By Daniel McCoy
So said Lucky Day, played by Steve Martin in The Three Amigos, when he was shot off his horse. Weren’t they just there to shoot an action movie? With his arm bleeding, Lucky stormed over to the henchman who had shot him, demanding to see the gun. When he discovered the pistol had real bullets and not blanks, he said, “You’re in a lot of trouble, mister!” But when Lucky looked around and saw that all the villains had belts of real bullets, he realized he was the one in trouble. He walked back to the other two amigos and said with a frown, “This is real.”
When was the moment that you realized ministry could be painfully real? Did disagreements with church leadership spill over into unkindness toward your family? Did you have a Jonathan transform into a Judas? Did unmanaged stress slowly morph into undiagnosed mental illness? Did you find yourself lonely, realizing years into ministry that playing a friendly, pastoral role had replaced actual friendships? Did you find yourself trying to straddle a seismic, expanding divide, pulling at both sides only to make everybody angry at you?
In the words of the Red Green Show (I live in Iowa), “We’re pulling for you” here at RENEW.org. Here are 10 ideas to help you deal with discouragement in ministry. If you’re currently struggling with discouragement, I hope you try at least one or two of these and find them helpful.
Know you’re not crazy.
If making disciples is the “road” churches are to drive, there are a couple “ditches” it’s easy to drift into. Many are drawn into an ineffective traditionalism, while others are drawn into an unfaithful progressivism. If you care about both effectiveness and faithfulness, we want you to know there’s an entire network committed to effective and faithful disciple making, called RENEW.org. You’re not crazy. You’re not alone. (Check out RENEW.org’s Real Life Theology family of books and videos that help bring clarity and alignment on the most important questions of the Christian faith.)
Do something else.
We recently held a RENEW.org Learning Community event (see #6 below) on the topic of pastoral burnout. To avoid burnout, one of our speakers, Bob Russell, advised us, “Nurture a hobby that has nothing to do with the church.” Find something that fuels your interests and gives you a break. (Check out Chapter 1, “How to Know Yourself,” in Rhythms: How to Live Out Real Life Theology.)
Write yourself some rules.
I’ve recently discovered the effectiveness of writing rules for myself and posting them on my wall. You know how checking the news too often can be depressing? That’s why for me, Rule #3 is “check news only once per day.” Set rules for yourself that minimize stress and safeguard what refuels you. (Check out Damien and Christina Charley’s “7 Rules Healthy Couples Set for Themselves” at RENEW.org.)
Read a book—with someone.
Sometimes in ministry we are tempted to be everybody’s “answer man” or “answer woman.” Dial back the pressure by adopting the posture of a learner alongside someone else in your church, with the Holy Spirit as the teacher. Check out the numerous “discipling resource” books published by RENEW.org.
Practice silence and solitude.
As Doug Gamble of Good News Productions, International (GNPI), explains, in silence and solitude, God gets and directs our attention, and it’s in silence and solitude that we can experience God’s love deeply. (Check out the article series on pastoral burnout by Doug Gamble at RENEW.org.)
Join a Learning Community.
At RENEW.org, we have around 30 regional Learning Communities, each comprised of around 10 senior leaders in the region, which meet regularly to encourage each other. Each Learning Community event centers on a topic of ministry interest, such as unity amid politics, pastoral burnout, and Christian sexual ethics. (Get connected with a RENEW.org Learning Community near you.)
Plan a sabbatical.
For the sake of ministry sustainability and personal renewal, it might be wise for you to request an extended break sometime on the horizon. (Check out Jeff Duerler’s recent article on ministry sabbaticals, where he thoroughly describes the what, the why, the how, and additional resources regarding sabbatical policies.)
Elijah, meet Elisha
Disciple making is the core mission of the church. And it very well might be what breaks the spell of discouragement as you go about ministry. When Elijah lamented to God, “I am the only one left” (1 Kings 19:10), God sent him Elisha. There’s a “Timothy” in your church. Yes, he or she might be inexperienced or immature. Disciple him or her anyway. At the end of Paul’s ministry, Timothy ended up being a source of joy and hope which chased away Paul’s loneliness. (Our theology and apologetics certificates are being developed for training up leaders from within our churches. Stay tuned.)
Align your leaders.
Is in-house division making you feel discouraged and alone? When a car starts pulling the wrong direction, you’ve got to check alignment, and it’s much the same with churches. (You might be interested in RENEW.org’s Leadership Alignment, which walks leadership teams through alignment in five crucial areas: mission, theology, ministry philosophy, organization, and relationships.)
Come to a national Gathering.
Amid the chaotic challenges staring down churches committed to King Jesus, we are hopeful for the future. As his disciples, we bow before a King whose love for us and reign over us will never end. Amid a quaking world, “we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28). If you’re feeling that you could use some extra, in-person encouragement, we want to encourage you to join us for this year’s RENEW.org National Gathering in Indianapolis, IN, on April 27-28, 2025, as together we face the next quarter of this century, committed to making true disciples of King Jesus.
For more info on these resources, contact [email protected].
Daniel McCoy is editorial director for Renew.org in Franklin, Tennessee.
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