Take My Hand and Lead Me
Reflections from 20 Years of Ministry Life
Pastor Chris Lenhart | August 1, 2024
My footsteps on this unwinding pathway of ministry life have been taken with great reluctance. Like Moses, I have found myself in audience with God, only to question, resist, and retort his pastoral prompting. “Pardon me, Lord, but please send someone else.” (Exodus 4:13). When describing the gentle hand of God moving me towards a career in pastoral leadership, I refrain from using the word, “calling” largely because it feels like such a strong word for what has instead felt like a still small voice persistent in saying, “keep going.”
Has it really been twenty years, how!? Why am I still here? Lord, what are you doing? This is hard, really, really hard. I am not good enough, strong enough, effervescent enough…and once again, his still small voice, “I am enough.” Not me, him. Jesus. It is his faithfulness that both sustains and overwhelms me, in crossing this ministry landmark. The glory is His.
Twenty-years ago, Sheila and I left Scranton, PA to embark on a career in congregational ministry. We had been married for just one year, with no children, no professional ministry experience, and just a smidge of adult-life experience. With small ears and a big mouth, all my insecurities were comfortably and conveniently hidden behind neatly systematized certainties about so very many things. Taking all of this into consideration, it is a miracle and a wonder of God that a local congregation even gave me a chance.
Today, I am convinced that much of pastoral leadership involves a life-long journey of learning how to surrender, both to God, and to the people we are called to lay down our lives for. It is entering the long game of learning how to live broken and poured out in community with one another as our eyes remain steadfastly fixed to Jesus our perfect and premier exemplar for life and godliness. Philippians 2 has been, and may always be, the hallmark for what I believe about the shape of our shared Christian lives.
Pastoral ministry necessarily enmeshes the lives of many people. It is a mutual submission and agreement between ministry leaders and their congregations to live with the imperfections, malformations, immaturities, and defects of one another, as we are all sanctified by the Holy Spirit, growing together more and more into the image and likeness of Jesus. In just over 20 years, words would fail to express the true gratitude, held within our hearts, for the patience of both congregations we have served. We have been enriched by the lives of countless faithful followers of Jesus.
I am no perfect leader nor person. Far from it. I stand on the shoulders of many saints who have poured sacrificially into my life. I have been guided by the wisdom of many leaders, spiritually mature women and men who have had a significant influence on my spiritual growth and development. I have been humbled and carried along by the powerful influence and example of prayer warriors and caregivers who have been a part of this experience.
Over the years, we have become deeply acquainted with both the joys and sorrows of ministry life. We celebrated and wept, officiated weddings and cared through marital brokenness, baptized and buried, sang through tears, and cried through pain, loss, trauma, and hurt. We have endured seasons of triumph and trial. This life, this profession, is not one for the faint of heart. Through it all, we have endeavored to cling to the steady hand of God, he has always been faithful to lead and sustain us.
This year, we celebrated 21 years of marriage, with 7 children, as we grow deeper in love with God and each other. In many ways we are still the same broken people, in many ways we are different, seeking the kingdom, living from a place of weakness so that God’s strength might be magnified. Our sin is great, his grace is greater still. We are little people, serving a very big God.
If I were to offer words to someone beginning this journey of ministry leadership, I could summarize them in this one sentence: Cling to Jesus, and follow him, deeply rooted in his word, and as you grow in love with those he places in your life, he will be faithful to complete the work he has started in you. And if you were to wonder what prevailing themes have buffeted and encouraged the patient endurance needed to continue in this work, I would offer the seven below, each with scripture to prompt personal reflection. Might I suggest one theme for each day of the week, perhaps as a part of your regular devotions.
- Dependence (Psalm 23; John 15)
- Humility (Psalm 25; Mark 14)
- Surrender (Psalm 40; Philippians 2)
- Love (Psalm 139; Galatians 5)
- Endurance (Psalm 46; 2 Timothy 4)
- Hospitality (Psalm 133; Romans 12)
- Faithfulness (Psalm 91; Revelation 21-22)
To God be the glory, great things he is doing.
22-25 So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. Hebrews 11:22-25 (MSG).