Rev. Bill Crawford

How do you use that to engage the community instead of trying to pull some kind of program out of thin air and pay for it to happen? It's already there. You just have to discover it. I like that.

How do you use that to engage the community instead of trying to pull some kind of program out of thin air and pay for it to happen? It's already there. You just have to discover it. I like that.

Yeah, well, um, I'm not going to demean that because it can be hard and it may have nothing to do with your love for the people, uh, relationships in that congregation and maybe any number of other things. Um, I would encourage you to pray very hard about it. Um,

Yeah, well, um, I'm not going to demean that because it can be hard and it may have nothing to do with your love for the people, uh, relationships in that congregation and maybe any number of other things. Um, I would encourage you to pray very hard about it. Um,

check your own self check what you can control have you done anything wrong do you need to unwind some things do you need to unpack some past wrongs maybe you've been there a while and you've built yourself into a situation but then you need to really do some self-evaluation am i am i in the right place am i called here

check your own self check what you can control have you done anything wrong do you need to unwind some things do you need to unpack some past wrongs maybe you've been there a while and you've built yourself into a situation but then you need to really do some self-evaluation am i am i in the right place am i called here

um and if you are in the right place then you need to do whatever it takes um and that's that sounds trite but um you know there there are times where it gets hard and it's often more about you than it is about the circumstance um and so you have to pray through those times i think um

um and if you are in the right place then you need to do whatever it takes um and that's that sounds trite but um you know there there are times where it gets hard and it's often more about you than it is about the circumstance um and so you have to pray through those times i think um

having an accountability partner, having a mentor that you can pick up the phone and call and talk to about what's going on. In my case, I'm very fortunate. I have very good relationships with the eldership and can call them and talk to them.

having an accountability partner, having a mentor that you can pick up the phone and call and talk to about what's going on. In my case, I'm very fortunate. I have very good relationships with the eldership and can call them and talk to them.

I have several of them that I'll just go and visit with them and just talk things through, not in a trying to sort out the problem way, but like, this is what I'm struggling with. What do you think about that? And so I think a lot of our struggle is that we tend to be kind of cloistered in our office dreaming about where the church can go, and we're missing what's there.

I have several of them that I'll just go and visit with them and just talk things through, not in a trying to sort out the problem way, but like, this is what I'm struggling with. What do you think about that? And so I think a lot of our struggle is that we tend to be kind of cloistered in our office dreaming about where the church can go, and we're missing what's there.

But again, Brandon, that situational awareness. So again, back to our original conversation, we're closing 100 churches a week in America. Small churches in particular are not paying their bills. They're underpaid, underutilized. Even if they are paid correctly and people love them, there's not enough work. And so they don't feel satisfied that they're even earning what they're getting.

But again, Brandon, that situational awareness. So again, back to our original conversation, we're closing 100 churches a week in America. Small churches in particular are not paying their bills. They're underpaid, underutilized. Even if they are paid correctly and people love them, there's not enough work. And so they don't feel satisfied that they're even earning what they're getting.

There's all kinds of complexity to those emotions. And I can't answer for all of that. It's a hard season to be a small church pastor. There's no question about it. So it's back to the statement, how do you grow a church? You do the old things, whether they work or not, because you're supposed to do them. You need to pray. Yeah. You need to reflect and meditate on the word.

There's all kinds of complexity to those emotions. And I can't answer for all of that. It's a hard season to be a small church pastor. There's no question about it. So it's back to the statement, how do you grow a church? You do the old things, whether they work or not, because you're supposed to do them. You need to pray. Yeah. You need to reflect and meditate on the word.

You need to think about what God's called you to and why. And then you need to assess, are you doing that? And really those are the things you have to do. And sometimes it'll take years to get through it. And maybe you don't, maybe you have to leave that church and that's very painful. And maybe you don't know what the next step is and that's very painful, but

You need to think about what God's called you to and why. And then you need to assess, are you doing that? And really those are the things you have to do. And sometimes it'll take years to get through it. And maybe you don't, maybe you have to leave that church and that's very painful. And maybe you don't know what the next step is and that's very painful, but

I think if you keep praying and if you keep choosing faithfulness, then that's what really ultimately matters.

I think if you keep praying and if you keep choosing faithfulness, then that's what really ultimately matters.