The best thing a pastor can do right now

Bud Brown July 29, 2020

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"I don't want to see another email, I refuse to answer my phone when it rings, and I cringe every time a text message comes through." Three different pastors in different parts of the country sang that lament during our coaching sessions just this past week.

This tells me the most important thing pastors need to be doing right now so they'll be able to go the distance and lead their churches through these crazy times.

What many thought would be a short sprint turned into a grueling endurance contest. When COVID-19 hit and quarantine orders flowed, pastors scrambled to stream their services. They did what needed doing without going through all the regular decision making channels. In the backs of our minds we knew it would be rough for a bit and then we'd all go back to the status quo ante (aka "normal"). Until then we planned on living with the craziness of mounting demands, shrinking resources, and no clear plan.

But this has gone on far longer than most pastors anticipated, and it's not over yet. Some I've spoken to the past two weeks have re-opened and then had to close up again. Others are embroiled in legal battles with the governing authorities. And most pastors are tired. They're running on fumes. And more than a few are ready to pack it in and go sell insurance.

That fast and furious footrace has turned into the most grueling race of all, the 800 meter sprint. Sprinters in track and field competitions can run several short races in one meet, going all out for 10 to 20 seconds for each event. Distance runners often run two events in one meet because these tactical races are carefully planned—when to go out, when to draft, when to hydrate and slam down that pack of goo, and when to kick.

The 800 is different. It's never tactical. It's always a flat out sprint for half a mile.

Pastor, if you entered this race without some tactical planning, you may have put yourself in danger. Because you love the church and take your job seriously, you rolled up your sleeves, threw out the planning calendar, and dove into the fray with relish. You took on extra responsibility, you accommodated others, you put in too many hours, and you've not taken care of yourself as well as you should.

So what's the single most important thing a pastor should do? Protect your day off without fail. Take time to supply those deep-seated needs for rest, respite, and re-connecting with Jesus. You should take an extra day each month to find sustenance in Christ.

A tsunami of COVID-19, quarantines, riots, racial tensions, demands for online services and dozens of other challenges has slammed pastors and churches. Pastor, you're not going to be much good to yourself, the church, or the mission if you burn out because you inadvertently neglected the basic principle of resting one day out of seven.

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Bud Brown is an experienced ministry leader, writer and educator. He is co-founder of Turnaround Pastors and co-author of the ground-breaking Pastor Unique: Becoming A Turnaround Leader. He brings special expertise to change leadership in the local church, mentoring pastors to become revitalization leaders, training churches how to find and recruit the best talent, and training leadership teams how to achieve their shared goals. Learn More »

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