How to Endure Suffering in Ministry

“The Lord is so faithful to straighten things out, if we’ll give him time. We usually panic and give in to our own impatience five minutes before the Lord was going to step in. We just need to wait longer.” — Ray Ortlund

Date: October 16, 2018

Advertise on TGC

Event: TGC 2018 West Coast Conference in Orange County, California

Related:

With Great Power Comes Great . . . Temptation (Russell Moore, Sam Allberry, Vermon Pierre)
Tim Keller on the 3 Dangers for Anyone in Ministry
What I Wasn’t Ready for in Pastoral Ministry (Ray Ortlund)

Find more audio and video from the TGC West conference on the conference media page.

Free eBook by Tim Keller: ‘The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness’

Imagine a life where you don’t feel inadequate, easily offended, desperate to prove yourself, or endlessly preoccupied with how you look to others. Imagine relishing, not resenting, the success of others. Living this way isn’t far-fetched. It’s actually guaranteed to believers, as they learn to receive God’s approval, rather than striving to earn it.

In Tim Keller’s short ebook, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness: The Path To True Christian Joy, he explains how to overcome the toxic tendencies of our age一not by diluting biblical truth or denying our differences一but by rooting our identity in Christ.

TGC is offering this Keller resource for free, so you can discover the “blessed rest” that only self-forgetfulness brings.

Get access to your FREE ebook »

Kevin DeYoung (PhD, University of Leicester) is senior pastor of Christ Covenant Church (PCA) in Matthews, North Carolina, and associate professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary (Charlotte). He is the author of more than 25 books and a popular columnist, blogger, and podcaster. Kevin’s work can be found on clearlyreformed.org. Kevin and his wife, Trisha, have nine children.

Collin Hansen serves as vice president for content and editor in chief of The Gospel Coalition, as well as executive director of The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. He hosts the Gospelbound podcast, writes the weekly Unseen Things newsletter, and has written and contributed to many books, including Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation and Rediscover Church: Why the Body of Christ Is Essential. He has published with the New York Times and the Washington Post and offered commentary for CNN, Fox News, NPR, BBC, ABC News, and PBS NewsHour. He edited the forthcoming The Gospel After Christendom and The New City Catechism Devotional, among other books. He is an adjunct professor at Beeson Divinity School, where he also co-chairs the advisory board.

Ray Ortlund (ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary; MA, University of California, Berkeley; PhD, University of Aberdeen, Scotland) is president of Renewal Ministries and an Emeritus Council member of The Gospel Coalition. He founded Immanuel Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and now serves from Immanuel as pastor to pastors. Ray has authored a number of books, including The Gospel: How The Church Portrays The Beauty of Christ, Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel, and, with Sam Allberry, You’re Not Crazy: Gospel Sanity for Weary Churches. He and his wife, Jani, have four children.

Juan Sánchez (MDiv, ThM, PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) has served as the senior pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, since 2005. Juan serves as a Council member of The Gospel Coalition and is cofounder and president of Coalicion por el Evangelio. He is the author of numerous books, including 1 Peter for You, Seven Dangers Facing Your Church, and The Leadership Formula. He has been married to Jeanine since 1990, and they have five adult daughters.