About one-third of you readers are laypersons. This article is for you. Of course, I know pastors and other vocational ministry leaders will be reading as well. Perhaps, more than my article, they will be reading your comments. They will be searching eagerly to see if anyone has a word of encouragement. They may be anticipating the responses will be a barrage of negativity they have become accustomed to receiving.
Please hear me clearly. The vast majority of pastors with whom our team communicates are saying they are considering quitting their churches. It’s a trend I have not seen in my lifetime. Some are just weeks away from making an announcement. They are looking for work in the secular world. Some will move to bivocational ministry. Some will move to marketplace ministry.
But many will move.
Why has this period of great discouragement ensued? Of course, it is connected to COVID-19, but the pandemic really just exacerbated trends already in place. We would have likely gotten to this point in the next three to five years regardless.
I also want you to know that these pastors do not think they will be leaving ministry. They just believe the current state of negativity and apathy in many local churches is not the most effective way they can be doing ministry.
So, they are leaving or getting ready to leave. There are many reasons why, but allow me to share the top six reasons, understanding that they are not mutually exclusive.
- Pastors are weary from the pandemic, just like everyone else. Pastors are not super humans. They miss their routines. They miss seeing people as they used to do so. They would like the world to return to normal, but they realize the old normal will not return.
- Pastors are greatly discouraged about the fighting taking place among church members about the post-quarantine church. Gather in person or wait? Masks or no masks? Social distancing or not? Too many church members have adopted the mindset of culture and made these issues political fights. Pastors deal daily with complaints about the decisions the church makes.
- Pastors are discouraged about losing members and attendance. For sure, it’s not all about the numbers. But imagine your own mindset if one-half or more of your friends stopped engaging with you. And pastors have already heard directly or indirectly from around one-fourth of the members that they do not plan to return at all.
- Pastors don’t know if their churches will be able to support ministries financially in the future. In the early stages of the pandemic, giving was largely healthy. Church members stepped up. Government infusion of funds for businesses and consumers helped as well. Now, the financial future is cloudy. Can the church continue to support the ministries they need to do? Will the church need to eliminate positions? These issues weigh heavily on pastors.
- Criticisms against pastors have increased significantly. One pastor recently shared with me the number of criticisms he receives are five times greater than the pre-pandemic era. Church members are worried. Church members are weary. And the most convenient target for their angst is their pastor.
- The workload for pastors has increased greatly. Almost every pastor with whom we communicate expresses surprise at their level of work since the pandemic began. It really makes sense. They are trying to serve the congregation the way they have in the past, but now they have the added responsibilities that have come with the digital world. And as expected, pastoral care needs among members have increased during the pandemic as well.
Pastors are burned out, beaten up, and downtrodden.
Many are about to quit.
You may be surprised to discover your pastor is among them.
Posted on August 31, 2020
With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
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428 Comments
GOD BLESS THEM ALL… and us too! IT is so hard to stay positive, but my prayer is that many will grow and be blessed.
PLEASE keep all pastors in your prayers…
Thank you for sharing.
Jesus was the most criticized person that lived on earth, but He did not quit. He stuck with the mission he was called too.
If you are called by God you won’t quit.
Pastors in China are going to prison …serving their time, coming out of prison and being told do not preach any more.
They go underground continue to preach and some wind up being arrested and going back to prison still staying faithful to their call
Do you think the soldier on the front of the battle line doesn’t want to quit
..he sticks to it even though he is being shot at every day.
Jesus was the most criticized person that lived on earth, but He did not quit. He stuck with the mission he was called too.
If you are called by God you won’t quit.
Pastors in China are going to prison …serving their time, coming out of prison and being told do not preach any more.
They go underground continue to preach and some wind up being arrested and going back to prison still staying faithful to their call
Do you think the soldier on the front of the battle line doesn’t want to quit
..he sticks to it even though he is being shot at every day.
Sadly, this sort of comment only serves to exacerbate the problem. Immature, uninformed, uncaring. This is basically a “Suck it up and keeping going” response. What if this was the way your pastor ministered to you when you were down and out? Pastors carry, not only their own personal burdens, but also the burdens of their entire congregation. That translates to stress. Stress is cumulative over time. There are precious few avenues for someone on a typical pastor’s salary to get the specialized help that is needed when burnout sets in. Ministry burnout is real! And it knows no boundaries. Every servant’s threshold is different. Experience tells me there is a high likelihood that the author of this response won’t understand. This kind of comment is not the answer to the problem. Indeed it IS the problem!
BTW, this is not just a pastoral whine. I have been serving churches for over 40 years. And I can assure you that it is more difficult now, than anytime in my life of service!
Sure seems right on target. Problem is so many folks see the Pastor as responsible for all things, rather than seeing him or her as a leader of a group of people trying to do the same thing, serving and loving others! My son left pastoring and went into evangelism and also became a Campis Chaplain to leave the issues of “church pastor” . Maybe house churches, or somehow small groups are more functional about shared responsibility.
I think these are just trying times and pastors, just like every other Christian need to keep focusing on Jesus to draw grace and strength. They should remember that it is God who called them not some person or even themselves. Just like they teach us to run back to God, they should do so. God’s grace is ever available and sufficient.
I am Pastor from Kenya, and these are the realities facing us in Kenya. I have been a Pastor for ten years and the level of uncertainty, doubt, discouragement, Spiritual warefare is weighing us down.I wish we would create forums where Pastors and their families would find rest and be refreshed
To any pastor or ministry staff member who is reading the my comment. I don’t have the words I wish I did to encourage each of you. But I will say that I am a Christian today directly because of a Godly witness from a person involved in full time ministry. My faith has grown through the years because of the flawed, yet truly amazing pastors whose teaching I have sat under. I am grateful for our ministry staff at our church! They really are the best! I am going to make it a goal to encourage each of them within the next few weeks. However I still don’t feel like I have the adequate words to encourage all the discouraged people in ministry today. But I can pray and ask God to encourage, strengthen and give you each hope! So pray is what I will do.
Glad to know that I am not alone, even though I am retired from a secular job and have financial security, this pandemic is way overblown. No deaths in our county, none in the county west of us, none east of us, 2 north of us, about 22 south of us in nursing homes. Someone said, older people aren’t dying from the virus, they are dying with the virus. Thanks for your work.
This is not just physical and soulical. Just as disconcerting is the ‘deconstructing’ of Church leaders. The revival we experienced in the “Charismatic Movement” spawned parents who were heavy on the experiential and light on the deeper aspects of Biblical theology and doctrine. Nothing wrong with the former so long as it’s balanced by the deep and continuous study of the Word. Their progeny, the Millennials are walking away, some to the seduction of Hinduism and New Age ‘…isms’ like the Gungors. These also need our prayers and God’s intervention. We cannot throw stones. We need wisdom to throw His life buoys that they can cling on to whilst treading water, as much as post pandemic physical and emotional support. ABBA Father hear our plea …
To an extent, you are correct. But please don’t group all Millennials, nor all Millennial parents, together.
Some are holding strong to the truth.
We can understand why all of the sbove are true. So called Christians have gotten caught up in politics as never before and seemingly have thrown their lot in with those whose behavior and policies are about as far from the teachings of Jesus as they could possibly be,
Our previous pastor was excoriated because he dared mention in a sermon about perhaps helping refugees. Some left our church over the issue.
Too many church goers today have replaced passion for Christ with political posturing.
Any Pastor called of God should not quit ,Pastoral call is not bread and butter. If there be challenges which is normal, the Pastor should go to God who called him in prayers. David encouraged himself in the Lord. Pastor will account to God concerning the sheep of
God entrusted in his care. God’s grace is sufficient to see any Pastor through every challenge. God help your own.
Hmmm. It seems not being worthy to open The Bible, celebrate child sacrifice nor entering The New Creation should be high on that list.
The Lake of Fire resolves the issues for y’all 7 churches who failed to overcome hades, rejected by The Word from The Beginning to The End.
Any real questions, we have all The Real/Eternal Answers.