Hope For Weary Leaders
Leading is hard.
Leading through the last two and a half years has been harder than any of us could have anticipated.
In this complex cultural moment, the majority of leaders and pastors have experienced the combination of stress, anxiety and emotional exhaustion that has made them question the future of their role as a leader.
Many of us have asked ourselves:
Is the stress of this worth it for myself and my family?
Is there a vocation out there that would be easier and more fulfilling?
Since I am being attacked for all the decisions I make, should I just quit?
Am I ok, because I don't feel ok?
I personally have asked myself soul level questions about my vocation over the past two and a half years. I have walked through discouragement, moments of anxiety, a continuum of stress, moments of depression and weariness in my soul.
Barna has been researching pastors mental and emotional health during this time period. Their findings have been alarming, but not surprising.
Barna noted in 2021: "With pastors’ well-being on the line, and many on the brink of burnout, 38 percent indicate they have considered quitting full-time ministry within the past year." Read article here.
Barna noted in 2022: "As of March 2022, the percentage of pastors who have considered quitting full-time ministry within the past year sits at 42 percent." Read article here.
Barna probed the reasons why pastors were considering quitting: "Over half of pastors who have considered quitting full-time ministry (56%) say “the immense stress of the job” has factored into their thoughts on leaving. Beyond these general stressors, two in five pastors (43%) say “I feel lonely and isolated,” while 38 percent name “current political divisions” as reasons they’ve considered stepping away." Read article here.
Most of us, if we felt safe enough to be honest, would admit that we can relate to this experience. Stressed. Anxious. Frustrated. Tired. Overwhelmed. Weary. Possibly on the verge of burnout vocationally.
So, what comes next?
How do we move forward?
Here are a few thoughts about how we can move from this place of weariness to a healthy and hopeful future.
You Are Not Alone
You are not alone in this complex moment. You may feel alone. You may be attempting to persevere in isolation. The more I talk with other leaders and pastors, I have come to realize that this has been a shared experience. And the more I open up about the struggles and challenges I have faced during this time, the more other leaders have opened up about their struggles and challenges.
Think of all of us pastors and leaders as a team. When a team faces challenges, every person on that team feels it. No individual person on a team is alone during challenging times. Leaders and pastors share a common experience. We are together in this journey. Isolation is the enemy of healing. God created us to be in relationship and support one another through painful seasons. We need to stick together and support one another toward a healthy and hopeful future.
Find Moments of Rest
Weary leaders need rest. One of Jesus greatest invitations was an invitation to a place of rest. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28, NIV) This is an invitation for every weary leader in our moment. Rest can be challenging in a complex moment of leadership. You may be longing for rest, but finding that it seems elusive. That may be the case for many of us because weariness takes time to recover from. There are natural phases to stress, and stress should naturally lead to a phase of recovery.
When we don't experience a recovery phase, it leads to a state of exhaustion. Exhaustion and weariness take time to recover from. And the way forward is through intentional decisions. Leading on empty eventually leads to burnout. To combat leading on empty, we have to choose to fill our tank once again--spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally and relationally. That means we need to begin to create margin to say no to certain leadership demands so that you can say yes to finding rest and renewal for our soul. Your leadership demands will far outweigh your capacity to meet all of them in a moment like this. Jesus often got away to rest and replenish. This may be a time for you to do the same—build in intentional rhythms weekly, monthly and yearly to get away to replenish and heal from the stress of this cultural moment.
Practicaly this may look like…
A daily rest. An intentional commitment to cultivate healthy sleep patterns.
A weekly sabbath. An intentional day to rest and replenish your soul.
A monthly disconnect. An intentional few days to invest in your health—spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally and relationally.
A yearly vacation. An intentional time away, once or multiple times per year, to enjoy life and disconnect from work.
There Are Better Days Ahead
This complex moment of leadership is not your destination. This moment is simply a part of your journey. You can be honest. This season has been hard. This moment has been exhausting. This moment may have been the most challenging moment of leadership in your life. How do we work toward a hopeful future? First, we have to lead honestly. As leaders and followers of Jesus we have to learn to be honest about what we are facing. We have to come to God honestly in our pain. We have to come to community honestly in our pain. This is a healthy way forward. Second, we have to recognize that honesty breeds a renewed sense of hope. Healing does not take place in hiding. What is hidden cannot be healed. True hope faces reality honestly and allows you to grieve in your suffering while also knowing that this is not the end of your story as a leader and follower of Jesus. There is hope for you. Hope that through the complexity of leadership, God is still using you. Hope that through the weariness of this cultural moment, you have a future with a renewed sense of calling. Hope that because of Jesus, THERE ARE BETTER DAYS AHEAD for you.
Don't quit. We need you. You place of leadership and influence is valuable. You are making a difference even when you are not aware. We are in this together. Let's pursue a healthy and hopeful future.
Much Love + Peace,
Wesley Towne, Founder + Speaker