Pastors often make the mistake of romanticizing their first parish. Nothing ever again matches the depth of faith encountered, nor the affirmation of pastoral effort as happens in the first parish. That is if it was a good experience. If it wasn’t, the pastor is apt to drop out of parish ministry within the first five years of ordination, or take another call and repeat the same bad experience. Some pastors–sorry to say it–may have twenty years of ministry under their belt when, in fact, what they have had is the same bad experience twenty times. A fellow I know (I’m part of his e-mail support group) is always on the edge of being dismissed, and he is in his fourth parish. Pastors who can escape the parish do.
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