Epic Fail

I love the fact that there is a conference called Epic Fail Pastor's Conference.  I am tempted to go to it.

This gets me thinking about how pastors are loathe to admit failure.  We don't like to look like a complete ass in front of others.  We feel that we always have to have an answer to life's questions. And we don't ever tell people when we come up short. But the fact is we are human and more than likely we will fail at something.  We won't always have answers to the big questions in life. As a pastor, I've had more than my share of failures.  As a pastor with autism, I tend to come across at times like a bull in a china shop.  I know that I have burned bridges way too often. I'm not ashamed to admit that I have failed and screwed up.  This isn't to say that I am lazy or just want to do a poor job in ministry.  It is saying that I am not perfect and most people who know me know I have some rough edges to deal with. But the thing that is amazing is that even with all my shortcomings, God still uses me to do God's work.  God isn't finished with me.

So, it's okay to fail at planting a church.  I failed, but I learned more than I would if I was perfect. And it's okay to be a less-than-perfect pastor.  Just shows how God really works through me to do some wonderful things.

 Update: Rachel Held Evans reminds me that I'm not the only one that didn't do so well at church planting.