In today’s episode, we welcome Greg Surratt to the mic. Greg is the founding pastor of Seacoast Church in South Carolina, the co-founder of the Association of Related Churches (ARC), and a pastor to thousands of pastors across the world. In our conversation today, we conclude our two-part look at the challenges regarding the health and wellbeing of pastors and unpack how we can respond to elevated levels of burnout among pastors and get in front of this problem with our younger, emerging leaders.

How did your years in the marketplace influence your pastoral work?

• Visionary people surrounded me.
• I learned to enjoy being on the bleeding edge of research and development.

As you look across the pastoral landscape, what do you see in pastors’ lives?

• Forty-two percent are indicating some level of burnout. Pastoring is both wonderful and stressful at the same time.
• Burnout warning signs?
  • Low energy.
  • Cynicism.
  • “Am I making a difference?”
  • Heightened irritability.
  • Things that used to put wind in our sails no longer do.

What are common contributing factors to the elevated level of burnout among pastors?

• The ongoing stress of the role.
• Isolation and loneliness.
• The polarization of our country.
• Unmet expectations.
• Unresolved grief.
• Shame: “I’m not good enough.”