Five Things Struggling Pastors Need

You may have read a post I wrote recently entitled, Six things struggling pastors don’t need.  In it I defined struggling pastors as those who, by their own admission, are neither happy nor effective.  

They are not having fun. They are not feeling successful. Their churches are not making new disciples.

Here’s what I said the struggling pastor does not need:   

• A new church – For in most, if not all cases, the congregation is not the problem.
• More hobbies or outside interests – We all need some, but struggling pastors sometimes go overboard with these as a distraction.
• Another vacation or sabbatical – Again, we all need these, but struggling pastors usually have deeper needs.
• Unhealthy loyalty – The last thing we need is the person who helps us deny reality.
• A new program – This is usually a band aid solution to a serious illness.
• Another seminary degree – In too many cases seeking another degree is just one more escape from the pastor’s ministry reality.

So if these things are not what the struggling pastor needs, what does he need?

Heart health – Stuart Briscoe authored a refreshing little book called, Fresh Air In The Pulpit.  That’s what our congregations need: fresh air. 

There is no substitute for a heart that is set aflame by a vibrant, intimate, honest, sin-eschewing relationship with the living God.  Church revival begins with our revival. All real ministry is nothing more than the “fruit bearing” described by Jesus in John fifteen.

Honest feedback from healthy people – I ended the previous post by saying that “Struggling pastors need real help from real friends to help them find real solutions to their real problems.”

Real friends won’t flatter you; they’ll give you the “brutal facts” (as gently as possible). 

The last thing the discouraged or embattled pastor needs is the counsel of a friend who is similarly discouraged or fighting off those he sees as his enemies. Too often I’ve seen pastors-under-fire seek solace from the bad attitudes of other pastors-under-fire.

At times even our spouses become our worst enemies by sharing our bad attitudes and defensiveness. This is not the kind of spousal love which we need.

Self-discipline and self-management – Some struggling pastors have never learned the basics of self-discipline (training ourselves for godliness) and self-management (ordering our lives so that we end up doing what we intend to do). 

If the heart of the matter is our relationship with God then perhaps the soul of the matter is our relationship with ourselves. Are you living the way you intend to be living or are you bouncing through life like a pinball?

Relational wisdom – No pastor will succeed for long without a high degree of emotional intelligence/relational wisdom. 

Do you still have more rough edges than a moon rock?  Stop in your tracks and let God grind them down. 

Old-fashioned likeability is a huge factor in leadership success.  Are people glad when you walk into the room?

 A fresh vision from the heart of God – Your followers need to see that you are captivated, empowered and enthralled by a dream for a better future. 

Most of what we need to know – by way of God’s dreams for our churches – is right there for the taking in the Bible.  The fine points regarding what God wants for your ministry may be found in the needs of your community, the gifts and resources of your congregation and the Spirit-given passions implanted in your heart. 

If you dig down deep into the Word and the heart of God, alone, or – even better – with a group of God-seeking believers, you will come up with a compelling vision downloaded from the heart of God.