This week Pastor Rick McKinley of ImagoDei Commmunity Church in Portland, Oregon and Pastor Mark Batterson of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. join the conversation as we consider the importance of vulnerability and authenticity in the life of a pastor.
Be sure to listen to this episode and then come back to the blog and help other pastors by offering your comments on being and staying vulnerable.
Rick
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Pastor Rick Warren, Saddleback Church
17 responses so far ↓
Erich Scharf // June 12, 2007 at 6:12 pm
I walked into the Pacific Lighthouse Mission with nothing but the clothes on my back at one point in my life… this podcast reminds me of “Unshackled” (http://www.unshackled.org) but for a new generation. Great testimony. Keep it real.
Kevin // June 13, 2007 at 6:42 am
Thanks for this topic. This is probably the area where I’m struggling the most right now in my ministry.
Being a new pastor (and new to ministry after 15 years in the computer industry) I’m constantly being told by leaders (at my church and outside here) to basically not be completely myself. Stuff like hide the tattoo at church pool parties, not being open about my geeky comic collecting hobbies, no more beer (but wine is OK… explain that one!) and other stuff like that.
If God called me into the ministry, just as I am, with all the hurts and struggles that I have gone through in my life, then why now am I supposed to be “Pastor Kevin” instead of the Kevin that I was just 8 months ago???
I think I’m going to wrestle with God a bit more on this one. Hopefully he’ll bless me or give me that good shot to the hip! :)
Doug Millar // June 13, 2007 at 11:50 am
Thanks once again for these pod cast… they are really great! I have been serving as a missionary/church planter down here in Mexico for about 12 years. Spanish was the only class I ever drop in college. So I have been working with a limp for years, it has been a blessing because it’s forced me to build up a great team of young native communicators.
David as one who struggles with languages, I feel your pain.
inimitable
One entry found for inimitable.
Main Entry: in•im•i•ta•ble
Pronunciation: (”)i-’ni-m&-t&-b&l
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin inimitabilis, from in- + imitabilis imitable
: not capable of being imitated : MATCHLESS
Rod // June 14, 2007 at 11:44 am
Rick thanks for sharing your insights with the rest of us. On of the things that you’ve said several times is that you are ADD. So am I and I’ve struggled with it for years. My curse and blessing is my ADD. The bigest weakness that I have im my ministry with ADD is being a finisher. Is that a problem for you, and how do you minister through/inspite of it?
Gary R Sweeten // June 14, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Good discussion in many ways IMO. The last podcast was IMO a bit pretentious and very “Clergy” centered with lots of comments about what “our” job is and “we” must do this and that as “leaders” that place clergy on a pedestal. This week was a more realistic view and not as much separation between lay and clergy. By the way, not all the listeners are male.
Mike Sorcinelli // June 15, 2007 at 4:08 am
My dad taught me “share a success and make an enemy, share a weakness and make a friend”. Therefore, when I was recently asked to speak at a large symposium youth conference on 1) failure or 2) success, I instantly chose “failure”. Only a few can identify with success, while everyone can identify with failure. I think vulnerability from the pulpit will help lay people get rid of this pedistal they place us pastors on, and help them to realize that we too are human and have struggles. So let’s admit that sometimes we too are tempted with a lustful thought, or that we too sometimes spend more than we make in a given month, or that we too sometimes have fights with our spouse, etc.
Gregg Mercer // June 15, 2007 at 7:29 am
I’m a Christian who struggles.
Thanks for the reminder of God’s grace, mercy, justice, judgment, and transforming power.
Albert Mwansa // June 15, 2007 at 7:46 am
sometimes people they dont know that even. Pastors they have got there own weaknesses, despity standing on the pulpit and many times we dont want even to talk about it as. Pastors all we go through the same things, weaknesses a part of our lives but we always get our strenght from the Lord, we need to teach the about it and how we manage our weaknesses,
Good stuff God bless.
Dean // June 15, 2007 at 9:12 am
This has been on my mind a lot lately as well.
There is a pastor in town who is also on the radio, and in every other sermon he mentions that he is an alcoholic. Sometimes it comes across as a man preaching out of his weakness. Other times it comes across as something else, bordering on pride.
I really want to be vulnerable as well but I’m questioning with whom that should be. Should I do so from the pulpit or just in close relationships? Are there levels of vulnerability for different contexts? I know that some people will be encouraged by my vulnerability, whereas others will use it as a reason to not trust me. But I don’t want to base it on how I assume others might react.
Thanks for helping me keep thinking about it all.
Hal Burke // June 15, 2007 at 5:16 pm
I want to pick up on the almost aside comments about how our weaknesses help us to be interdependent with others. We are a body, as Paul makes so clear in Romans and Corinthians. God made us weak in some areas in order for us to have to need others. As Paul Ford, author of the new book “Knocking Over the Leadership Ladder” points out, most of us are not the visionary leaders; we need to develop vision together and leadership is a function of a group of people accomplishing what God has called them to do together. So…weakness is not just about the “bad” things about us but those areas that God designed for us to need others. Thanks to God for His infinite wisdom! Hal
claire goudy // June 16, 2007 at 6:30 am
haaaaaaaay, what a message..(how to minister from your weakness) .. what you shared in the first 10 mins though and then said u didn’t know why you shared about it for so long.. well i know.. it was for me.. i’m about to do what you did and the Lord is warning me to be careful.. not necessarily the wrong person, but maybe a case of “hello, who are you”. anywayz, i am ministering from my weakness because i have no where else to minister from.. As he moves me towards the promised land i guess i will have more to share from but for now, my weakness and my ‘real life’ situation is what i have to share. It amazes me how he uses me despite me and how God gaves a grace and favor which i never deserved and how he uses me to touch lives. Effective Ministry is real people making real differences in other peoples real lives… your right, it sux to be anything other than real. Rick, you guys have helped encourage me tonight. As i minister this week i pray that God will teach me to grateful for my weaknesses.
Bob Ricotta // June 18, 2007 at 10:02 am
Rick,
Praise God for your podcasts! I’ve been an Associate Pastor for 12 years at one church. Then moved to school Principal and presently I’m the Administrator of a school in North Carolina. I really could have used your podcasts back when I was pastoring. In our profession it is so vital to know that their are others who are going through the same mental/emotional challenges as we are. If possible in the future please address the question, “When is it time to move on from my present position?” Also, as a school Administrator/Principal there are similar challenges that we face (much the same as a pastor would), but very little support. There are no meetings of Principals/Administrators that I know of. Yet we minister daily to Staff and Students.
God Bless and Thanks again for your ministry.
Bob Ricotta
Dale Borgen // June 18, 2007 at 7:29 pm
Thanks for a terrific podcast! Each week they get better and better!
Rob Garlock // June 19, 2007 at 9:40 am
Hey Rick, what a terrific topic and message! Thanks. It was just what I needed to hear.
Carl // June 20, 2007 at 9:53 am
We just finished a series on “breaking down walls” with Mt 5:21-26. I modeled reconciliation by inviting up a ministry lead and apologizing for not planning an event with her. She forgave me, and then she invited up a committee member to apologize to her! We intetional went then from the sermon into our greeting time, encouraging people to reconcile as needed before we continued our music of worship.
Bob Tomlinson // June 21, 2007 at 4:39 pm
I’m not sure it it was this podcast or not but on one of them Rick talked about completing five seminary programs by listing to tapes or cd’s( I gues of the classes). I’m wondering which ones he listened to and where we might go to do the same.
Keep up the good work on the podcast, I’m really enjoying them.
Richard H // June 26, 2007 at 2:44 pm
My greatest weakness in ministry (at least the one I see most clearly right now) is that I’m not a leader. I have strong gifts in teaching and preaching, but the closest thing I have to a leadership gift is stubbornness. I’m an introverted academic type in a situation that demands strong leadership.
The amazing thing is that God is working in spite of my weakness. The church has grown (highest attendance since 1966 - in a small town in the middle of no where). Finances are up. People are optimistic.
So I guess weakness “works.”
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