I’m a pastor, and I talk to a lot of pastors, and right now, pastoring is hard.
Pastoring has always been hard. Not harder than other jobs, but hard. Right now, pastors are navigating everything that everyone else is navigating: Covid, virtual school, conversations around race, the election, the potential loss of their job or taking a pay cut, and more.
The best word to describe leadership and to pastor right now is disorientation.
Many pastors I know are tired, overwhelmed, feel unprepared for the world they are pastoring in. They also love their people, and they miss gathering in a room with their church, praying with them, hugging them, and doing life with them.
One of the reasons for this is that pastors are unsure of what to work on next. As they try to pivot to online church, what it looks like to reach people and disciple people in a divided, mostly online world.
They have just come out of a season that they worked more than ever and often wondered if they did anything or made an impact when their church went online. Many pastors have no idea if what they are doing is working or even impacting anyone.
If you’re anything like me, this season has exposed some idols around work, how much you work, how much you like the pat on the back after a sermon, the energy that comes from taking a new hill or other tangible ministry results. These aren’t necessarily bad, but many pastors are having their idols exposed in their souls, and that is disorienting, especially when you are tired.
Recently, I’ve heard from many pastors wondering if they have the energy for the next season, especially when they are unsure what that season will look like, especially as we stare down the most divided and polarizing political landscape ever.
If you can relate, here are a few things to know and do:
1. You are not alone. I think one of the biggest blessings to me during this season of Covid is I have pushed deeper into relationships with other pastors. I knew I needed it, but I didn’t realize how badly I did. I need to hear others vent and know that I am not alone. I am not the only one struggling, trying to figure it out, dealing with frustrations or expectations that haven’t been met, or dreams that haven’t been realized. I need friends to press the gospel into me and expose (gently) the idols in my heart. This is a good thing. Get around some other leaders to encourage and pray for each other.
2. Rest. Take a nap, read a novel, take a walk, get a good night’s sleep, turn off social media, and email.
I feel like I say this for 75% of my blogs, but as a culture, we are not good at resting and seasons like this, it shows. We need to relax, and we need to rest well. We made bad decisions when we are tired, we are more likely to fall into temptations when we are tired, so rest. Your church, your family, your friends need you to show up with your heart and soul full.
3. Be alone with Jesus. Which leads me to this one, be with Jesus. Read your bible, listen to him, pray. Be a child of God. This is a season where we need to remind ourselves that we are sons and daughters of God. That we are loved for who we are in Him, not what we do.
As we move towards the fall season of ministry, many of us are exhausted and depleted, and maybe you are thinking about leaving the ministry, and we need to be refilled by Jesus. We need to be reminded of our calling and why we do what we do.
4. Bless and/or serve someone. One of the things we often overlook is the power of helping someone or blessing someone with something.
This could be a simple act of generosity, a conversation, a gift, helping someone. As Pastors, we often tell people to do this, but we rarely do this for others. But there is a lot of power in this act, and it is incredibly refreshing.
Pastor, know this. You are not alone in how you feel right now. You are not alone in your leadership. Many pastors are struggling right now. Jesus has not forgotten you. You are the leader that your church and community need at this moment. Don’t give up, but be wise in this season as you prepare for the next.
