My union with him is the most important and meaningful thing about me. Keeping this as our source of identity is essential. Don’t believe me？ Just talk to a man who’s had to step out of ministry. Maybe a church can’t afford to keep him. Perhaps his health is an issue. Or maybe he’s under discipline. It doesn’t matter. A man finds out where he truly locates his identity when he can no longer do the ministry he felt called to do. As we used to say on our pastoral team, we live with our resignation letters on our desks.
