Nov 11, 2021 | Difficult people, Disappointment, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Pastor, People Leaving, Relationships
When people leave the church you pastor, God often mourns—and so should you—at least for a while. As a young pastor, the worst days in my life were when people I cared about decided to leave. But now I understand those didn’t have to be my worst days. When people...
Oct 7, 2021 | Disappointment, Doubt, Leadership, Loss, Ministry Leader, Pastor, People Leaving, Uncategorized
Today, Jaime Hlavin writes a post on a subject nearly every church in America is dealing with: How do we move forward in light of the huge organizational (and personal) losses we’ve experienced during the past 18 months? Enjoy ~ John During those early weeks and...
Oct 8, 2020 | Anger, Depression, Disappointment, discouragement, Grief, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Pastor, People Leaving, Uncategorized
“We’re grieving the loss of what was, Pre-COVID.” “We had so much momentum in March, and then . . .” “People have disappeared and we don’t know where they are.” These statements from pastors reveal a common thread: Leaders are grieving the loss of what was before the...
Feb 1, 2018 | Burnout, Calling, discouragement, Fatigue, Leadership, Pastor, People Leaving, Quitting, Stress, Uncategorized
What should you do if you’re a pastor and have lost the passion for your calling? What can you do when your assignment seems fuzzy, difficult, perplexing, and you find yourself wondering: “God, why did You lead me to this church?” Most pastors wrestle with these...
Jan 18, 2018 | Calling, Leadership, Pastor, People Leaving, Uncategorized
A healthier way to say “goodbye” to people who leave your church starts with a healthier way of saying “hello” when they arrive. Today I’d like to share a brief excerpt from a new book I coauthored with Jim Wiegand, Putting the Good in Goodbye Jim: Few things are more...
Jan 11, 2018 | Burnout, Calling, Career, Emotional Health, Fatigue, friendship, Leadership, Loneliness, Ministry Leader, Missionary, Pastor, Pastor's Spouse, People Leaving, People-pleasing, Relationships, Rest, Stress, Uncategorized
In last week’s blog we looked at 5 Common Stressors Pastors Face: Difficulty separating from work Wear and tear of spiritual warfare Societal dysfunction Raising/maintaining church budget Sensitivity Today I’d like to offer some practical ways pastors can address...
