Growing up in a pastor’s home I saw things that the average church member did not. Things that were both wonderful and grievous, such as thoughtful people who cared and people who forgot that other people have problems too. People are all failing humans and as my father used to say, “If you can’t stand the smell of sheep, don’t be a shepherd.” I love people and I love the fact that I get to spend my life seeking to help them. Now mind you I don’t always do the right thing as sometimes I fail to serve everyone the way they need. But I try to rest in the fact that everyone's real help needs to be the Lord and I just need to point them to Him anyway. So regardless of what you take away from this article, know that this pastor, and most pastors, truly love their people and are glad to be called into the position they are in.
Monday morning is one of the hardest days for most preachers. These difficult moments of Mondays are often called “Monday Morning Ministry Blues.” This time of discouragement usually comes because the day before did not go as planned, either because the people did not respond as expected or the pastor recognizes that he did not minister as he had hoped. Either way Monday morning is often a discouraging time for many pastors. This is especially true for bi-vocational pastors as on Monday morning they have to get back into the saddle of earning a living without the day before impacting their work responsibilities.
So what does “Monday Morning Ministry Blues” entail? In a short list it is a time of second guessing your message selection, of doubting your call into ministry all together, of your call to a specific ministry location, of people’s desire to actually live out what they say they believe, or whether it’s worth putting your family through this “ministry” anymore. You see Monday is when Satan pulls out his big guns directed at preachers - discouragement, doubt, and loneliness. Satan loves to see a pastor depressed, because a depressed pastor can easily lead to a defeated pastor.
So should a pastor fight this assault?
- Pray extra on Monday morning - remember it’s a spiritual battle and you need spiritual strength (Colossians 1:9).
- Serve the needy on Mondays - this helps us know that we are about ministry not about ourselves. We are more likely to get depressed when we bury ourselves in ourselves. So often Mondays become a day in which we as pastors withdraw from everyone to “recover” when we need to revive (Galatians 5:13).
- Openly praise God for His greatness. There is no greater internal strengthening force than praising the greatness of our God (James 4:7-10). Focus on Him and His awesomeness!!!
If you are a church member that is concerned about your pastor being burned out on Mondays here a couple of suggestions to help him keep from the Monday Morning Ministry Blues:
- Call your pastor to say you are praying for him, or better yet, pray with him on the phone (1 Thessalonians 5:25). Let him know what about his message encouraged your heart.
- Coordinate with other members of your church to write a note each Monday to your pastor. This may not uplift your pastor on Mondays, but it surely will show him that you were thinking of his ministry which will encourage his heart (1 Thessalonians 5:14).
- Prepare a meal for your pastor’s family on Monday after calling to say your bringing them lunch or dinner. This uplifts the entire family especially if your pastor is bi-vocational (1 Timothy 5:1).
The main reasons that “full-time” Christian servants quit the ministry are related to discouragement which can be prevented with the Lord’s help and a little preparation by the pastor and his church. Know that your pastor is human and needs your encouragement just as much as any church member. If you are a pastor, don’t forget to share your burden with someone, even if it means calling someone in another state. God doesn't want His servants to quit, but also He doesn’t want to them be weary in the doing either (2 Thessalonians 3:13).
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