Why Pastors Feel Like Quitting

Let me start by making it clear that I am NOT ready to quit, nor do I have any intention of quitting anytime in the future.  This article is written to help those who are trying to help their pastors but do not know what to do and for every pastors to know they are not alone in their struggles.

1. Pastors feel ineffective.  I am convinced that most pastors want to make a difference in their communities.  They want to see people saved and they want to see Christians growing in Christ.  But I also believe that most pastors feel ineffective a lot of the time.  Pastors wisely set goals, but, many times the goals are not met and thus they set themselves up for feelings of ineffectiveness based on those goals.  We “feel” ineffective because we do not see what we hoped we would see, either in ourselves or our church.  Pastors can easily question themselves with thoughts of “I wonder if someone else could do a better job here.”  I know that the phrase “I’ve done all I can here” is a bit of a cliche, but once again it is a real thought often born out of the feeling of ineffectiveness.
2. Pastors have personal battles that discourage them.  Contrary to many misconceptions, pastors are people (sinners) too.  They have the same flesh, struggles, and discouragements that everyone has in their daily lives.  It is just that they are supposed to have grown to such a place in their Christian life that those struggles can be defeated through Holy Spirit strength that mature Christians have learned to rely upon.  Remember that Jesus was tempted in ALL points are we are (Hebrews 4:15).  But when a pastor struggles with a personal issue, it really makes quitting seem like a viable option.  Pastors want to live for God and defeat the sin in their lives, but when you are trying to carry everyone else’s burden, carrying your own becomes a weight almost unbearable.
3. Pastors get frustrated by their people.  People are people, no matter where you go.  There is no place where people’s problems are not real and at times frustrating.  Several years ago, Evangelist Ben Everson wrote a song that spoke of a pastor who came home one day discouraged because people he had ministered to for two years hadn’t changed.  Now, some pastors might laugh at that and say within themselves they have worked with people that seemingly haven’t changed after twenty years!  But it is true that when pour your heart and soul into people and they seemingly continue to do the same things over and over again, you may want to quit because you are frustrated and weary.  But once again we are not alone in this as even Jesus was wearied by the people He sought to ministry to (Matthew 17:17).
4. Pastors feel alone.  We call this the Elisha complex, but it IS a real issue and nothing to joke about.  Even Paul in Romans 11:3 references this potential problem in the context of describing grace and works.  When a pastor has to go clean the church early Sunday morning because no one else signed up to do it, he feels alone.  When a pastor goes visiting week after week alone because the church people are occupied, he feels alone.  When the pastor’s wife has to take nursery week after week because no one else sees the importance of having a place of babies to be during service, the feeling of being alone settles into the heart very easily.  It isn’t that the pastor wants to be alone, but that he FEELS alone and that is enough to cause quitting seem possible.  Let me quickly add to you that are pastors - Don’t forget that people have lives away from church and sometimes we get discouraged when they don’t volunteer like we expect them to do.  Just remember, pastor, that if you need a day off, then so do your people and often pastors expect their people to minister on their days off….just be mindful of this before you let being alone settle deeply in your heart.
5. Pastors forget they are serving God first and foremost.  Really when we come down to it, this is the real issue that we face in all the other reasons given above.  We must remember that we are not serving our people, but our God.  We may be ministering to the people through service, but our service is for the King of kings and Lord of lords.  He is our Master and He is our reason for being in the ministry.  We get our eyes off of Him and onto the storm around us (Matthew 14:30).  We get our hearts off of serving our Savior and onto measuring our success by people (Colossians 3:24).  

Let me say in closing, if you are church member who wants to lift up your pastor, then here are a few simple ways to do that.

1. Be in church - nothing lifts a pastor’s heart more than seeing ALL the people there ALL the time.  Now I know that things happen and so does your pastor, so don’t think I am saying that missing church here and there will destroy your pastor.  But when you go to the store on Sunday when you “can’t” go to church, sinks like a knife into your pastor’s heart. 
2. Don’t wait until the last minute to commit to events.  As an example, if the pastor says “we need helpers for VBS next month,” don’t wait until the day before to volunteer.  If you know you are going to help, sign up the first day the list goes up.  It shows that his vision is a priority to you and that helps him plan effectively.
3. Notice the little things and do something about them.  Pick up trash around the church building.  Use the trimmer around the church property.  Take out the trash when it’s full.  Straighten the hymnbooks without being told.  Pick up the tithe envelopes on the floor that have been used as scribble pads.  I know these seem small but few things say “I care, pastor,” more than people who notice the little things.  
4. Ask your pastor if you can go with him on visitation once in a while.  Don't just send him to the hospital to visit your Aunt Bertha, go with him.

(By the way, these last things mentioned ARE things that this pastor notices and it means a lot to me, so I can assume it would mean a lot to your pastor too.)