You may think I am a bad parent for admitting this, but I have only attended a few of my children’s parent/teacher conferences. It is true, I usually attend a conference at the same time the parent/teachers conferences are usually scheduled so I am away from home or traveling.

This year I decided to skip the conference and was able to go for only the second time to a parent/teacher conference.

We were about three minutes into the conference and I found myself deeply offended at how the meeting had started off. I was saying to myself, “I can’t believe this teacher of my child…they did not start this meeting off with prayer!” Then it hit me, “Duh! This is a public school…of course they are not going to open in prayer.”

Later, after that odd thirty second disconnect from reality, I got to thinking about how isolated I am as a pastor to how the rest of my community lives. I play softball in a city league…with church people. I am out at activities all the time…with church people. I have a full social calendar…with church people. At the gym every morning I talk to a friend…a pastor at another church in town.  Every game, meeting, and activity at least has an implied Christian presence.

It struck me how much more effective I could be as a pastor if I were to mix and mingle a little more in the world that non-pastors operate in. I can read a book about the mindset of non-Christians, but I could probably learn a whole lot more by actually being with people outside of my church. I decided I need to do somethings to combat my pastoral isolation.

So I did. The next week I decided to start volunteering in my kids school.  We will see how it goes, but I trust that this will open my eyes and make me a better pastor. And you know what, the school can use the help.

I volunteer on Thursday mornings…during my work week. I don’t feel as if I am cheating my church being there one hour during my work week. It is making me a better pastor. That is just as beneficial as reading a book.  If we want to be more credible to our church and community, we need to be outside the walls of our church more.

What do you do to combat pastoral isolation?  What do you need to do?

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