It is possible, and I would even say common, for ministers
to struggle in their relationship with God. Because ministers are constantly
surrounded by other ministers, Sunday school classes, small groups and even the
bible itself, they often forget to put time aside to personally engage with
God, and not just be in the word for the sake of sermon planning, etc.
Another reason, which I found in Richard Rolle’s writing,
that ministers can become disengaged from God is because they might value other
things as more important that God. We might be temped to pursue the temporary pleasure
and love of earthly things. The danger of this, as quoted from Rolle is
that we become “spiritually frozen” when we no longer rely on the love of God
inside of us.
Both of these reasons for not having an intimate
relationship with God are harmful to oneself, to ministry, and to family (both
church and literal). When a minister is not being personally renewed and filled
with the spirit though a right relationship with God, that person will end up
wearing himself or herself out. A person can only rely on his or her own
strength for so long. When this happens, the church suffers under a leader who
might be very clearly losing love for the church and passion for the Lord. In
addition, a minister’s family is sure to feel the consequences of a lack of
intimacy with the Lord. One consequence that I have seen is when a child grows
up with said minister and begins to see the hypocrisy. This can lead to a negative
view of the church in general, or even of God.
So how can a minister avoid being distanced from God? By
remaining close to Him. This includes setting aside proper amounts of time for
that individual to personally engage God. A minster should not get to caught up
in the churches problems, that he or she forgets to see and correct his or her
own. And while a minister is often teaching the word to others, he or she must
not forget to be taught the word. One must remain ACTIVE in pursuing the Lord.
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