Renewing the Pastors Who Renew Churches

Pastors know that church renewal is about more than buildings and budgets; it’s about people! However, pastors today are struggling to flourish in the area of personal relationships, according to new data from Barna’s State of the Church report.

• There are bright spots in the data. Barna’s data shows that pastors score 82 out of 100 in vocational flourishing and 91 in faith (although their level of flourishing is still lower than Christians in general — 84 percent and 92, respectively).
• Pastors’ weakest area by far was relationships (67 for pastors vs. 85 for Christians in general). Younger pastors fared even worse in the data. 

When asked what they needed help with, pastors did not identify relationships. They focused on other stronger areas like spiritual growth and leadership development, revealing that relationships may be a blind spot for many.

• This is a huge problem because healthy churches need healthy leaders. Sustainable renewal movements come not from isolated heroes but from leaders who were deeply connected and relationally healthy.
• In order for churches to be renewed, their pastors have to be renewed. What does that look like? Below are some ideas to get started!

Helping pastors develop more and better relationships

1.  Peer Groups

• Pastors need a place where they can be themselves, not just the leader of others. Gathering for dinner once a month can allow pastors to share wisdom, laugh together, and carry one another’s burdens. Peer groups help us know that others are facing the same challenges and walking the same road we are.

2. Spiritual direction

• Spiritual directors can be wonderful resources to pastors. It’s less about giving advice and more about helping pastors stay connected to Jesus. Spiritual directors help leaders slow down and notice the Spirit’s work beneath all the noise of ministry.

3. Coaching

• A good coach helps pastors stay aligned with their calling by offering practical help along the way. Having been where we are going next, coaches understand what challenges lie ahead and can help us face them in a healthy way. This helps pastors gain perspective and maintain hope amid ongoing challenges.

4. Counseling

• Just like physical health, emotional health does not happen automatically. It takes focused attention and wise investments. Pastors often carry grief and anxiety without even being aware of the weight — until it is too late. Family counseling is also particularly helpful because of the unique strains ministry places on marriages and the burdens that pastors’ spouses often carry.

5.  Daily rest, weekly sabbath, and regular sabbaticals

• Pastors are not super-human. Those who neglect their own need for rest will burn out. God created us to need daily, weekly, and longer-term rhythms of rest. For example, when we disconnect completely for 24 hours a week, God reminds us that he is the one ultimately accomplishing the renewal work. What a comfort in seeing that the weight of the whole world does not rest on our shoulders!

Because flourishing leaders create flourishing churches, pastors should never feel guilty about investing in their own health. A key part of thriving as a person is cultivating close relationships where you are fully known and deeply loved. This requires a lot of time, and it doesn’t happen accidentally. What steps can you take today to begin flourishing in this area of life?