wife rather than resolve the problem. Failure to slow down and enjoy life.
Mistakes in Ministry
I then reflected on my years when I served as senior pastor of four churches. I have often said that I wanted to write a book entitled Mistakes I Made in Ministry. Then I realized it would have to be a multivolume series!
There are no "do overs" in life and ministry. But there are always opportunities to learn, correct, and improve. So I decided to share with you seven of the key mistakes I made as a senior pastor. Obviously, the list is not exhaustive. Seven just seemed to be a good, biblical number.
Seven for Starters
As I just began thinking about the mistakes I made as a pastor, I realized how gracious most church members were to me. And I realized how my family's love for me is a total gift of grace. Here are the seven, but they are really just the beginning of many more.
Dr. Thom Rainer is president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
