When a Pastor Should Leave the Pulpit

This past Sunday I had to step out of the pulpit right in the middle of message as something hit my stomach hard and I felt that an early exit was more noble than…well…being sick in front of everyone.  For only the second time in my 28 years as pastor, I left the pulpit in the middle of a message, but thankfully this time was only for sickness.  However as I sit here trying to get my stomach to settle down with ginger ale, it dawned on me that there are some men still in the pulpit who probably need to leave their ministries and I decided to write down my thoughts.  

Let me be clear up front, I am not saying these things to discourage anyone in the ministry who God has a plan for, but to encourage an honest look at how our pastoral positions should be handled.   For those who are qualified and desirous of being in the ministry - DON’T QUIT, BE FAITHFUL, AND STAY THE COURSE.  But if it is time to step aside from the ministry, do not linger.  Also I am not stating that every man with these qualities must step out of the ministry permanently, but it maybe just for a short period of time and then in time get back into the spiritual warfare.  But the cause of Christ is bigger than any one minster and we must do what is best for Heaven’s gain.  

So what are some reasons why a pastor should leave the pulpit?

1. When he has lost the fire for being in the ministry.  1 Timothy 3:1 says “If a man desire the office of a bishop….”  When a pastor no longer has the desire to be a pastor then he MUST step out of the pulpit.  He ought never stay just because he was called into the ministry years ago or because has no other job options or opportunities, as both his family and the church will suffer if his heart is not in the ministry.  One can never pastor without the desire for serving the Lord in the pastorate as it is a supernatural spiritual conflict and the desire is crucial to remain effectively dependent upon God.  There are going to be difficult discouraging days but if the fire is still within then let us say as Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 20:9 “…But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.”  I COULD NOT STAY!!! May that be the prayer of every pastor’s heart!  But if that FIRE is not there, then step aside if the fire cannot be rekindled.
2. When his family is no longer willingly working in the ministry.  It may be true that the pastor is the ONE whom God called into the ministry, however, his family must be in agreement with serving and following their house’s head as their pastor as well.  Years ago I heard a distant church member tell of the evening that their pastor was preaching and the pastor’s wife stood up, walked out yelling, “Don’t listen to a word he preaches because we don’t live that at home!”  Of course that pastor had to immediately resign, and worse yet, in the long run he lost his family.  His wife had lost her heart for ministry, mainly due to his life at home and that finally came to a head in that service.  She may have been wrong in her actions, but he had been ignoring the heart for ministry problems in his home.  Many pastor’s wives and children struggle with the ministry and the pastor muddles on while his family grows increasingly bitter at him and the ministry.  No pastor ought to let staying in the ministry cause him to lose his family because they have lost the heart for ministry or when his family has lost their confidence in him as their pastor.  A pastor’s family MUST be his first ministry and ought never be sacrificed for staying in the ministry.  1 Timothy 3:5 states, “For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?”  The word “rule” is to maintain not over lord.  Every pastor MUST confirm that his house is in the ministry with him or step out of the pulpit until the family’s heart for ministry returns.
3. When God has clearly called the pastor into another ministry.  Too often a man of God stays in the pulpit long after God has clearly lead into another field or direction.  These kind of men are still qualified and their family is on the ministry mindset, but God has lead them away and yet they remain either because of financial security in that location or a love for the specific church ministry or community.  Yet every man of God must accept that they are God’s tool to be placed at His leisure and at His will.  If we are wanting to be in the center of God’s will then we must be ready to move on when God says it is time…DON’T LINGER.  
4. When a pastor is regularly struggling to meet the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3.  Unless a man is unsaved or completely away from God, he should know before anyone else that his life does not match up to God’s qualifications for pastoral duty.  For instance, when a pastor’s personal walk with God has grown cold, when he is constantly angry at the people he ministers to, when his family is bitter at the ministry, when his flesh is controlling him, and so forth, then he should know something is amiss in his ministry.  I am convinced that God gave 1 Timothy 3 as a goal for all believers, but primarily as a checklist for the pastor/deacon to search himself.  Yes, we should look at these qualifications as church guidelines in seeking a pastor but more importantly it is a checklist for a man of God to search his own life.  If you KNOW that you are no longer fully complaint to 1 Timothy 3, then its time to step away.

This list is by no means exhaustive, nor is it truly authoritative.  It is a pastor’s heart trying to help men see the big picture.  There is something more important than being in the ministry…BEING IN THE CENTER OF GOD’S WILL AND LOVING GOD ABOVE ALL THINGS!