In honor of Pastor Appreciation Sunday this weekend, I’d like to give a shout out to the creative, hard-working, servant-hearted pastors out there. Jeff and I speak in churches all over the country, and have met more of you than we could ever count.
Of course, we all can—and should—celebrate our pastors more than one day a year, and I want to shed light on practical ways we can do just that. Because the sobering truth is that a sense of being overwhelmed, discouraged and lonely are real aspects of ministry—and have gotten worse in recent years. (Think: COVID shutdowns, mask debates, politics, cancel culture …)
According to 2023 data from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, more than half (53%) of pastors have seriously considered leaving pastoral ministry at least once since 2020.
Jeff and I were conducting research at a recent retreat for about 1,700 senior pastors and their spouses, and multiple attendees provided confidential thoughts for this blog. So here are 5 things your pastor wishes you knew—paired with doable steps you can take to tend to your pastor’s heart all year long.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In