The other day I ran into a friend and fellow pastor in a store. He looked exhausted. It was as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders, and he had just taken a beating. I knew how he was feeling. I have been there myself. Serving in the church is not for the faint of heart; especially these past couple of years. There is a national crisis in the church, with more pastors quitting the ministry and fewer pastors going into the ministry.
Check out these reports from the Barna research group:
November 16, 2021: 38% of Pastors have thought about quitting in the last year.
https://www.barna.com/research/pastors-well-being/
April 27, 2022: Pastors share the top reasons they have considered quitting in the past year.
https://www.barna.com/research/pastors-quitting-ministry/
June 15, 2022: For Pastors who want to quit, self-care and soul care slip.
https://www.barna.com/research/spiritual-formation-back-seat/
March 14, 2023: A rapid decline in Pastoral security
Here is what I have seen in the last two years:
- Fellow Senior Ministers telling me that it is taking over 18 months to find a Children’s Minister or a Youth Minister. They paid big money for recruiting services only to get very few candidates. I remember not too long ago having my desk piled with resumes for an associate position. With our last minister search most recently, we literally had three candidates worth considering. Thank God, He provided the right one!
- I had a recent conversation with a fellow minister who used to work for a huge corporation before entering ministry. He told me that the company had the sad distinction of having the second-highest divorce rate of its employees in the nation. The stress of working for this company took a huge toll on marriages. Shockingly, he confessed that working for the church had been more stressful.
- If the American male is lonely and disconnected, the American pastor is on top of the list. Those who are friend, counselor, comforter and teacher to many have no one to talk to themselves. They cannot identify one friend that they have just to “hold them close.”
- I had never heard of pastors committing suicide until these last few years.
- A large church I know does not list all its staff members on their website because they are losing too many to corporations head-hunting their young talent.
- High profile failings of big name pastors have perpetuated the idea that pastors are lazy, unfaithful, disingenuous, money hungry, and sex crazed predators. There is no question that such individuals need to be called out and removed from the church. But the truth is that these are exceptions, not the rule. The pastors I know are usually overworked, dancing on the line of poverty, humble and deeply committed to serving Jesus and His church.
In the face of this crisis I am so glad that I have been able to be a part of Covenant Connections. Covenant Connections is a ministry led by Dr. Alan Ahlgrim. After retiring from a fruitful ministry in Colorado, Alan embarked on a journey of creating groups that allowed pastors to be part of the soul care community. He called these groups Covenant Groups. The way it works is that three or four pastor types meet with a mentor (in my case it was Alan) for a three year journey. Three years, where you gather for an in-person retreat twice a year and meet once a month via zoom the other ten months of the year. When I was invited to be a part of this group, I did not want to do it. The thought of being with strangers bearing my soul singing “Kumbaya” just did not sound like something I needed. But God pushed me, through my wife and through my elders, and I went. It was the most enriching experience in my ministry. I connected with the other guys immediately. The ministry of the Spirit in encouragement, challenge and fellowship took place. My heart was filled and it was healed. To this day I still call on these guys when I am in need. While this group was not intended for “shop talk” the experience helped me find quality staff, helped shape what our discipling ministry looks like, and provided a wealth of preaching and teaching material. A healthy pastor is one of the keys to a healthy church.
That is why I have decided to partner with Covenant Connections and lead a group this year. I will be journeying for three years with four younger pastors who are just breaths of fresh air for the kingdom. While I will serve as the “mentor” I know for a fact that I will be richly blessed by them in return!
If you have a heart for pastors. If you have a heart for the witness of the church, I ask you to consider doing this:
- Pray for your pastor and follow it up with a genuine inquiry into how they are doing. Pastors have very few “non-agenda” relationships. Pray for me as I share what God has given me through 25-plus years of ministry with the members of my Covenant Group.
- Support Covenant Connections financially. This ministry needs support in order to grow. It costs $2400 per year for a Pastor to go through the Covenant Group experience. Many can’t afford it, or their church doesn’t have it in their budget. Covenant Connections tries to provide scholarships for such needs. You can donate by going to their website at: https://www.covenantconnections.life/
- Go through the Covenant Group experience yourself. Alan has put the curriculum of our covenant groups into a book called “Soul Strength”. It has an accompanying journal. You can work through the book with your small group or discipleship group. There can be a double blessing when you buy the book. You experience life-giving community, and you support the ministry of Covenant Connections. Here is the link to purchase the books:
https://www.covenantconnections.life/books
“Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.” 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (NIV)
