September 4, 2025
We interviewed four experts about how to plan for a sabbatical—from how to have those early conversations with your church leaders to exactly what you ought to do during your time away.
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.
September 1, 2022
A tragic event like the unthinkable massacre of schoolchildren generates an understandable emotional response. The faith community often responds with the words “thoughts and prayers,” which incenses secularists who consider them to be “do-nothing” sentiments. But God uses the thoughts, prayers, and actions of dedicated Christ followers to change troubled young men into godly leaders. I know, because he used them to change me.
April 1, 2021
I had always assumed suicide rates were higher in the winter months. Cold winds, icy streets, gray skies, and more time alone indoors were all things I equated with sadness and depression. This most recent winter brought an even colder chill—a storm in the form of a pandemic that shut down activities, closed stores, and stopped people from gathering. And with this storm came the gusty wind of political tension. People bundled themselves up with fear, worry, and a deep sadness in what had been lost over the past 12 months. Save.org—a website operated by Suicide Awareness Voices of Education—shares
March 30, 2021
Loneliness is a perpetual problem among pastors, and it only has intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to two experts who specialize in care for pastors—Dr. Wes Beavis and Alan Ahlgrim. “There’s not a pastor out there who does not need authentic friendships,” Beavis said.
October 17, 2019
By Jerry Harris Leaders from all over the country descended on the Marriott World Center in Orlando, Florida, for the first-ever Spire Conference from October 8 to 10. More than 1,500 leaders from churches of all sizes gathered with their staffs to learn, network, and collaborate to inspire a movement of healthy, growing churches. One hundred three churches with weekly average attendances of more than 1,000 were represented. This gathering highlighted the Spire platform, a 24/7 tool to facilitate year-round encouragement, tools, best practices, and relationships inside the Restoration Movement. The platform also serves as an invitation into relationship for
September 10, 2017
By Chuck Dennie Snap a pic of you getting it done and make sure to include #hustle . . . We live in a world where we compare our lives with the highlight reels we see displayed on our social media channels. The latest buzzword #hustle has been elevated to rock-star status. #hustle has even become a platform on which some leaders are standing . . . at least until that platform crumbles. I have been that leader. I am an ENTJ with a top strength of competition on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality inventory. ENTJ + competition =Â hustle. I
August 10, 2017
By Kelly Carr I was in the throes of my job editing The Lookout. The weekly nonstop pace provided a rhythm to my work, yet by the spring of 2016, two and a half years in, my freshness was waning””I just hadn”t realized it yet. Around that time, I was invited to attend the Catalyst leadership conference and interview some of the featured speakers for The Lookout. Although I intended solely to mine material for the magazine, I unexpectedly unearthed something from the sessions””rejuvenation in my own leadership. GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES After my positive experience last year, I recently attended Catalyst
January 22, 2017
By Alan Ahlgrim Every person can relate to being at the end of his or her rope””especially leaders! But realizing that secrets like these are common to many can lead to solutions and calm. Secrets””everyone has them. I”ve been close to a group of business entrepreneurs for years. We used to gather every week for lunch, now we connect every few months and it”s always a grand reunion. Recently, as we finished our sandwiches in a business conference room, I interrupted the chatter by reading a passage from Matthew 5. When I asked what stood out the most in this teaching
May 23, 2016
By Tim Harlow There is always a great deal of chatter among my peers about succession planning and the right time to step away from leadership of the local church. I have been at my post for 26 years and would like to make it another 14. But I am only one year away from the senior discount at IHOP. If that weren”t bad enough, it also means that next year I qualify for the 55+ Ministers and Wives Conference. Ben Merold spoke this year! How can I be in the same category as Ben Merold? I interned under him,
March 30, 2016
By Jim Tune I”ve thought through ten axioms that are helpful for me as I try to lead others and myself responsibly. Here are five for this week, with five more to follow in next week”s blog: 1. It”s okay to ask for help. There are good people ready and willing to help you. You can”t do this job alone so get all the help you can. Ask for support and then be easy to support. 2. Make mistakes. Mistakes are a great educator when one is honest enough to admit them and willing to learn from them. Gretchin Rubin
September 1, 2014
By Michael C. Mack Leadership Journal asked its readers, “Have you experienced burnout in ministry?” (Winter 2014). While the results show a high degree of leader burnout, the good news is that more than half of the respondents are either enduring the challenges of burnout or have dealt successfully with it. Here is how readers responded: Christian counselor, author, and speaker John Townsend has provided a cure for leadership burnout using the following mathematical structure: In an ideal world, he says, a leader should have resources that equal, or exceed, responsibilities. But a large number of responsibilities with very few
January 12, 2013
By Tim Harlow One day, Kish lost some donkeys, so he sent his son Saul out to find them. Saul looked for days but couldn”t find the donkeys anywhere, so he went to Samuel the prophet for advice. Little did Saul know God orchestrated the whole thing so that he and Samuel would meet, because God decided Saul would be the new king of Israel. When Samuel told Saul about God”s vision of leadership, Saul was understandably reluctant. One minute he was out looking for some stubborn animals, and the next he was being told God had picked him for
August 6, 2012
By Daniel Sherman Burnout is one of the fiercest foes of pastoral ministry. It robs a pastor of needed energy and creates an atmosphere characterized by cynicism and futility. But it”s neither inevitable nor permanent. Still, one must be on guard and have appropriate weapons to confront burnout. Last week we discussed the definition and the cause of burnout. We learned a minister is suffering burnout when he (1) feels exhausted; (2) becomes cynical, removed, emotionally distant from people and ministry; and (3) believes he is not making any difference””that all his work is in vain. A burned-out person will
July 30, 2012
By Daniel Sherman “I”m exhausted! I don”t think I can endure one more day.” You might be surprised at how many ministers feel this way. If you are a minister and you are worn-out, you are not alone. Church leaders need to be a constant source of support and encouragement for a minister so he doesn”t become a member of the “former ministers” group. But we need to be careful not to equate exhaustion with burnout. Exhaustion may be a symptom of burnout, but it isn”t burnout. Burnout is a gradual process of loss during which the mismatch between the needs of
September 22, 2011
By Mandy Smith The first 35 years of my life I honored God by doing. My plan for the next 35 years is also to honor him by not doing. Exodus 34:21 helped bring me to this turning point. It says: “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.” Around my 35th year I found I had worked myself out and had nothing more to give. My plan to single-handedly save the world was failing miserably since I could barely manage the grocery shopping. So
August 1, 2010
By Brad Dupray Pastoral ministry is sometimes daunting, sometimes exhilarating, but nearly always challenging. In his 30 years of ministry, Derek Lauer has seen the peaks and valleys and learned how to meet the challenges along the way. Derek served in youth ministries in California and Arizona, and has been a senior pastor for the past 17 years, first in Arizona, and now at Northeast Christian Church in Rockford, Illinois. He holds an undergraduate degree from Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri, and a master”s from Cincinnati (Ohio) Christian Seminary. What”s the hardest thing about being in the ministry? <laughs> Floyd
August 1, 2010
By Ryan Conner Jim had trouble sleeping. He lay in bed most of the night tossing and turning. His mind kept repeating the same list of tasks. Getting ready for his day of ministry duties seemed to require extra effort. He dreaded going into the church office and dealing with the phone messages, e-mails, and the handful of people who can”t seem to leave him alone. The same ministry tasks that used to bring Jim so much joy and fulfillment””visitation, leading small groups, even preaching””now brought only stress and frustration. Thoughts popped into his mind throughout the day””perhaps he should
August 1, 2010
By Mark A. Taylor Any of us could create situations that might lead to burnout among our Christian leaders. But burnout-afflicted ministers are not at the mercy of forces around them. They can control several steps that will lead to restored health. Ryan Connor this week makes some suggestions. R. Loren Sandford offers more in his book Renewal for the Wounded Warrior: A Burnout Survival Guide for Believers (Chosen Books, 2010). His advice for growing out of burnout can also help many of us from falling into it in the first place. Some of his ideas: “¢ Break the personal
January 17, 2010
By Wilbur Reid III Volunteer church leaders are busy. In addition to the typically demanding workweek, they have family responsibilities: driving kids to practices, maintaining the lawn, staying up with housework and laundry, and everything else that makes a healthy and happy home. On top of that, they feel a calling and responsibility to support the kingdom of God in their local church. They spend hours each week as elders, deacons, Sunday school teachers, nursery workers, and small group leaders. They maintain the building and grounds, sing in the choir, and work with the youth group. This busyness leads to
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