Former pastors reveal ministry glances that could prevent some pastors from leaving the ministry and keep others from needless suffering.
By Aaron Earls
Very few pastors leave the ministry each year, but some do. Others, meanwhile, toil through difficult seasons, contemplate quitting, but ultimately choose to persevere.
When Lifeway Research interviewed former pastors, those who previously stood behind the pulpit revealed what made them step away but also what could’ve kept them in place. Those former pastors were asked an open-ended question: “What advice do you have for current pastors to help them thrive in ministry?”
Only 2% of former pastors advised current pastors to leave the ministry. Most want current pastors to stand firm and continue serving in the church.
Their encouragement can be summed up in nine directions pastors serving now should be looking. Some glances may lead to sin, but these glances could save your ministry.
1. Look around
When you look around you right now, who’s closest to you? Former pastors tell current pastors to prioritize their marriages and families (20%). Additionally, 8% say pastors should surround themselves with trustworthy people and friends.
The ministry can overwhelm all your time. Two in 3 current pastors (67%) feel they must be “on-call” 24 hours a day. To maintain a healthy ministry that lasts, pastors must spend time with the people who care most about them.
Pastors caring for their families and spending time with their friends are not shortchanging the church. Those activities enable the pastor to better serve the church.
2. Look up
No one can be an effective pastor if they aren’t constantly looking to God. Some variation on this idea came up repeatedly among former pastors in their advice: spend time with God and read His word (16%), pray (9%), put God first (8%), and focus on obedience (1%).
If pastors want to remain in the ministry, they must stay connected to the source and purpose of the ministry.
3. Look back
In Luke 9:62, Jesus says no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. Pastors shouldn’t look back to think of what they’ve left behind as they’ve served in the ministry, but they can look back to when God called them. Scripture is full of God’s challenge to His people to remember what He’s said and done.
Many former pastors say current pastors should trust God and remember their calling (14%). Some just want to exhort those in the ministry now to not give up and to remain strong (2%). Thinking back to when a pastor first felt God’s call on their life can help them continue to live out that calling.
4. Look in
For some former pastors, the best advice they could give was to encourage pastors to care for themselves (7%) or, specifically, to meet with a counselor (4%). Current pastors need to look inside themselves to make sure they stay in a position to serve others as best they can.
In a context where sacrificial leadership is considered the goal, many pastors can wrongly assume that all self-care is negative. But an emotionally unhealthy pastor will not be able to lead their congregation as well as they should.
5. Look beside
One of the ways pastors may care for themselves is by seeking to find people who can stand beside them through the tough seasons. Several former pastors recommend current pastors meet with a mentor (7%) or connect with other pastors (6%). For some, the encouragement is simply to not go it alone (4%).
Do you have trustworthy people around you, particularly some who know the inherent difficulties of ministry, with whom you can honestly share your concerns? If not, find them.
6. Look down
Pastor, as you look down at your feet, are they always moving? Do they ever stop to rest? Everyone needs rest. Jesus needed rest. God modeled rest for us in creation.
Some former pastors say the best way to permanently stay in the ministry is to temporarily step away from it. Almost 1 in 10 (8%) said current pastors should keep a Sabbath day or take a sabbatical and/or a vacation (8%).
Pastors can demonstrate their trust in God by taking a break from their work or stepping away for a week or longer. Congregations will show their dependence on God by allowing their pastor time away. This can be particularly challenging for some pastors, but every pastor needs it.
7. Look out
Despite all the precautions a pastor may take, they will face hardships in ministry. Most often, those hardships will come from the people they’re trying to serve. People are broken, and broken things cut.
With that in mind, former pastors want current pastors to be ready. Several pieces of advice address some of those landmines: set boundaries (3%), learn how to deal with conflict (3%), take caution with the denomination (3%), and listen to and communicate with the congregation (3%).
8. Look through
Even as pastors are cautious, they still must look through the problems to the heart of the people they’re trying to serve and to the character they hope to display. It’s not enough to simply blame everyone else.
Former pastors say current pastors should love God and love others (8%). With that, pastors need to develop several personal characteristics that enable them to display love to those in their congregations, according to former pastors: patience (3%), honesty (2%), and humility (1%).
9. Look forward
As much as we want every pastor to stay in ministry as long as God calls them to be there, a day will come when they will need to step down from the pulpit. Current pastors need to look forward and prepare themselves and their congregations for that day.
For themselves, former pastors say pastors today should think about financial planning (2%). Have plans that will enable you to thrive in retirement as well as active ministry.
For the congregation, develop leaders (3%). This will benefit both the current pastor and any future pastor. A congregation will be healthier if its pastors work to develop leaders during their time behind the pulpit.
For additional research and insights on pastor wellness, download Beyond the Pulpit: Keys for Resilient Ministry Leadership from Lifeway Research.
Originally posted at Lifeway Research
Reposted by permission