Over the past few months I have gotten to know a man by the name of Dave Lewis. Dave is a kind and humble man who loves to golf and, I am told, is quite competitive. Dave is a fellow pastor and when we met one morning at a local McDonald’s I asked him, “How long have you served at your church?” I knew he was an older gentleman but his answer still blew me away: sixty-four years! Dave started serving at Bald Eagle Alliance Church way back in 1953, not long after he had graduated from Bible college. While a lot has changed during that time, and countless pastors (including me) have transitioned to other churches, Dave has stayed put. From what I can tell, he doesn’t have any retirement plans, even though he is now eighty-seven years old.
I was curious so I asked Dave what the secret of his longevity was. He answered, “The grace of God and the will of God.” His simple answer hints at a profound truth. It is not God’s will for every pastor to spend his entire ministry at one church. However, in the case of Dave, God ordained that he would have a lifetime ministry at one local church. Such a long ministry was only possible through the sustaining grace of God.
Here are three ways Dave has relied on the grace of God to sustain his ministry. Read More
Also See:
Five Unintended Consequences of Short Pastoral Tenure
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