Anonymous Letter from a Female Youth Worker

I have been with my church for 10 years. I can’t help but feel like I’ve not done a good job, nor does anyone want to “thank” me. Again, I don’t (well, maybe I do!) expect any “goods or services” from people, but when you find yourself in dozens of various conversations with youth pastors about “anonymous gifts” left on desks, delivered to houses, beach houses “donated for the week for a family vacation”, over and over again…I have to feel like I’ve done something extremely wrong. I do receive wonderful, heart-felt notes of encouragement from parents, which I not only LOVE, I save. But, I’m just (very quietly-I’ve never shared this with anyone) curious as to why I’m not “praised” for the timeless amounts I put into my job?Read the rest

When I read stories like this I wonder how the church processes James 1:1-13? It makes me wonder what type of leadership environment allows one minister to receive no praise while showering praise on another based purely on gender?Bigger than that it makes me think about accepting perks as a staff member. For instance, is it appropriate for a senior minister to accept a cash gift (or use of vacation property) while the other ministers on the team don't? Wouldn't a Christ-like attitude be that the least resourced staff members should get dibs on the perks afforded to the ministry? Is it the churches responsibility to see to it that all staff members are treated equally or is equal opportunity employment not a reasonable expectation?If you were an elder at this woman's church how would you correct the congregation? ht to Tony Jones