Ministry Disappointments

Last night was one of those disappointing ministry experiences. I talked to five young men in our church, all twenty-something, about getting together to talk about things related to the Christian life. They all said they were interested.

I was very excited about this. For the first meeting, I just planned to walk them through the bridge illustration, to determine their understanding of the gospel message.

I showed up at the church at 6 pm, anxious but a bit nervous. And waited. And waited. Nobody showed up.

I've had this happen before in ministry. You get all excited about something, and nobody shows. Or the one person you really wanted to be there doesn't show up. This stuff just goes with the territory. You realize that after it happens so many times, but you never enjoy it.

At our previous church, after Pam and I moved out of our apartment and bought a house, we were excited about hosting our Sunday night small group, which had about eight couples. We spent the weekend cleaning, bought plenty of snacks, and had everything ready, anxious to show off our new abode. And nobody showed up. Every couple in the group found something else to do that night. Yeah, that one stung big-time.

But last night--that didn't sting. It was just a huge disappointment. The stakes are high on this one, much higher than just showing off a new house. So I'll connect with the guys again, and we'll try next Monday night. Again. I really want this to happen. And maybe I'll spend a bit more time in prayer about it this week. That wouldn't hurt.

Posted on March 13, 2007 09:54 AM|

Comments


Keep trying Steve, Your doing a good thing. You are right, it can be frustrating but don't give up. Their lives depend on it. Jesus had disciples walk out on him, but it didn't stop Him from spreading the truth. It will happen, I will help pray for you in this ministry.

Posted by: Anonymous | March 15, 2007 11:53 PM

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