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Wait, are you serious? Absolutely.

I would imagine at this point there are people who serve with me or close friends of mine that are pulling up my number on their smartphone. They are asking themselves, “Is this a cry for help? Is this a cryptic way of preparing his departure?” Nope. Not at all. Please put your phones down.

Then why would I title this post in this dramatic way? For clicks? Well, maybe. But that is not the primary reason. The reason will emerge later on in this post.

According to Barna Research, in 2022, 42% of pastors consider leaving the ministry. I would argue that this percentage is much higher, if more pastors would be honest. You see, many (if not most) pastors believe it is their calling and therefore, by admitting they think about leaving seems either weak or a rejection of God’s will. Am I seriously considering leaving the ministry? No, not at all. But have I thought about it? Of course.

So what are the reasons pastors want to hang it up? Why are they ready to resign and head into real estate or insurance (I am still trying to figure out why these occupations are the “go-to”)? Though Barna is not infallible or omniscient, here is what their data shows.

Interesting. Though I find each reason worthy of a discussion, I am just going to interact with the top three.

The immense stress of the job

Come on. Stress? Be serious. Don’t pastors just golf all day? Man, I wish. That would be delightful. My golf game does need some serious work.

But honestly, why is being a pastor so stressful?

Before I answer, I will grant that some pastors handle stress better than others. I will also admit that some pastors are terrible at their job. They are lazy. They don’t know their bibles. They give unbiblical counsel. They are immature and ungodly. They should be fired from their jobs and never be hired again.

But for those pastors who are genuinely called and striving to fulfill their calling with humility, empowerment of the Spirit and accountability, pastoral ministry is stressful. Being given the responsibility to shepherd the souls of other humans is heavy and often burdensome. Furthermore, pastors today (especially in North America) are expected to function as a CEO, a visionary and a coach. They are also expected to counsel, to preach better than internet sound bites, to do fundraisers and to run spectacular outreach events. It is no wonder modern-day pastors are burnt out and discouraged. And by the way, most of what was stated previously, I am not gifted at, possibly even terrible at it.

Are all pastors without blame here? No. In the twenty plus years I have done pastoral ministry, I often invited myself into toxic and exhausting cycles of ministry. My mentors tried to stop me, but I rejected their wise counsel.

What is the answer? I would be foolish to tell you one answer fits all. It is different for each pastor. The ideal answer is this: Pastors should primarily be about the preaching of the Word and prayer. Anything outside of that, should be delegated to gifted and faithful ministry partners. I know this is idealistic and not practical. Believe me, I know. But solving it cannot happen without first identifying it.

I feel lonely and isolated

If you would have told me this in seminary, I would have nodded but secretly dismissed this pastoral reality. I was zealous. Ready to take on the world. I don’t need people, I have Jesus. But years later, this sentiment is spot on. With regards to loneliness, I am an introvert, so I never conceived this would be an issue for me. But it is. To be clear, it is not about being with people. I am around people plenty. It is the fact that I am not able to be myself with people. Notice the difference. Furthermore, being transparent — — vulnerable, well that is almost impossible. People want their pastor to get off the ivory tower. To live life with them. Or so they say. But then you share your struggles, your frustrations, your fantasies and suddenly they don’t want to look behind the curtain. They would prefer the Wizard to stay mysterious and distant. It is too messy otherwise.

And isolation? That would have made some sense to me before I became a professional, but never in the way I deal with it today. I have served most of my life in Baptist or non-denominational churches. These churches believe in ecclesiastical autonomy and the truth is most of these churches don’t play well with others. Early in ministry, I embraced this. I admit I even liked it. Contending earnestly for the faith gave me such a rush. The irony is that back then I had a tribe — a tribe that fought every other tribe. But then when I realized that my tribe was too narrow, too fundamentalistic (not in the historic sense) and too divisive, I left and now I am without a tribe.

Now I know this is not exactly what “isolation” means to most pastors. Nor probably what Barna meant. Nevertheless, I am part of that data and one of those pastors.

Current political divisions

Honestly, out of the three reasons, I resonate least with this one. Are most people in my congregation Republican? Probably, though I have never taken a poll. Do some in my church wish I would be more political? Take a page out of the Greg Locke playbook. Again, I have never asked. Honestly, I think I am blessed. Most of my congregants seem to just want to hear expositional sermons focused on Jesus.

That being said, I have talked to other pastors who are weary of this. Constant questions about the conspiracy theories or COVID-19 or the mark of the Beast. These issues seem endless, because both political parties use the media to propagate their ideology. And though social media is not eternal, the amount of 20 second clips floating in the cloud makes it seem like it is.

The only government that will solve all of society’s problems is the future, literal kingdom of Jesus on the New Earth. Not this one. Or the next one. Not Donald Trump or any other political candidate.

Conclusion

Am I going to leave the ministry? No. Do I think about it? Yes. How can you encourage your pastor? I can only answer for myself. Pray for me and my family. Look to Jesus first, not me. Obey His words. Get off the sidelines and get in the game. Live on mission. Remember I am just like you. A guy trying to live out my calling, desperately relying on His empowerment to get through the day.