10 Really Smart Things I Did as a Young Pastor

Yesterday, I posted about really dumb things I did as a young pastor. Today, I’ve tried to come up with really smart things I did, and here’s what I’ve learned: any smart thing I did happened completely and only because of the grace of God. I simply wasn’t smart enough to do smart things. So, here are 10 really smart things God allowed me to do:

1. I learned to tell people about Jesus. In fact, that was much of my ministry. I didn’t have all the strategies or methods, but I could – and did – tell people about what Jesus meant in my life. God honored those efforts to magnify His name.
2. I realized people wanted to hear the Word. The folks in that small country church in southwestern Ohio wanted “preachin.” They wanted to know what the Bible said, even if they weren’t always ready to follow it.
3. I started contributing to retirement immediately. The dollars weren’t many then, but they’ve added up over the years. I’m grateful to God and to a Director of Missions for his advice.
4. I finished my undergraduate degree. I was tempted after I started pastoring full-time not to worry about school, but church members pushed me to continue. How thankful I am for them today!
5. I worked hard. Sometimes I worked too much, but I was never ashamed to take my paycheck. I had no one who held me accountable for my day as a single staff member, but I seldom slacked in my work.
6. I got involved in my denomination. To be honest, I probably thought I had to get involved back then simply because I didn’t know better – but I’m glad I did. My love for my denomination thus began more than 35 years ago.
7. I tithed on week one. As I recall, the paycheck was $45.00. I gave $5.00, so I actually gave both my tithe and an offering! God has never let me down since then.
8. I accepted God’s calling. I was just 20 years old, and I had not finished my undergraduate degree when I first began pastoring. I was single. My hair was shoulder length. I hardly fit anyone’s mold as a pastor. I knew, though, that God had called me.
9. I learned my context. Had you told me that I would one day wear overalls and a cowboy hat to celebrate “homecoming” with my church, I would not have believed you. It was the right move for a pastor of that church, though. I pastored people, and I needed to know them.  
10. I pushed my church to give at least 10% of our offerings to others. In my denomination, that meant we gave to the Southern Baptist Convention's Cooperative Program. From the beginning, that little church decided that we wanted to at least a tithe to support work beyond our city.

Pastors, what smart things did God help you do as a young pastor?