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Pastors leave churches every week. It’s a sad reality, but in revitalization settings it often happens for one of these seven reasons.
Episode Highlights:
- Pastors should expect there to be critics in the church.
- Your family is your first line of ministry. If you’re not leading them well, you won’t be able to led the church well.
- It’s important for a pastor to have friends out side the church to maintain proper perspective and understand that they face the same thing other pastors do.
- When pastors take extended sabbaticals (longer than 4-6 weeks), they run the risk of losing touch with the church and the church moving on without them.
The seven reasons that we discuss are:
- Unrealistic expectations
- Critics
- Family hurt
- Loneliness
- Weariness
- Financial stress
- Lack of self-worth
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
- Revitalize Network
- ChurchReplanters.com
- ChurchAnswers.com
- Replanter Assessment
- Find more resources at the Revitalize & Replant page at ThomRainer.com
Revitalize & Replant is sponsored by the North American Mission Board and ChurchReplanters.com. More than 10% of churches in North America are at risk of closing and the North American Mission Board is committed to reversing this trend by decreasing the death rate of existing churches while simultaneously increasing the birth rate of new churches. To learn more about what it means to become a replanting pastor or to explore resources for replanting and revitalization in your own church, visit ChurchReplanters.com.
Submit Your Question:
Do you have a question about church revitalization or replanting for us to use on the podcast? Visit the podcast page to submit your question. If we use it on the show, you’ll get a copy of Scrappy Church and Reclaiming Glory.
Thank You. This podcast meant much during my devotional. I thank God for you and pray for you regularly.
Bless you, George.
I would add one more to the list for those who are in appointive systems: lack of support from superintendents and Bishops who don’t understand that with revitalization comes resistance and conflict, particularly in the first two years of beginning to make changes and strategic decisions.
You hit the nail on the head with #7. Our denomination and our church members never let us forget who the “big dogs” are.
My husband felt called to be at this particular church, the search committee felt we were called to be here, and the congregation voted and approved. Yet even with all of this “affirmation” for us to be here, they really want Rev./Dr. ______ (whoever).
Not in regards to today’s topic, but I notice you are doing more and more podcasts. I really prefer to read something – I don’t always have the uninterrupted privacy to listen to a podcast at home, and it’s not realistic for me to listen to these in the car (I am not savvy with technology)…. Could you also provide a narrative of the content in the podcast? Thanks.