Pastors in their congregations don't always have the serene relationship that many people on the outside might think.

Today, on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindall gets candid about the real struggles ministers face. In this message, Chuck highlights five concerns that plague every pastor.

Whether it's short-term commitments, lingering unresolved conflicts,

insufficient time with God, or dangerous theological drifts,

there's a lot that can pull a church body apart.

So Chuck turns to Second Thessalonians to

show us what holds pastors and flocks together. This is message number six in an eight-part

series called Steadfast Christianity. Pastors have been compared to shepherds since the beginning of the church.

The Apostle Peter encouraged the church elders to shepherd the flock of God among you.

The word pastor itself comes from a Latin word that means herdsman.

Just as shepherds guide and tenderly care for their flocks, so pastors lead and serve

and care for the needs of their congregation.

However, relationships between pastors and flocks are not always as serene as the pastoral image might imply.

Sheep sometimes stray and sometimes bleat behind the shepherd's back.

Pastors sometimes fight with the sheep and sometimes flee altogether.

Often fed up with the flock and in search of greener pastures,

pastors vacate pulpits on an average of once every three years.

Think of that.

One or two sheep with a little goat in them can butt heads often enough with the pastor

to make his ministry miserable.

The lingering unresolved personality conflicts can drain both his emotions and his energy.

Sometimes, too, the sheep can crowd the shepherd to such an extent that his personal time

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