No leader or pastor starts their career or starts a church with thinking about quitting. All of them start with grand plans and dreams of the future and finishing, retiring, making it to the end with friends and family around them.
Yet statistically that is incredibly rare. Most quit, give up, fall out of the race, or simply stop trying while still collecting a paycheck.
According to stats:
- 78% of pastors say they have no close friends.
- 1,500 pastors quit each month.
- 70% of pastors battle depression.
- Only 10% of pastors will retire as a pastor.
Recently I’ve had several pastors talk about not wanting to burn out, which seems like a good goal. But the moment you start talking about burnout, you have moved into a dangerous place.
Let me throw out a different question, one I think is better: How can you lead and live at a sustainable pace?
There is a great passage in Matthew that you have more than likely heard a sermon on, or if you are a pastor you’ve preached on this passage. It is so common and so easy to forget the power in it.
To remind you, this is what it says in The Message version:
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.
I think according to this passage, there are four things healthy leaders (or non-leaders) do:
1. Healthy leaders don’t try to be God.
We say we aren’t trying to be God or we say we can’t save anyone, only the Holy Spirit can, but many leaders carry the burden that they can, or at the very least, they will try.
We think, “If I can just talk to them, or get them to read this book or hear this podcast, that will help.” It might, but it might not.
We can also drift so far from God personally that we simply lead out of our abilities and strengths. This is easy to do if you have a strong speaking gift. You can cover up your lack of relationship with God by being charismatic or interesting on stage.
2. Healthy leaders walk and work with Jesus, not for Jesus.
Yes, Jesus is the chief shepherd and the senior pastor of your church, but you don’t work for him. We work with him and through the power of the Holy Spirit. We follow what the Spirit starts and is doing.
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