Weathering the Challenges of Ministry
It’s that time of year when anyone who lives in Phoenix, Arizona remembers that 118 degrees is incredibly hot and questions the logic of building a city in the middle of the desert. One of the pastors I work with talks me into clear-headedness every summer as I suddenly feel a “call” to minister in San Diego, Vancouver, or even Alaska. I even promised him once that I would never consider a role out-of-state during a Phoenix summer.
In our city, kids go back to school in early August, which makes July a difficult month for many pastors. Some can escape the heat for a little bit, rest, and come back to our triple-digit weather with a full schedule in August. Almost as soon as our bags are unpacked, our daydreams of cooler grass are interrupted as we start preparing for back-to-school calendars. Leaders tend to be energized by fresh vision, big lofty goals, and strategic planning—and August often brings us ample opportunity for this.
But sometimes life doesn’t allow these opportunities. During COVID-19, for example, many of us weren’t able to leave town, canceled our plans, had to self-quarantine, or had little margin to rest. Our normal rhythms were disrupted and the people we pastored had growing financial and pastoral needs. Many school districts did not host in-person learning for months to come. There were (and still are) political tensions all around us, including an unfolding racial justice movement. The future of American evangelicalism was questioned in national headlines and we were not able to physically gather to pastor people through it.
If you are leading a church right now, busy times will arise when you have to speak with those struggling with parenting, addictions, marriage, singleness, financial uncertainty, or losing a loved one (not to mention helping them engage in racial justice or neighborly love during times of tension). Many pastors labor to ensure church members get one-on-one phone calls, as many need personal advice on how to be a faithful disciple of Jesus during stressful times. All the while, we find ourselves wanting the same council!
This can lead ministry leaders to feeling numb, depressed, and burnt out. Some of us can find ourselves feeling distracted and aimless by a host of voices within our denomination saying what we should be doing. Some of us self-medicate our stress with too much alcohol or social media. Some have lose our drive to work and others can’t stop working, frustrating everyone around us.
The August of any year may not act as the beginning of something new in the ways we wish it would. If you, your families, your teams, and your congregations are experiencing times of struggle, hardship, or division, there is only one thing for it: more Jesus.
More Jesus
If you read this and feel ashamed for not being able to imagine what “more Jesus” even looks like, let me reiterate that it is human and normal for us to feel physically, emotionally, and spiritually tired. I encourage you to push aside that shame and listen to the voice that kindly calls us to deeper communion with Jesus. We all need a deep drink of the fresh cool water that only comes from our living God. Let’s sit back, delight, rest, and enjoy the Jesus we have expended much energy seeking to tell the world about.
With that said, I urge you to commit to a few things as your days go on:
1. Connect to others within your vocation
My favorite part about Arizona is that our churches are held together by an organic web of friendships among pastors and ministry leaders. We are co-laborers committed to living out our Christian vocation to love God and this city together. We may have differing philosophies, differently-sized churches, and different interests, but we can maintain deep partnership and affection for each other.
Too often, pastors can think they need someone who is just like them, but that isn’t a necessary requirement to cultivate health in our vocation. Ask the Spirit to put other pastors on your heart, then pray for them and reach out to them. If you are suffering, reach out to other leaders for prayer, support, and connection. Don’t let shame keep you from speaking aloud what is true for many of us—we are running on fumes and want to be needy for Jesus.
2. Create Space for Guides to Join You
More than anything, cultivate your inner life with Jesus. This is always important, but it is the one thing we need most this year. The Lord is pruning his Bride—some things are dying and new things are coming to life. Consider prioritizing space to be curious about all of the internal development this season raises for you. Guides that you trust can help you with that.
Here are some helpful ways to ask guides to speak into your life as you listen to Jesus in this unique season:
Ask for spiritual direction
Ask for healing prayer
Receive therapy/counseling
Receive marriage counseling (this can be preventive or to help with current challenges)
Ask an older pastor to mentor you in a specific area
3. Rest
Rest looks different for each of us, but we should all intentionally design daily, weekly, and monthly rhythms to rest.
Take deep breaths.
Sing.
Give yourself (and your staff) a realistic-for-a-pandemic schedule.
Be honest in your prayers about fears, anxieties, sorrows.
Create the space to grieve losses as well as have fun and watch miracles unfold around us as God brings about new life. We will emerge on the other side of difficult times. Jesus is near, he is loving, he is very good, and he holds you tightly at his side.
About the Author
In 2005, Dennae Pierre and her husband, Vermon, planted Roosevelt Community Church in Phoenix, Arizona. Today, she is Executive Director of the Surge Network and one of the co-directors for City to City North America.