What I Miss From Not Working In A Church

I took a break from full time vocational ministry after our church closed and spent some time working in a hotel and eventually in sales. Now that I'm back working in a church full time I've noticed there are some things I really miss.

1. Going to church and not being paid for it.
Waking up that first Sunday I was no longer being paid by a church was liberating.

I rolled over to Laura and asked, "Do you wanna go to church?"
"I don't know, do you?" she responded sleepily.
It was a great moment because we were no longer obligated to be there. We were free to choose. This forced us to ask ourselves, why do we go to church. Was it for more than a paycheck? Our motives had a chance to be purified. We decided the church could be a movement that we'd love to be a part of.

2. Ego Boost

After 12 years of full time vocational ministry under the belt a question began entering my mind and wouldn't leave like a scratch I was afraid to itch.

"Am I only doing this because it's the only thing I can make money at?"

I'm a bit embarrassed to share that but it's the truth. Was my worth and ability to provide an income limited to only the church? Working in sales gave me a chance to see that I was really good at other things. I could make great money for my family elsewhere. I didn't have to be a pastor. I no longer felt desperate and inadequate. I could choose to be a pastor again for much better reasons.

2. Better friendships

I've always had trouble making friends with Christians. I get lost in the language they use. Perhaps it's because I don't want to talk about God all of the time. Sometimes, I'd rather just talk about the latest Portlandia episode or the UFC.

I also hate the feeling of walking on egg shells. Honesty gets stunted the moment you're afraid of offending someone. Working at the hotel and in sales gave me a chance to meet some really great people. We laughed really hard and I was free to be me.

3. Quantifiable Efforts.

My favorite time of the day in sales was when I counted up everything I did. It was right there on the computer screen. I sold a certain amount of beds and made a certain amount of money. The sense of accomplishment was very rewarding. The difficulty with working in a church full time is people are not projects to be completed. Life is messier than that.

4. Praying for more than a message.
When I was working in sales, I'd often get to work an hour early and spend some time reading the Bible and praying at this Starbucks near work. Sunday was our busiest day so going to church usually wasn't possible. God would meet me there and we had the best conversations. I remember how goofy it seemed that the God of the Universe would spend time in this grocery store Starbucks somewhere in Bellevue but He did. I think our friendship developed quite a bit and I learned to trust him in ways I hadn't before. I think I realized how much I like him and he likes me. This happened because I was able to concentrate on much more than a message I was preparing. Ironically, I was free to experience him without the constraints of churchy things.