4 | February 2026
President’s Pen Put Things in Order and Don’t Give Up!
The job of a pastor is both a privilege and a challenge. In Titus 1:5, Paul writes to Titus, giving him instructions for his ministry in Crete. “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.” 1 Titus is there to put things into order, to set them straight, to set things right. It implies that something is out of order, broken. Like a broken bone that needs to be reset, Titus is to put the church in order in Crete. This is to be done in love and care for the church. The church in Crete is just like our churches today. It’s not always very interested in being put in order. We are comfortable with the way things are, and many churches would rather be comfortable and have their preferences met than be put in order. The task of the pastor is then a difficult one. Calling the church to be Christ-centered, gospel-preaching, and submitted to the Lordship of Christ isn’t always a popular message. We would expect that this message would be rejected with anger by the world, but far too often it is rejected with anger by church people. As pastors, we have to decide whether we will be faithful and loving to put in order what needs to be put in order, or whether we will meet the desires of consumeristic churchgoers. Being a pastor is a difficult calling. You will lose friends. You will be called names. You will be slandered, lied about, and maligned. I know, super encouraging President’s Pen this month, but here’s the encouragement. If God called Paul and Titus to put things into order, then it must be an important job and one that God is fully behind. So yes, maybe this week has been tough. It feels like your ministry is going backwards, not forwards. But putting things into order is a painful process; don’t give up. Don’t throw in the towel. Christ loves the church and gave Himself for it, which means He is far more concerned about its health and purity than even you are. His orders are clear, so obey and let him handle the rest. He is our defender, our refuge, and honestly, the only one whose approval really matters. Commit to making him happy, even if that means not everyone else is.
In Christ, Dave Welsch SCBO President
1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Tt 1:5.
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