Surviving as Pastors
When pundits talk about what it will take to lead the post-COVID church, I usually hear about ministry tweaks we’ll need to make. As much as I appreciate these tweaks, I believe we need to go deeper. We’ll need pastors who have learned to maintain healthy souls in the middle of the chaos in the post-COVID church.
At the beginning of this crisis, Andy Couch and others predicted that “we are most likely facing a blizzard today, a winter for the next few months, and a little ice age for years … Every leader and organization — every nonprofit, every church, every school, every business — should be planning for scenarios that include years-long disruption.”
We’re facing a lot of extra stress and uncertainty. We don’t just need new strategies for the post-COVID church; we need a strategy for our own health and survival.
Three books can help. It’s worth picking any one of them up and considering how to apply the lessons of these books to your life and ministry now.
Reset by David Murray
David Murray wants to help weary pastors. He’s written Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture (affiliate link) for pastors and for anyone else who wants to find their way back to health and a sustainable pace. It’s written by someone who knows what it’s like to be overwhelmed, and has not only developed a healthier way to live, but has helped others do the same.
Murray gets very practical and prescribes practices that will help us become healthier. He helps us learn how to care for both our bodies and souls, recognizing our limitations and learning how to live so that we’re best able to serve God and others. It’s a very timely book for our day.
Resilient Ministry by Bob Burns, Tasha Chapman, and Donald C. Guthrie
Resilient Ministry (affiliate link) is based on a five-year study of pastors to find the answer to an important question: “What does it take for pastors not only to survive but to thrive in fruitful ministry over the long haul?” The study identified five themes: spiritual formation, self-care, emotional and cultural intelligence, marriage and family, and leadership and management. Most of these themes are not so much about what a pastors does as much as who the pastor is.
“While we don’t believe we have found the ‘holy grail’ of pastoral survival, we do strongly believe that an understanding of these themes, and an intentional evaluation of life and ministry through them, will greatly affect the health and resilience of pastors and other types of ministry try leaders.”
I refer to this book a few times a year to consider how to develop these themes in my life.
Zeal Without Burnout by Christopher Ash
Zeal Without Burnout (affiliate link) is written for pastors who may be facing burnout, or who are aware of the danger and want to avoid it. It’s written by Christopher Ash, who found himself on the edge of burnout in ministry more than once.
Ash makes the case for a life of sustainable sacrifice rather than a life of burnout. He reminds us of a neglected truth: you and I are dust. We are fragile, temporary, mortal, and frail. Ash develops four implications of this foundational truth. It’s a brief and practical book that probably won’t teach you anything new, but will remind you of things you’re quick to forget.
If you’re in ministry, you will probably need to focus on staying personally healthy over the next few months. I urge you to get and read one of these books and implement its lessons so that you can maintain a healthy soul and pastor well during COVID and beyond.
