By Cory J. Hailey

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)–In a day when pastors are faltering under the
pressure of ministry, a Louisiana pastor reminded students at Southwestern
Baptist Theological Seminary they can survive and even prosper if they keep the
example of the Apostle Paul in mind.

Forrest Pollock, senior pastor of Istrouma Baptist Church, Baton Rouge, said
that with every move scrutinized and every word critiqued, being a pastor is not
a calling for the faint of heart.

“Many pastors do not survive,” he said in a March 23 chapel message at the
Fort Worth, Texas, school.

But despite the increasing divorce rates among pastors and the depression and
stress that can afflict them, the ministry has a rewarding side that is too often
neglected, Pollock said.

“What a joy it is to be one of those called to hatch `em, match `em and
dispatch `em,” he quipped.

Pollock drew from Philippians 3:12-14 to illustrate what he termed “seven
secrets of survival” for ministers. The passage, he said, has added power in
light of the fact Paul wrote to the church while imprisoned by Rome.

The first “secret” is from the first part of Philippians 3:12, where Paul
wrote: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made
perfect.” Christians need to acknowledge they are not perfect, Pollock said.

“There will be spots where you fail. You’ll never live up to the expectations
your family has and your church has,” he said, adding that even Paul admitted to
having flaws.

Even with the mistakes and flaws Christians have, they are still able to be
used of God to accomplish his purposes, Pollock said.

Ministers need a plan, the second secret Pollock drew from the passage.
Paul’s efforts, he said, were directed toward becoming more Christlike, and
ministers in training need to have a plan in mind to stay focused on God’s
purpose.

The third secret is for ministers to accept the past and look ahead, Pollock
said. In verse 13, Paul said that he was “forgetting what is behind.”

The apostle had a lot to forget, Pollock said, recounting Paul’s past
persecution of the church and his indirect role in the stoning of Stephen.

But God’s will had prevailed, Pollock pointed out, and Paul became a servant
of Christ instead of an enemy.

Ministers sometimes have to practice forgetfulness, Pollock said, if they
want to avoid burnout.

Church members can say hurtful things, deacons can undermine a pastor’s
authority and committees can disappoint, so ministers need to “practice selective
amnesia,” he added.

“The thing to do is remember the best and forget the rest,” Pollock said.

Christians have to act with perseverance to see their calling through,
Pollock said of the fourth secret of ministry.

“God has sent you to the seminary to finish it, not just start it,” he told
the students. “You will face crises” in ministry, he continued. “The devil will
throw perils of all kinds at you. You’ll make it.”

Paul’s fifth secret to “press on” was given by someone who had experienced
peril, Pollock said, reminding students of the shipwreck, imprisonments, beatings
and flogging the apostle had endured for the cause of Christ.

“Advance even when you don’t feel like it. Advance when you’re scared to
death,” Pollock insisted.

The sixth secret is for ministers to keep their primary goals in mind: to
know Christ and to follow his calling in their lives, Pollock said.

“You’ve got to focus yourself like a laser beam on the call God has given
you,” he said.

Pollock gave the final secret by quoting verse 14, in which Paul wrote that
his goal was “to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ
Jesus.”

“What a high privilege it is to be called of God,” Pollock said, reminding
the seminarians that of the many millions and millions of people on earth, only a
very few are called to be ministers of the Lord.

The prizes in store for those that answer the call and keep the faith are
great, he said.

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