An occupational hazard of ministry is not finishing well, and this was the topic guest speaker Lorne Meisner was asked to address at the Ministerial meeting held on June 2, 2023. Board of Leadership and Outreach (BLO) chair Cameron McKenzie introduced Lorne Meisner as his former professor and a pastor of many years—someone who loves the Scriptures, loves the church, and loves people.

Many who start in ministry do not finish in ministry, Meisner said, and ministers need to start thinking about this early. He talked briefly about times when a minister needs to step away from ministry. When that happens, Meisner advised, admit the reality of your circumstances and your emotions, and assess the situation with the help of trusted colleagues and spouse. The goal is to be restored to ministry if possible and it’s important, he said, to avoid knee-jerk reactions.

Guardrails to keep pastors in ministry

Meisner went on to talk about the guardrails pastors need which need to be in place long before a wipeout. There are many reasons a minister can lose heart. Meisner used REST as an acronym for these guardrails.

R – Remind ourselves of our calling and our motivation. We do not proclaim or promote ourselves—we are Jesus’ servants (2 Corinthians 4:5). We need to remember why we entered the ministry, Meisner said—we remind ourselves of God’s calling on us and not just subjectively of the times we did well. Also, invest in relationships, particularly those of our family.

Resources

Fruitful Boughs Broken: Pastors: Fruitful, Broken, and Restored by Glenn C. Taylor

The Emotionally Healthy Leader: How Transforming Your Inner Life Will Deeply Transform Your Church, Team, and the World by Peter Scazzero

Mentorlink

E – Exercise in all areas of life: physically, mentally and spiritually. Exercise accountability—have others in your life, especially someone older. Be realistic about how much time we give to the ministry. Two extremes to avoid are working to the clock and putting in far too much time; this, Meisner added, is not impressive. Maintain balance, realizing there will be crises and emergencies.

S – Sabbath rhythms in your schedule: daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. Investing in academic training is good, but sabbaticals should be restful. Ministry results in accumulated weariness. This is compassion fatigue and other caregiving professions experience it as well.

T – Treasure Jesus Christ: 2 Corinthians 4:6–7. Jesus is our model for living the Christian life. Others may outstrip us, but the final accounting is before Christ. Treasure him, his eternal values, and the things he gives us.

Some comments coming out of the discussion included:

1) We also need to help people in our churches figure out their rhythms of sabbath.

2) If we don’t rest, we communicate to others that they shouldn’t rest either.

3) Our obsession with results burns out the young and makes the older ministers feel useless.