It s good to be honest about your doubts, but the goal is to reach a new understanding that helps you to view the pressures of the ministry in a more constructive manner. I always felt loved, supported and cherished. I always was listened to, and my problems got careful attention. The church took too much of my parents time, but that is a rather generic complaint in most professional families. I wouldn t want to do it over any other way.
T o have such conversations requires both openness and time, but the investment is worth it.
How we interpret what happens to us is an important part of coping, and our responsibility as parents is to help our children understand. Taking the time to listen to the children helps them to deal more positively with the stresses of ministry life, because the whole family can learn what it really means to be a family in ministry. These quotes are from college-age and adult ministers children. This article appeared in Pastor's Family magazine. Copyright 1998 Cameron Lee.