Help Wanted

As we drove up to our church on Monday following the goodbye celebration planned for our pastor of eight years, The Kid asked if he could make a Help Wanted sign. I asked what he would like to do with such a sign; he replied, “Put it in the dirt by the church sign.” I asked why and he answered, “Cause we are going to need a new pastor.”

All this from the child who was too sad to write notes on Sunday morning (that excuse will only work once!) and who sniffled his way through the “farewell to our pastor” evening worship service.

The Kid is a clear reminder to me that so many of our kids have only had one pastor. For many, he is the one who led them to the Lord, knelt down to hug them as they stood in his presence with their parents, or even baptized them.

As the kids say good bye to a man they have sat under, learned from, and adored for the past eight years; they are also saying hello to uncertainty. Will a new pastor learn their name? Will he love them as much? Will he walk the journey with them in the same kind and patient way?

At this time, I am learning that it is so important that we do not make light of the questions and concerns of our children. We must treat each question and concern seriously. After answering, maybe we should complete the conversation with a prayer for the pastor, his family, and the new pastor yet to come.

This is also a great learning time for The Kid – a time to learn about how God calls men to follow Him obediently, a time to teach him to pray expectantly for what is next, a time to thank God for what has been and for what is yet to come, and a time to help him to focus on Jesus as the One he is to follow as opposed to a man.

The Kid in my house, like so many others, was the recipient of much love and encouragement from this pastor who always seemed genuinely interested in anything The Kid had to say. And now, like so many other kids, he is trying to figure out how he’s going to get along without his pastor-friend.

I am praying that the Lord seal in his heart the sweet memories of this special pastor and hold his hand and heart until he meets his next pastor-friend.