Why Good Pastors Are Burning Out (And The Church May Be The Reason)

May I interfere in your life today? In doing so, I must be honest: I want to make you think and possibly make you uncomfortable. Ready? What primary role does your pastor fulfill? Your options are limited. Is he primarily the CEO or the (under)shepherd?

As a pastor, and as a brother in Christ who gets to spend time with pastors, I can say with confidence, “Many congregations expect pastors to function primarily as executives, entrepreneurs, marketers, and organizational leaders, as opposed to faithfully preaching, teaching, and shepherding the flock of Christ.” Why would I say that? There are congregations as a whole, or individuals within them, who see pastors as paid employees with a contract to fulfill all duties, and their success is measured by attendance, budgets, building projects, social media hits, innovation, and congregational numerical growth. Yet, this is not what the Bible teaches. Elders are called to have very specific roles.

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction (2 Tim 4:1-2 LSB).

When a pastor is pulled in every direction, or wearing many hats, the preaching ministry will suffer. When time is consumed for all sorts of things, what takes place in the study, time in prayer, time in the editing, and even personal reading and reflecting will set into motion a negative outcome for the pastor, their family, and the congregations they serve. What's sad is that many good expositors will lose their vocations as the very demands placed upon them by that congregation will be the reason for dismissal. “We are not being fed” is one statement that arises; yet more alarming is when the pastor focuses on feeding: “You are not keeping the budget,” or “You are not at every event or present at our Bible study,” often arise.

Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, overseeing not under compulsion, but willingly, according to God; and not for dishonest gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to you, but being examples to the flock (1 Peter 5:2-4 LSB).

What do we see here? An elder is to shepherd the flock of God among you. The root of shepherd in the Greek is ποιμαίνω (poimainō), and it means to tend, lead, guide within the task of caring for sheep. One of the main reasons pastors are not accessible is that they are too busy with spreadsheets, agendas, policies, and the tasks the congregation is called to perform in their service to Jesus. Oppose to equipping the saints for ministry (Ephesians 4:11-16), praying and devoting themselves to the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4) they are preoccupied with matters that should take care of themselves through faithful service and the deacons. It may offend some, but the reality is Scripture nowhere commands pastors to build impressive organizations, serve in every ministry, attend every event, but to faithfully care for Christ’s lambs.

Do you agree with that assessment? Or do you feel the pastor is on the payroll and must therefore do the majority of the heavy lifting to alleviate the church’s tasks to serve, and to please everyone? Since I interfered with you, let me get personal with you. One of my weakest areas in ministry, call it a temptation, is to become a people-pleaser. At times, I  get external expectations from some that I am to avoid controversial doctrines, not to offend, maintain every friendship, satisfy every ministry preference, visit every person, and resolve every disagreement. Part of me wants to fulfill these expectations so that I come across as a nice guy, but is it right or healthy? Since I have been personal and transparent, may I now be brutally honest? Such views and demands create an impossible standard on a pastor! The Apostle Paul made a statement in his letter to the Galatian church I believe is fitting here.

“For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a slave of Christ (Galatians 1:10 LSB).

Here is why I like it; it reminds me and you that the pastoral office is a calling, and the calling is not to maintain universal approval but to faithfully proclaim “the whole purpose of God” (Acts 20:27). It is in the sermon, through the Word faithfully preached, when the real demands are met. And to be repetitive, congregants must learn to walk in a mature, disciplined manner so as not to expect or demand that the pastor is everyone’s counselor, visitor, friend, event attendee, problem solver, and immediately available 24/7, 365 days a year.

Many pastors are walking in exhaustion and, even on their “annual leave,” are putting out fires, dealing with ministry, and not resting. With the increasing exhaustion, there is poor performance from office hours to preaching. We must remember, the New Testament Church shares ministry and weight. It belongs to the whole church. Elders shepherd, deacons serve, members minister, and every believer exercises their spiritual gifts (Rom 12:3-8, 1 Cor 12, Eph 4:12). Friends, when we shift the pastor’s focus away from his biblically assigned priorities of prayer, preaching, shepherding, personal holiness, and equipping the saints, we are not impacting just the pastor, but their family and the overall health of the congregation. Let’s say it this way, “when a congregation measures its pastors by worldly expectations rather than biblical qualifications (Read 1 Tim 3 and Titus 1), both the pastor and the church suffer.” Remember, a healthy church protects one another, and protects their pastors from unbiblical demands so they can devote themselves to the ministry Christ entrusted to them.

  In closing, the purpose of this post is not to rebuke the faithful congregation who already loves, protects, and prays for their pastor. Many churches do this well, and their pastors flourish because of it. This is an invitation for all of us to examine our own hearts. Have we placed expectations upon our pastors that Christ never did? Have we expected one man to carry burdens the Lord intended the whole body to share? Have we measured pastoral faithfulness by worldly success rather than biblical obedience? If reading this post the Holy Spirit has exposed an attitude of entitlement, criticism, or unrealistic demands, then the response is not defensiveness but repentance. Ask the Lord to forgive you where you have treated your pastor more like an employee than Jesus’ under shepherd. Commit yourself to pray for your pastor more than criticize, encourage more than burden, and protect their time needed to devote to prayer and the ministry of the word, as opposed to always demanding that time. Such love is not merely kindness towards the pastor; it is an act of love for Jesus, who purchased His church with His own blood and appointed the under shepherds to look after it until He returns (Acts 20:28)

Lastly, here is a book recommendation I encourage you to read: Freeing Your Pastor to Serve With Joy, written by Pastor Jack Flietstra, it will aid in the second step of this reflection in your growth and service.

In His Merciful Arms,

P/Steve