I’m at the season where I am contemplating lessons learned from past ministry. I find myself using “If I was to do it all over again” statements in training and coaching seeking to warn others to learn from missteps that I identify in my journey. Don’t get me wrong! I’d love to go back and do it all over again. I am convinced though that I would be more effective the second time around.
Here is one of those areas I would do differently in pastoral ministry. I would develop margins for rest. I would take breaks. I would seek to not serve from an empty tank. I would seek to be less tired.
All pastors are tired! That was the conclusion of a Fox news article in June which reported that pastors who described themselves as ‘emotionally or mentally exhausted’ is up 11%. That is consistent to what I am hearing from pastors across Illinois. Pastors are broken, beat up, and sadly, on the edge of emotional and spiritual bankruptcy.
Even with godly leaders who cared for me and my family, I had habits that pushed me toward burnout. If you are resonating with this description, allow me to offer six habits that I wish I had developed to better serve from a rested heart.
1. I would keep the Sabbath! I rarely did that. Sunday was a workday for me. I preached two services on Sunday morning, taught Sunday School, held committee meetings on Sunday evenings, followed by the evening service. Sundays were not days of rest. Church schedules are different now. The full Sunday schedule is not as common as it once was, but Sundays remain stressful in the ministry. Schedule time to be alone with the Lord and rest.
2. I would finish my sermon by Thursday afternoon. I rarely did that. When a sermon is not finished by Thursday it enters the weekend. Of course, every pastor thinks and prays about his sermon constantly until he preaches it, but the weekend isn’t the time to begin your sermon work or develop your main points. I remember years of Saturdays when I was still working on a PowerPoint instead of resting from the busy week. Thursday is a good target.
3. I would regularly let someone else preach for me. I rarely did that. For some reason, I felt pressure to always be in the pulpit. Late in my pastorate, I began developing others. I was better at offering invitations to guest speakers, but for many years this was not the case. Inviting someone in to speak is good for you and for your church. Let me help you find a guest speaker.
4. I would work less in my church office. My church office had my books, desk, and equipment but it also had people. I am a people person and loved when people stopped by to talk. Often the crisis of the moment or conversations with daily visitors kept me from getting other work completed on time. Working away from distractions or at least keeping better boundaries would have helped me avoid stress as Sunday approached. It’s OK to keep the office door closed some of the time.
5. I would go away by myself. Back then, I was not aware of places I could go for a retreat. I am glad that retreats for pastors is a value at IBSA. Pastors can schedule a retreat at one of IBSA’s camps to get away for free. The facilities are good, and the environment is even better. I wish I had taken advantage of something like this when I was pastoring. Let us help you take a retreat at an IBSA camp.
6. I would not take the church with me on vacation. I rarely did that. There would be a sermon to prepare, a person with a problem who needed counseling. I remember speaking to a parishioner on the phone when I was on the top of the St. Louis arch with my family (not a great father moment). Pastors need to disconnect so they can reconnect when the vacation is over. Don’t leave the phone at home, but please do the hard work of disconnecting.
One more challenge. As I have stated throughout this article, pastors are tired, especially bi-vocational pastors. It is also true that housewives, teachers, farmers, and postal workers are tired. In fact, most of us are tired. Good news! We have a Savior that beckons the weary to come to him for rest. We all need pastors to remain fresh so that you can offer ministry to the weary rest of us. Let us come beside you to help. Take a break. We are FOR you!
Mark Emerson is Associate Executive Director of the Illinois Baptist State Association.