{"id":32573,"date":"2022-09-10T16:14:51","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:14:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/six-ways-churches-can-help-pastors-thrive\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T16:14:51","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:14:51","slug":"six-ways-churches-can-help-pastors-thrive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/six-ways-churches-can-help-pastors-thrive\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Ways Churches Can Help Pastors Thrive"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Lisa Cannon Green<\/em><\/p>\n

The statistics are sobering: Four out of five senior pastors expect conflict in their church. Many (54 percent) say being a pastor is overwhelming. Nearly half (48 percent) say the demands of ministry seem too much to handle.<\/p>\n

Yet churches can do much to ease pastors\u2019 stress and encourage them to stay in ministry, according to a new report from Lifeway Research examining the reasons pastors quit.<\/p>\n

LifeWay\u2019s survey of 1,500 pastors from evangelical (including non-denominational) and historically black churches found most are hanging on. About 1 percent a year leave for non-ministry jobs or non-pastoral roles in ministry. But the study identified many stress points that can contribute to a pastor\u2019s departure. Top reasons for leaving the pastorate, current pastors say, are a change in calling, conflict in the church, and family issues.<\/p>\n

Here are six recommendations on how churches can better support their pastors and possibly help avoid these issues.<\/p>\n

Set reasonable expectations. More than 1 in 5 pastors believe they face unrealistic demands. That can lead to burnout, the experts say.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAfter personal failures\u2014deep, frustrating, agonizing defeats\u2014many will decide, \u2018I can\u2019t do this anymore,\u2019\u201d says Jamie Johns, a corporate chaplain in Houston, Texas.<\/p>\n

A church can help by having members pitch in with duties such as hospital visits and not expecting the pastor or his family to do everything, says Melissa Haas, director of support groups for Hope Quest Ministries.<\/p>\n

Donald Hicks, president of Church Health Solutions, recommends a written contract\u2014\u201ca pastor covenant that basically says what I\u2019m going to do for the church, what the church is going to do for me, and what we\u2019re going to do together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Provide paid time off. More than 80 percent of pastors feel they must be on call 24 hours a day. As a result, they may neglect their own spiritual health, the report says.<\/p>\n

\u201cPersonal retreats, solitude, times away where you can think and reflect and pray\u2014to me, that\u2019s crucial,\u201d says Lance Witt, president of Replenish Ministries.<\/p>\n

Without prodding from the church, pastors may not take a personal Sabbath. \u201cFirmly insist they recharge, recreate, and reconnect,\u201d says Jared Pingleton, director of counseling services for Focus on the Family. \u201cOne of the burnout factors is that you give and you give and you give until you give out.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Make sure pastors can get counseling. For confidentiality, this may need to occur outside the church and in a different town, the report notes.<\/p>\n

There has to be a cultural shift away from this notion that a pastor can\u2019t struggle,\u201d says James Eubanks, director of counseling for First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Georgia. He recommends telling pastors, \u201cHey, we know you have clay feet just like everyone else, so we want you to get any help you need, any time you need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Have a clergy support group. More than a third of pastors say the demands of ministry keep them from spending time with their family. To help, churches should have a group \u201cwhose main objective is to keep their pastor and his family healthy, well-fed, well-housed, and to make sure their automobiles are safe to drive,\u201d says H.B. London, president of H.B. London Ministries.<\/p>\n

Pay the pastor adequately. More than half of pastors say they are often concerned about the financial security of their family. \u201cWhen a pastor is not paid properly, most of his time is spent trying to figure out how he\u2019s going to support his family,\u201d London says. For help determining church staff salaries visit CompStudy.LifeWay.com.<\/p>\n

Encourage friendships. To find fulfillment, pastors need to get out of the office and make true friends, the report says.<\/p>\n

\u201cPastors need some life-giving friendships where they\u2019re not the pastor and they\u2019re not on, but actual friendships that replenish their life and fill them up,\u201d says Witt.<\/p>\n

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Lisa Green<\/h2>\n

@lisacgreen<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Lisa is a former senior editor at Lifeway Research.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n