This past Sunday was a classic example of the value of being a long-term pastor -- as reflected in three visitors who attended for the first time.
The first was a couple whom I had first met over 25 years ago when we moved to town. They were interning at another church in town at the time and then moved away. But when they returned to town recently they decided to follow-up on our old relationship.
A second visitor was a gentleman (and his wife) whom I had visited in the hospital 15 years ago after he had suffered a stroke. He was not a member of our church, but I had met him through one of our members and stopped in to see him. Despite the fact that he recovered from his stroke so many years ago, he has never forgotten my visit! The couple lives an hour north and are active in a church near their home but drove down Sunday just to see me and thank me again for that simple act of pastoral care so long ago.
A third visitor was a young woman who had been employed at another church in town. A year or two ago she wrote me a very kind but rather critical letter about an article that had been published in the local paper about our youth ministry. The article implied that we were calling our youth ministry the largest in town, and her letter questioned whether that statement was true and whether such a claim truly mattered anyway. Rather than be defensive about it, I paid her a brief visit in which I apologized for any misunderstanding and assurred her that the statement was made by the reporter and not by any of our staff.
So imagine my surprise to see her in our worship service Sunday. Afterward she told me that she had been released from her job with the other church, so she and her husband were looking for a new church home.
Having a long-term relationship with your church also means that you gain a long-term relationship with your community. The "payoff" for these relationships is not always (or often) immediate, but it's gratifying when it comes!
