Rewriting the Pastoral Story: Narrative Practice for When Your Calling No Longer Fits
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.
Then the word of the Lord came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? says the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. Jeremiah 18:1-6
You followed a call into ministry shaped by images of shepherding, teaching, healing, and guiding a community into deeper love of God and neighbor. But somewhere along the way, the story shifted. The role hardened. Expectations narrowed. The congregation—often unintentionally—began to define the pastor as manager, fixer, appeaser, or performer. And now you feel stress, apprehension, even fear. The story you are living is not the story you long to live.
Some understandings of the Narrative Therapy modality offer pastors a way forward—not by abandoning your story, but by reclaiming authorship within it.
At its core, narrative practice begins with a simple but profound conviction, “You are not the problem. The problem is the problem.”
For pastors, this is liberating. Because the tension you feel is not necessarily a failure of your calling or your character. It may be the result of dominant church narratives that have taken hold:
“A good pastor keeps everyone happy.”“A faithful pastor avoids conflict.”“A successful pastor grows the church at all costs.”“A pastor must sacrifice themselves to meet every need.”
These narratives are powerful because they are often reinforced by congregational culture, denominational expectations, and even internalized theology. Narrative practice invites you to step back and ask:
* Where did this story come from?
* Who benefits from this version of the story?
* Does this story align with my deeper sense of calling?
* Where is God’s larger story pressing against this one?
Because there is always a larger story.
For those in ministry, narrative practice does not stand alone—it is held within a deeper, sacred narrative. The Christian story is not primarily about conformity to roles. It is about transformation, liberation, and the continual re-authoring of life through grace.
The familiar Old Testament passage in Jeremiah 18:1-6 is the perfect metaphor:
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.Then the word of the Lord came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? says the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
Again and again, scripture shows us that God disrupts narrow, suffocating narratives and invites people into something truer, freer, and more life-giving.
One story, in particular, speaks powerfully to pastors caught in role-based tension.
There is this story in Luke 4:16-30 when Jesus refuses the script in Nazareth. Jesus returns to his hometown synagogue in Nazareth. The people know him. They have expectations of him. They already have a story about who he is and what he should be.
He reads from the scroll of Isaiah:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor… to proclaim release to the captives… to let the oppressed go free…”
And then he says something astonishing:
“Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
At first, the people are pleased. This fits their preferred narrative—a hometown success, a familiar figure affirming their place in God’s story. But then Jesus does something pastors know all too well. He refuses to play the role they have written for him. He reminds them that God’s grace has always extended beyond insider boundaries—to widows in Sidon and lepers in Syria. In other words, God is not contained by your expectations. And neither am I.
The reaction is swift and violent. The congregation turns on him. They drive him out. They attempt to throw him off a cliff. And yet— he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.
This is not just a story about Jesus. It is a story that can help pastors reframe and reauthor their own story because many pastors find themselves in Nazareth. You are known—but narrowly defined. You are appreciated as long as you conform. You are supported until you disrupt the story others need you to tell.
Narrative practice invites you to ask:
*What expectations are being placed on me that are not mine to carry?
* Where am I being asked to betray my deeper calling?
* What would it mean to “pass through the midst” of these expectations—not in anger, but in clarity?
Jesus does not lash out. He does not argue them into submission. He simply rejects the false narrative and continues with the true one.
One of the most helpful moves in narrative therapy is to “externalize the problem.” Instead of saying, “I am failing as a pastor,” you begin to say, “The expectation of perfection is pressing in on my ministry.” Instead of, “I’m not strong enough to lead,” you say, “The narrative of control is overshadowing my calling to shepherd.”
This shift is transformative because once the problem is outside of you, you can engage it, name it, challenge it, refuse it, and replace it.
Every pastor already carries a “preferred narrative”—a deeper sense of calling shaped by the Spirit. Narrative practice helps you rediscover it by asking:
When have I felt most aligned with my calling?
What moments in ministry felt deeply true and life-giving?
Where have I seen God at work in ways that surprised me?
These are not small moments. They are windows into your true story. And they often point toward a pastoral identity that looks more like Jesus in Nazareth than a compliant religious Pharisee.
The goal is not rebellion for its own sake. Nor is it rigid independence. The goal is “integration”—bringing your lived story into alignment with
*Your authentic sense of calling.
*The life-giving movement of the Spirit
*The larger Christian story of liberation, grace, and truth
This may lead to difficult conversations. It may lead to conflict. It may even lead to a transition. But it will also lead to “freedom,” because the Christian meta-narrative does not trap us in roles. It continually invites us to become more fully alive.
If your current ministry story feels constricting, you are not alone—and you are not without resources. Narrative practice reminds us:
* We are more than the role others assign us
* We are not defined by the problems we face
* We are capable of re-authoring our story with God’s help
And the Gospel reminds us of something even deeper: “God is already at work, inviting you into a story that is truer than the one you’ve been handed”. Like Jesus in Nazareth, you may need to walk through expectations that no longer fit. Not to abandon your calling, but to reclaim it. And in doing so, you may discover that the most faithful pastoral story you can tell…is the one you have the courage to rewrite.
