We’re Broken and That’s Ok

I am one of those reluctant pastors. I felt God called me to ministry back when I was 18 and I have wrestled with that call every day since. You would think after numerous confirmations and people telling me how gifted I was at ministry I would be more secure. So what is it that makes me feel unqualified? A lack of education? Nope, I have a Masters Degree in Ministry. A lack of experience? No, I have been at it for nearly two decades now. The issue that holds me back is feeling unqualified, unworthy, too sinful to be someone who stands up and tries and instructs others on how to lead their spiritual lives.


Who am I to pastor people when I myself am so broken? Whether you are a ministry volunteer or a pastor I bet you can relate to feeling: “not good enough” at times.

But on the other hand, I have had profound moments pastoring people when I became vulnerable and shared something that I struggle with. This gave them instant permission to open up and trust me. I wonder how many more pastors there would be in our world if people knew they could be imperfect and still be used by God.

I loved an article on Pastors.com titled: “Your Pastor is Broken and That’s Ok.” Here’s a quote from that:

On this side of eternity, the reality we don’t like to admit, but must, is that we all fall short of perfection.

We say things that hurt.

We do things that offend.

We think things we don’t want to think.

We go places in our hearts that are dark and terribly inconsistent with who we are in Christ.


How can you use your weaknesses, your insecurity to draw people towards God today? I am convinced the more our churches feel like hospitals caring for the spiritually sick the quicker they will grow.


Here are a few suggestions for ministering to the broken that walk into your church doors each week:

Work hard to have many different types of people on your greeting team as people naturally connect more with people like them.

Consider training your greeters on having a positive demeanor: smiling a lot and always talking about positive things: so happy to see you, your dress looks nice vs. this is terrible weather isn’t it?

Have gifted people who are ready to deal with people coming in with raw emotions. Maybe they are experiencing grief or something in the service hit them emotionally. Giving them someone who’s been there to minister to them is powerful and will keep them coming back long into the future.

 I encourage you to check out the entire post HERE.