If Your Pastor Hasn’t Quit Yet

According to recent studies, 4,000-5,000 pastors quit each year. They don’t quit because they have a lack of faith in God. They don’t quit because they don’t believe in the calling God has placed on their life. Most don’t even quit because of financial reasons. Pastors quit because they are overwhelmed with mental exhaustion.

Tim Cook, Jr. wrote that. As a retired pastor myself, I invite you to re-read Tim’s first paragraph above…prayerfully. Then carefully and again, prayerfully, approach all that follows below, which Tim also wrote. Perhaps your pastor would welcome a conversation about this.

Until you’re a pastor you’ll never fully understand what it’s like to carry spiritual burdens for people. Getting up in the middle of night, praying for your family of faith. Awakened in the middle of night with someone on your heart. Overwhelmed with concern by a persons absents or distance. Your mind continually occupied with the presentation of the upcoming Sunday message – how to preach it, what to teach on, how do we apply it?

Getting critiqued on a continual basis. Being told you need to do better or that some areas of the church simply need to be better.

Pastors invest their whole life into people and yet people will turn their backs on their pastor at the first sign of a storm, usually without a conversation.

Pastors stand in the middle of disputes. Pastors stand in the middle of gossip. Pastors council broken marriages. Pastors comfort those who have suffered loss. Pastors navigate the waters of imperfect people with a desire to see each one thrive in their faith. They long for spiritual breakthroughs.

Your pastor craves the very best for you. All of this, while trying to battle their own flesh and grow in their own relationship with God.

Pastors see the posts. Pastors hear the whispers. Pastors endure the negativity.

Pastors are continually caring for the sheep while fending off the wolves. Pastors pour out and pour out – rarely being poured into.

What keeps a pastor going? You. You – the person who is genuinely hungry. You – the person who worships with passion and freedom. You – the teenager who is striving to be a follower of Jesus. You – the single mom who understands the beauty of the hope found in Christ. You – the one who walks through the door for the first time because you’re in search of peace, hope, and community.

Pray for your pastor. Serve with your pastor. Talk with your pastor. Encourage your pastor. They are human. They need you more than you think.