A number of years ago, I sat in an Applebee’s with a fellow minister in our area. It was a typical pastor-lunch, share what’s going on kind of thing. Both of us were considered “up and comers.” We were close in age and even among well-meaning men who love the Lord, competition can crop up subtly. His preaching/teaching gifts were ahead of my own, but our church was growing faster than theirs. All of this was just enough pomp and circumstance to play with the heads of two young guys who, while we loved the Lord, coveted a bit of God’s blessing shown to one another. In hindsight, we were playing with fire when we envied one another. It wasn’t the kind of pastoral envy that burns inside. It was the seasonal variety, the kind we feel when a classmate or teammate beats us out by a nose for something. It always made our interactions slightly awkward. This day was no different.
How to Kill Pastoral Envy
And then, he took the initiative I lacked the courage to take at the time—and confessed his envy of our church and the difficulty their church had growing in comparison to ours. All of this was so humbling—especially given my own envy of him. I then did the same with regards to his preaching/teaching gifts. It changed things not only between us, but I believe it changed our ministries for the better. Why? Because it broke the back of pastoral envy in our ministries.
Satan hated that lunch. He loves jealousy and hates humility. He loathes confession but cheers for pride.
