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
When pastors start getting burned out, pray for them. They are human and need lifted up the same as the flock. We are in the last days and Jesus said we would be persecuted for our faith. Put the armor of God on and stay in the Word and stay prayed up. The Bible says to not forsake the assembling of others. That means keep having church, keep striving for the mark and don’t worry about the money because as long as you are doing what God has called you to do He will provide whatever you need. Don’t give up on your flock because you will be sending them out to the wolves. People are looking for hope and encouragement and while it is not solely up to the pastors they are the shepherd of the flock, called by God. Don’t give up. Read Psalm 91.
I appreciate my pastor so much!! This has really been a tough year for his family with the passing of his stepdad and medical issues in the family, and yet they are there for us all in our time of need!! And covid 19 has added so much additional stress and work load!! Pray for your pastors because satan goes through him to get to you!! We can’t even begin to imagine the load they carry!!
We have seized this “crisis” as an incredible opportunity to refocus, recommit and revitalize our ministry as a church. We are making changes so that meaningful membership matters by Discipling Families. We’re restoring our Pastor-Deacon Family Ministry to re-engage the home with the primary responsibility of Discipling, centering on the Husband/Father. As we (Pastor-Deacon) intentionally disciple the husband, he in turn is to intentionally disciple his family. Discipled families strengthen a vibrant church to impact their Community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the glory of God. This requires we be a “Simple Church”.
After over 40 years of Pastoral ministry as a Senior/Lead Pastor I hear people talking about re-thinking their church attendance. They have come to realize that for them church attendance is not what it was. Some say they don’t hear any solid biblical preaching very much any more. They hear “ talks” which they can get almost anywhere. True? Perhaps.
But the one thing they miss is this – Attending church is not all about worship, though we do it. It’s not about entertainment. We can get that anywhere. It is about the church attendees being encouraged to fellowship together, encourage one another, sharing what God is doing in their lives etc. The church is “Stage” heavy. Maybe we as Pastors and Leaders need to rethink this format which if not changed will cause us to lose the church. We look back to the days of “ in house, live, church testimonies” with amusement but times were rough back then but these “ testimonies “ helped people get through another day. People don’t need “pep talks” from their pastor. They need that from their fellow pew sitter. Let the Pastor speak with a word from God.
Thank you for sharing what I already knew sir. As a local pastor of a small church, every single one of these has been my reality since the pandemic began. It has been fatiguing. It has been hard seeing the numbers. It has been a struggle with all the Covid posturing on both sides. It breaks my heart to even acknowledge the truth of many of these statements. Thank you for allowing me to see that I am not alone in this struggle. Thank you also for addressing it, as it is much needed. I know that God will take care of me. He always has.
Thank you for your insights and words of encouragement. Sadly, many of our congregants won’t read your article. I would love to share it with my congregation but it would look as if I was pointing fingers and just bringing more unrest. My members are hurting and because of my love and commitment to Christ and as their compassionate pastor, I hurt too. God’s grace is sufficient. I must admit to considering early retirement and even looking for another avenue to share God’s love and grace. God is not ready for me to quit and so God continues to guide me and fill me with His Holy Spirit to continue the work, the passion and the compassion for my church family. Slowly we will return to our church building understanding that the building is not the church, we are the church and as such we will survive through the grace of God. Church as we have known it may look different and the people in the pews may change. God’s love will never change. Christ’s sacrifice for forgiveness of our sins and the Holy Word of God will never change. May we who have been called to preach God’s Word do so with conviction, bravery, courage and with gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit. God be with you, my brother in Christ.
As a lay person in a UMC congregation (and a mid-life Christian convert after a lifetime of agnosticism), and one who has been in leadership with a major mission project in our church, I am disappointed to read about what our pastors are experiencing. My heart goes out to our church leaders. I must admit that my wife and I are also very strongly considering leaving our congregation once the pandemic ends or is under control enough for us to visit different churches. And this isn’t because of the pastor, but because we can no longer reconcile participating in a church that preaches the love of Jesus, but is full of members who circulate conspiracy theories, are mad about making a simple accommodation like wearing a mask to prevent the spread of a deadly virus, and who support and spread racist views. Aside from those things, why do so many church members want their churches to focus on them, when being a follower of Jesus means reaching out and loving others outside the walls of their church buildings?
I’m flabbergasted at reading many things pastors are reporting about their experiences during this pandemic and can’t imagine what is going through the minds of members who expect constant attention and catering. While my wife and I will most likely be looking to move elsewhere in the coming months, I have to wonder whether another church will be better? The American church seems really really broken.
Stay, your pastor needs you. Believe me . the grass is not greener anywhere
Having been a lay ruling elder in our church, I find much of this must be true for local church leadership as well. In Presbyterian denominations, ministry and financial decisions are on the elders and deacons.
No matter what one does, there will be a dozen responses: Sermon too long, too short, too serious, too lite hearted…
We have been providing morning worship on line, with few in person attending, due to restrictions, and in person evening worship distanced outside (which has proven to be encouraging for all who attend, but much more effort for a few people, due to required distancing and tracking to help prevent virus spread). Zoom and in person distanced Bible study have been encouraging.
By the grace of God, our giving has increased.
Our leadership and willing members have written and compiled devotional booklets and taken turns preaching (which encourages the lay and our pastor, who needs spiritual feeding as well) on Sunday evenings.
We have a daily social network of communication and encouragement through a closed group Facebook type of system, to help keep daily interactions alive.
Praying for pastors: missionaries around the world,
An elder in Reno, Nevada
Thank you for acknowledging the challenges that pastors are currently facing. There is a lot of uncertainty at this time, but I believe that now is the time to renew our commitment to Christ and to His Church and to constantly think of how to take advantage of this ‘new normal.’ Our people need to be encouraged and challenged to continue to support their church financially and to get back to church as soon as possible.
Amen!
Thank you for sharing this Thom. This is a dangerous time for the church. My fear is most of who will read this are in vocational ministry – would love to see this consumed by church members at large. I worry about our staff. I’m deeply concerned about ministry friends in solo ministry settings. I have personally been told “I have no faith” repeatedly because we are following the CDC guidelines and requiring masks and SD and I have been told “I am irresponsible” because we have continued to move forward with in-person ministry. Hard words to hear. And I’m guessing we have many like Mark in our midst that refuse to even acknowledge the unique nature of ministry stress during this time. I’m guessing 2020 will go down as the year of the great ministry exodus.
This makes me sad.. I am so guilty of taking my pastor so for granted and not worried about what all of this is doing to his wellbeing. Knowing how much he loves being out and visiting and making us feel good. I’m so sorry
Like the medical staff around the world, this is not the time to retreat; this is the time to serve and lead. We are called for such a time as this.
Amen, Brother James. This is the time to find new ways of sharing the gospel and new ways to show others that God loves them. Is this hard? Yes this is one of the most difficult times God has called us to navigate but He is still in charge and with His strength we will continue to answer His call. When the going gets hard the Christian moves forward on their knees. We will join those in ministry praying for a revival from this pandemic. In person, online, neighbor to neighbor we must spread the gospel.