7 Reasons Why Pastors Need Encouragement Today
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“A pastor’s work is never done…. Sermon preparation is difficult work…. Seldom is a pastor not at least ‘on call.’… A word of encouragement is often unexpected and surprising.” - Chuck Lawless
Staying Put: The Increasing Significance (and Growing Desire) of Longer-Term Pastorates
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“The bottom line is pastors must stay longer to make progress at churches. What once could be done in five years now takes at least seven years.” - Church Answers
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Fifty Years Is a Long Time
When I’m having a get-acquainted conversation with someone new, it’s common for them to ask what I do. “I’m a Baptist pastor,” I reply. They will usually ask the name and location of my church. Then comes the big one, “And how long have you been there?”
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How to Care for Your Pastor, Part 2: Remembering
Read the series.
I’m going to structure this series around several passages that tell churches how they ought to treat their pastors. I’d like to start with a passage at the end of Hebrews:
Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith (Heb 13.7).
We’re told to “remember” our pastor.
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A Leader for the Long Haul: The Legacy of Enduring Pastors
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“Ron Wickard humbly pastored the same church out on the remote South Dakota prairie for 42 years, providing one beautiful model of what it means to ‘dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness’ (Psalm 37:3).” - Desiring God
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How to Care for Your Pastor, Part 1: Introduction
Most Christians have been members of (or at least attended) a church long enough to go through a pastoral transition or to witness an ordination service. When they do, they’ll often hear a sermon on the pastor’s responsibility to the church. It might include a look at the qualifications for pastor as listed in 1Timothy 3 or Titus 1, and perhaps also a charge from 2Timothy 4.1-2:
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Why Pastors Aren’t Quitting
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“…despite rumors of a mass migration, most pastors stayed. In the fall of 2021, the rate of evangelical pastors quitting before retirement was 1.5 percent, up only a little from the 1.3 percent resignation rate in 2015.” - TGC
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One in Four Pastors Plan to Retire Before 2030
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“The graying of America’s pastors isn’t a new phenomenon, but it has become more pronounced. In 2022, just 16 percent of Protestant senior pastors were 40 years old or younger.” - C.Today
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How to Know If It’s Time to Leave Pastoral Ministry
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The Gospel Coalition asked three former pastors—all of whom now teach or counsel pastors—for their best advice.
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Barna research: A Rapid Decline in Pastoral Security
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“New Barna data shows that pastors’ confidence and satisfaction in their vocation has decreased significantly in the past few years, and two in five (41%) say they’ve considered quitting ministry in the last 12 months.” - Barna
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