What I Learned from being in the Pastorate

The top 10 things I learned by being in the pastorate. -Luke Knickerbocker

God allowed my wife and I the privilege to minister at a small church in Lake Placid, Florida from 2007-2011. We had only been married for about nine months when I accepted the call to become the pastor at age 25. We had our first child a few months later. My wife and I had begun a new journey of faith and dependence on the Lord. Before resigning the pastorate to serve in foreign missions, I shared with our church the following lessons that I had learned about the ministry during our time there. Here are the top ten things that I had learned by being in the pastorate.

10. God builds the church.

I Corinthians 1:26 – For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

Everyone is different, and has different needs; yet is important to the body. God will use the least likely people because they allow Him to. His power is provided that He may receive glory. God deserves glory and desires my worship.

Don’t be surprised when those you have the greatest expectations for end up turning away. And surprisingly, the least likely ones grow to be used of God greatly. Love others, even though the more you love – the less you are appreciated. You will sometimes be hurt the most by those you seek to help the most.

When I had arrived at the church, I was warned that I could not depend on one man in particular. As it turned out, he and his wife were the most faithful family in the church throughout our time there. In fact, we are still in contact with this dear couple all these years later! Ironically, the others that were previously leaders in the church left within the first three months after we arrived.

9. I am here for God first and people second.

Proverbs 3:5,6 – Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

God calls and leads us; people are the beneficiaries of our ministry. No one person is indispensable. Get to learn about people. Treasure and love those placed in your care.  

There was a man who attended our church for about a year. Sadly, he had been in the ministry years earlier, but was disqualified from the pastorate. He was bitter and had been through a lot of recent hardship. He grew critical and had a spirit that was “infecting” others. The hardest day I can recall was going to his house and confronting him about this. I told him I loved him, but unless his attitude changed, it would be better for him not to attend. This was a necessary confrontation for the health of the flock. He agreed with me and some changes were made. Years later he would send us money to help us in our mission!

8. Ask God for thick skin and a soft heart.

Ephesians 4:15 – But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Christ never flinched from his stand for truth against the Pharisees, yet he certainly kept a heart of compassion for sinners. It has been said, “If it was not for people, ministry would be easy.” But without people, there is no ministry! It is necessary to walk in the Spirit according to God’s Word, and you will bear the necessary fruit of the Spirit to help others. God will give you his love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith, longsuffering, and temperance to shepherd the flock.

One of the hardest things for a young preacher is to stand true for his convictions even though so many are transitioning to culturally acceptable methods and unbiblical teachings. Some families would come to visit and not want to stay because they wanted more contemporary music or desired a charismatic setting. Sometimes no matter how gracious and patient you are, there is no way to help them. A few different times, we would have people come to services and try to influence others with various doctrines, including Jehovah Witness ideologies. I remember having to tell them to not give out their literature. Though I would take a stand, I still wanted to be gracious enough to help their hurting families. Sometimes its a no-win situation. Do what is right and God will take care of you. These are a few lessons that I have learned while being in the pastorate.

7. God knows what we need.

Philippians 4:19 – But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Ask specifically, and trust God for the big things as well as the little. Depend upon God and not on man. God’s timing is always right. Small doesn’t mean insignificant, and big is not always a sign of blessing. Take care of the little things: for small things turn into big things. Be faithful.

One day I sat down in my office and looked at three different bills that needed to be paid. Our engine on the church van needed repaired; we needed to fix an air conditioning unit in the fellowship hall; and the city required us to connect our sewage into their new system. We barely scraped by from week to week – how could we pay these bills? I committed them to God and reminded him that it was his church and these were His bills. Shortly after, we received a check from out of state for $10,000, which covered all three bills! God is able to supply your every need.

6. God-given duties do not conflict.

Colossians 3:23 – And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

Balancing many God-given responsibilities is difficult. Caring for your mate, your children, church family, and other jobs can become a juggling catastrophe if you get your priorities out of order. Be sure that what you are doing is something God has given you to do. Being busy is not the same as being obedient! Learn to say “No”. When God has your heart, He gets everything else we have. Therefore, love Him with all your heart…and do everything with all your might for Him. He will ensure the time to meet the demands of the tasks.

I had the privilege to be bi-vocational while pastoring. God gave me the perfect job that gave me a flexible schedule, while putting me in front of numerous families around our town. Driving school bus for the county got me up early for my rounds and gave me several hours before my afternoon routes. On Wednesdays, after dropping off the students at their respective schools, I would pick up donated bakery items at a local supermarket on my way to the Assisted Living Facility to hold a morning service.

After, I would be free to prepare for the evening service or make visits. Occasionally, the funeral home director down the street would call me to come hold a service for a family that had no church. It never ceased to amaze me how the opportunities God gave me worked out with the allotted time schedule I had. When God gave me something to do, He would also grant the time needed to fulfill it.

The top ten things that I learned about ministry by being in the pastorate.

5. Christ’s paradoxical principles are true.

a. Being a servant is better than being a master. (John 13:16,17)

As you honor God, God will honor you. Sometimes opportunities arise to further our influence. One such opportunity was to write articles for our local newspaper. Sometimes I would show up at the tennis court to play, and was able to befriend our mayor. At Christmas time, we had the largest community gathering of the year show up for the annual parade. We would make up special tracts to give out at this occasion.

Our church building was located across the street from our High School ball fields. One time before the game, we grilled hot dogs to give away with gospel tracts that had the football schedule on the back. Don’t be afraid of novel opportunities God gives you to get the Gospel out!

b. It’s more fun to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)

We had a missionary that we supported whose minivan caught on fire while traveling. Our family had recently purchased a used van with our tax return. When we heard about this need, we felt led to give them our van. They wanted to be a blessing in return, and built an addition to our trailer that we lived in! Later that year, we were given a newer minivan by an older gentleman who attended our weekly meetings at the assisted living facility. You cannot out-give God!

c. Contentment is found in Christ, not possessions. (I Timothy 6:6)

Although we did not have much financially while we served in Lake Placid, we grew in our dependence on Christ. Seeing the Lord provide in unusual ways greatly prepared us for foreign missions. My wife began learning about coupons and saved literally thousands of dollars! She began teaching workshops to help others. One day while at the grocery store, a man in line behind her offered to buy her a laptop if she would teach his wife and daughters how to use coupons in return. Indeed, he fulfilled his promise! God knows every need. Be content with Him, and He will never fail you.

4. Work at making your secret life strong in the Lord.

Matthew 6:6 – But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Your secret life will lead to your success or failure. You must have a strong devotional life and healthy marriage if you expect to have a happy church ministry. I could not consider my ministry a success if I had a failed marriage. We must guard our hearts, for Satan’s attacks are relentless and continual.

I am grateful for the patience of the church family while I grew with them in the work. Although I did not know everything and had so much to learn, we moved forward together. I have learned that God uses clean and available vessels, not always the smartest and most talented. In fact, many more able servants have lost their ministries because of a damaged reputation because of their failures and sin. I desire to always keep eligible for whatever God may lead me to do. Remember, you can always grow in your ability with experience, but your reputation cannot be replaced. Your success in public depends on your purity in private.

Read more about our love story here.

3. Don’t compare yourself with others.

II Corinthians 10:12 – For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

You and your ministry will be unique – from your style of preaching, your experiences, the field of service (it’s history and culture), and the burden and vision God has given you. Be obedient to what God has led you to do. Keep your eyes on Jesus and your hands on the plow.

I have always been convinced that people who are involved are happier and love their church more. Instead of complaining about what you don’t have and the abilities that others lack, put to use those who are present. A child can help take up the offering, a teenager can sing or lead songs, and even help teach the children. When we first arrived in Lake Placid, I had to play guitar to accompany the singing. My wife knew a few chords and played some of the same songs service after service. But she would learn some new chords, and we would be able to add to our list that we could sing with her accompaniment. The joy of training others to teach and serve and watching their growth has always been greater than the pleasure of doing the job myself.

2. You can only please God by faith.

Hebrews 11:6 – But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Take the first step to accomplishing a task and trust God to provide. William Carey said “Attempt great things for God, expect great things from God.” Do what you know is right and God will provide the way and means to accomplish what he has put in your heart and hand to do. We cannot see or plan for what remains unknown to us. That is why we must trust God and let Him have his way in our life and ministry. Just do what He has given you to do today!

No great work of God goes uncontested by the Devil.

One summer we had a particularly challenging evening during our Vacation Bible School. During our singing time, a mother barged into the room and grabbed her young child that we brought in on the church van. We had somehow brought him without her knowledge and permission, and she let me know how upset she was in front of everyone! During the snack time, some kids were goofing off and broke a window. But with all the difficulties that night, God moved in a special way, and we saw some precious souls saved after presenting the gospel. An important lesson I learned in the pastorate was that no great work of God goes uncontested by the Devil.

1. Don’t lose your joy in following Jesus.

Psalm 16:11 – Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

We are commanded to rejoice in the Lord always. There is never a good reason to not be happy in the Lord. Our first month in the pastorate was the hardest. Some people who voted us in, never returned. Others had been planning to leave anyway, while others got offended by my preaching and left. (Go figure!) It was a Wednesday evening when the treasurer approached me after the service. His family had also decided to attend another church closer to them and he gave my wife and I a crash course on the finances. After they left, my wife and I, along with our newborn son, went to the altar and cried and prayed together. It was hard to understand why the Lord would bring us, only to see others leave us.

Out of nowhere, our 3 week-old son began to giggle. He had never done that before! It was actually quite humorous! The verse in Nehemiah 8:10 came to mind “…the joy of the LORD is your strength.” That was encouraging. While thinking on that, my son Paul again started laughing for no reason! I remembered the verse from Psalm 16:11 which says “…in his presence is fullness of joy…” How uplifting it was to know that joy comes from God, not people. Sure enough Paul giggled a third time, which caused me to think about another verse in the Bible about joy. Philippians 4:4 came to mind: “Rejoice in the LORD alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” How could I remain discouraged? Because of the Lord’s presence and goodness, I will always have something to rejoice about.

Conclusion: Serving the Lord is the greatest thing you can do in life! One of my favorite verses is Psalm 100:2a “Serve the LORD with gladness.” When you do everything unto the Lord, and not unto men, you can endure hardness, rejection, and setbacks. But never forget that it is not just what you do, but how you do it. So serve the Lord today, but do it with gladness!

Luke Knickerbocker and his wife Jamie have five children and serve at Southside Baptist Academy in Tampa, Florida. They are active in their church and have a passion for missions and preparing the next generation of servants for Christ. You may learn more about them here.