I have the highest respect for those called to pastoral ministry, and I want to see the local church thrive. But during the last decade I have observed that pastors spend so much time focused on the needs of others that they frequently make decisions about their own vocational direction based on opportunity, escapism or expectation rather than from a deep understanding of God’s design and purpose in them. They get on the ladder of ministry advancement without much consideration for where they find their greatest personal satisfaction in ministry.
I have read the statistics. Massive numbers of pastors leave ministry each month. Thirty percent leave in the first five years of ministry. Is it because they suddenly realize they are not called of God? I don’t think so. I think they burn out because they inadvertently pursue a role or context that is misaligned with their gifts and strengths.
For example, I had a conversation with a pastor who was interested in moving from an associate pastor role in a mega church to a senior pastor role in another large congregation. In the course of our interview I asked him to share three stories of his most satisfying ministry experiences with me. He talked about how much he loved working with volunteers and seeing them mobilized into their gifting, discipling and developing younger leaders, and getting the ministry organized so that people could engage in it effectively. I then asked him to share three things that drain him. He said meetings, conflict, and lack of collaboration. So I asked, “Why do you want to leave this role you enjoy so much to become a Senior Pastor?” His answer: “I’m not really sure. I turned 40 recently so I think it’s probably time for me to take the next step.”
This pastor, like so many others, had bought into the idea that there is a ministry ladder to climb and the time had come to step up a rung. He was actually thriving in his current role but felt obligated somehow to explore the unwritten expectation that his pastoral journey would take him from youth ministry to adult ministry to senior pastor. He lacked the internal clarity and confidence regarding his “best play” in ministry. I challenged him to go and pray about making a move, and to talk to three trusted friends, including at least two current senior pastors, to gather insight into the Senior Pastor role as well as their perspective about his gifts and strengths. We circled back a week later and he thanked me for the encouragement. He said he learned that the Senior Pastor role is filled with meetings, various conflicts and that it can be lonely and isolating at the top. It’s not that he didn’t know those things before, but he admitted he was swayed by the idea of a bigger role and wasn’t thinking about those realities or what it would feel like to dwell in them day in and day out.
So how can pastors make better decisions about their “best play” in ministry?
- Check your motives and your call. Why do you want a particular role? What is driving the potential move? Do you sense a genuine spiritual call to the role or is the phone call you received simply a good opportunity? Pastors who make job changes opportunistically or in order to escape difficult circumstances often jump from the frying pan into the fire. Regrettable decisions are often made opportunistically, under stress or because of depletion.
- Take time to reflect and understand your gifts and strengths. There are lots of affordable online personal assessments that offer helpful insights. Tools such as Strengthsfinder, Myers-Briggs and Ministry Insights are easy to access and provide instant feedback.
- Consider the context that may best suit your gifts and the needs of your family. Some pastors work best in a smaller, relational community while others thrive in the complexity of larger, multi-site church life. Bigger is not necessarily better and smaller is not more limited. God calls pastors to churches of all shapes and sizes. Ask yourself what kind of context or environmental factors increase your work/life satisfaction and then look for opportunities that align.
- Talk to trusted friends and colleagues. Ask those who have worked with you over time about your “best play” in ministry. What kind of role do they believe is optimal for you based on their experience with you? Posture yourself to listen to learn. Try not to hear only what you want to hear.
- Recognize and celebrate your design. In God’s economy one size does not fit all and there is no “ladder.” 1 Corinthians 12: 12,18 states: “For the body does not consist of one member but of many…God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.”