The Two Greatest Occupational Hazards of Christian Ministry

At the Bible college and seminary which I attended, more than one chapel speaker told us in no uncertain terms that the greatest occupational hazards in the ministry were “money and women.” This was usually expressed with some vehemence, as if money and women were evils, in and of themselves. Of course, they didn’t really mean that. They meant that the love of money and the lure of extra-marital affairs were the most dangerous sins we could flirt with, and the traps most likely to destroy our lives and ministries.

The intervening years have demonstrated that there was a lot of truth in what these deeply concerned pastors, missionaries and evangelists were warning us about. I would never downplay the dangers of greed and lust. But I have come to see two other sins as the greatest occupational hazards for those in full-time ministry: Bitterness and resentment.

Just so we’re on the same page, here’s how I’m using these terms: Bitterness is the caustic condition of our hearts caused by refusing to forgive those whom we believe have hurt us. I once said from a pulpit that bitterness was an “acidic condition.” I was quickly corrected by a chemist who said it would have to be a “caustic condition,” not an acidic condition. Having received “C’s” in chemistry, I don’t actually understand that, but I’m taking his word for it. Either way, bitterness is bad. It’s deadly. It will “eat your lunch,” in the sense of stealing your joy and souring your attitude towards people and life.

Resentment is a “twin sin” to bitterness. In my understanding, bitterness is about the bad things others have done to us; resentment is about the good things which others should have done for us and didn’t, like the raise we didn’t get, the kudos we never receive, the sabbatical which has never been offered or the authority to lead which we’ve never been granted.

Anyone who has been in vocational ministry has seen this played out.

• There’s the pastor who always has a villain in his church responsible for all its problems. Each time you see your friend, it’s a new villain. The last one has left but his place in your bitter friend’s heart has been taken by another.

• Then there’s the brother who instead of telling you how many people are attending his church on Sunday morning, tells you how many people would or should be attending if they hadn’t been stolen by newly planted churches in his area.

• Or maybe you’ve known the pastor who is eaten alive by the negative comments of those who leave his congregation and tries to forbid his members from communicating with those who have left.

• And don’t forget the joyless pastor who probably should have relocated ten years ago after losing the support of his board, who instead dug his heels in and stayed, and is watching his incredible shrinking congregation slowly disappear. His joylessness, and that of his church, is palpable.

I could go on and on with this, couldn’t I?

The awful truth is that while we’re not all tempted with affairs or offers of “big money” (for doing the wrong thing), we are all tempted to give ourselves over to the sins of bitterness and resentment, because ministry involves so many bumps, bruises, offenses and insults.

The solution is simple but hard. Get really good at forgiveness. Give it to God. Give it all to God. Tell Him all about what those mean people have done to you, or haven’t done for you. Then leave it at His desk. I’m not saying that there’s no place for godly confrontation and reconciliation efforts. These things can be very helpful for our own hearts and for those of our offenders. But at the end of the day you have to forgive. A lot. The result is joy. The alternative is resentment and bitterness, the real “greatest occupational hazards of the ministry.”