My first few years in the ministry have been quite the ride, with plenty of twists and turns along the way. Before working in the Dakotas, I had the opportunity to practice preaching during college and was then blessed to go on an internship as a youth pastor for a year and a half. While these were amazing learning opportunities, I still felt extremely nervous about entering the pastoring world. The thing that made me most nervous was trying to visualize how I would come up with material each week to preach on! Little did I know that sermon preparation was not the type of training God had in store for me at my first district.
I was hired by the Dakota Conference in July 2020 to serve in the Black Hills District alongside Pastor Darren Purdy. This district included the Rapid City, Hermosa, and Spearfish churches. Thankfully all the churches welcomed me with open arms…or should I say open doors? Open-air hugs? It was 2020, so right in the thick of Covid shutdowns. If pastoring churches during 2020 taught me anything, it’s that we Christians can be a little hard to work with when under stress. I thought the people part was going to be the easy part of the ministry! Thankfully, through all my experiences there, I had good people to work with as well as a seasoned mentor pastor. It was also nice that the conference would hold training for the new pastors every couple of months!
Time management also became a large subject for learning. For two years, my mentor and I juggled three churches—including their services, week-day meetings, Bible studies and visitations. It makes me look back on the story of single pastors managing districts of four or more churches and realize that God really can do anything through us! Somehow God gets us to where He wants us exactly when we need to be there.
I would definitely say that conflict was, and honestly still is, the most difficult aspect of pastoral ministry. Church conflict can be one of the most tiring facets of ministry, and it can become quickly demoralizing. However, through the long nights and shed tears, God showed me the value of people. The beautiful truth that became real for me in those moments is that Jesus died for all of us, regardless of whether we are easy or hard to work with. Do not misunderstand me; God calls us to live lives of joy, peace and kindness, but our mission is to share that joy, peace and kindness with those who are hard to work with. This fact didn’t solve all my problems or make ministry easy, but it did clarify the purpose. We are here to serve everyone!
Last August, I moved to the Bismarck/DAA church district and began working with a new mentor, Pastor Vernon Herholdt. During this time, I have been able to utilize what I’ve learned and deepen my understanding of pastoral duties as well as the power of an intentional visitation ministry. Conflicts will always come and go, and our day will never have enough time for us to get everything done, but ministry goes on.
I’m happy to have officially started my pastoral ministry here in the Dakotas, and I’m looking forward to learning so much more as I continue to see what amazing things God does through these churches!
Marveen Gentillon is the associate pastor of the Bismarck / Dakota Adventist Academy church district in North Dakota.
