Podcast Episode #441
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Ministry never stops. Because of this, it can be quite exhausting. Today, we discuss how to combat this exhaustion.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- Try to do more things that energize you in ministry and fewer things that drain you.
- Too many pastors are people pleasers and spend too much time dealing with the squeaky wheels in ministry.
- Pastors and church staff should try to spend 20% of their time training others to do ministry.
- When you’re on vacation, visit other churches to get ideas and encouragement.
The eight potential solutions we discuss today are:
- Take a break.
- Make certain you are spending time on those things for which you are passionate.
- Make certain you are not spending too much time on those things that drain you.
- Be cautious about the “energy vampires.”
- Allocate 20% of your time to equipping the saints.
- Visit other churches.
- Spend more time in prayer and the Word.
- Ask your spouse to give you guidance.
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Feedback
If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of Becoming a Welcoming Church.
these are really good statements and yet so hard for most of us to do. i thank you for the advise. when i do take vacation i do find it refreshing to go to another church and hear a good message. i usually need it and God always speaks to me. everyone ought to do this st least once a year.
My church has recently (in 2015) undergone a church split before I was hired as the pastor. Since we are no longer a church of 300, some of our day to day operations are no longer relevant and functioning as they should. We would love a church consult team to come in and help guide us in things like adjusting staff positions and pay, building needs and upkeep, and any area that has fallen through the cracks in the last several years. I have typically heard you speak of church consultants on your podcasts. Is there a specific company that you would recommend? Or is this a service that Lifeway offers? Thank you for the instruction that you provide to pastors such as myself on a daily basis!
Exercise! As a worship pastor, I also work at two health facilities. This is a great opportunity to share Christ, and visit with church members in a different setting.
Unfortunately, not a small number of churches do not permit the pastor to put enough of this into practice. 3, 4, and 5 take cooperation from the people who ‘control’ the church.
1. Praise God for this grace-filled calling; He could have not called you.
2. Hold accurate expectations; someone in the organization must work longer/harder hours–the senior pastor probably will be the one.
3. Commit to a strategy attaining the results desired; results choices basically are three: exceptional, average, wishy-washy (give God and the community deserve wishy-washy results, then give the corresponding strategy fir them all you have!).
4. Time management and division-of-labor-for-delgation-of-tasks; this is basic, business 101–if a leader chooses to fail at the basics of organizational administration, then can he really expect to succeed at business 201, 301, or 401 kinds of things?
5. God will get you through it; cooperate with Him.
Years ago, while interviewing Dr. Clovis Chappell for inclusion in my ThM thesis at SWABTS, he said, “The most religious thing a tired man can do is rest.” That has helped me many times.