The Christian Century

Larry wondered what Stan wanted to see him about. Stan was not the sort of parishioner who often asked for counsel or help with a problem.

I have pastored the same church for 18 years. That's not exactly a towering pinnacle, but it does provide some interesting views.

A few years ago I bought a book called The Managed Heart on the basis of the title alone. At the time I was deeper than a decade into full-time parish ministry, serving a congregation of some 400 souls in rural north Georgia. My heart was sore from overuse. I had what is sometimes called "compassion fatigue," and I was looking for anything that might help.

I am cherished, and called by the Shepherd to serve the flock. But I can save no one.

A pastor 30 years older than I was interviewing me for my first parish assignment. His final question unsettled me.

"It doesn't happen every day," says Kevin J. Long of Orchard Park Presbyterian Church in suburban Indianapolis. "But it is thrilling to see someone begin to grasp the good news of Jesus Christ."