Uncertain times and uncertain future often causes stress on pastors and ministry leaders. With the economic downturn, church members feeling stressed by increased demands at work and new budget cutbacks at church are often stressful.
Leaders voice their concerns in private and sometimes in their office. Here’s what some are saying:
“I feel like I am walking on pins and needles around some of our staff.”
“How can I plan an event this year when half of my 2010 events were not well attended or attendees were jut unenthusiastic.”
“Sometimes I begin to spiral downward when I think about our decrease in attendance and offerings.”
A feeling of uncertainty, in most people, causes an uncomfortable, emotional disturbance that leads us to react both frustrated and/or anxious at times. While reading this post you may not feel the stress or pressure, though consider a tense moment with someone you experienced at church last month or a criticism by someone that is hard to let go. What about a moment of reflection you had driving home from church office that left you worked? If you have felt this way towards the end of 2010, you may still have residual stressful tension in 2011.
Ministry leaders often find success when they are able to adjust to both low and high tides. Life is uncertain and church members, like sheep are fickle and wanting life to happen on their own terms. Making ministry adjustments are critical to riding out the church ocean tide. We all know about adjustments in ministry, though what about emotional and mental health adjustments?
For those who want to move beyond wishful thinking to what can I do to be different this year, here are just a few responses from veteran ministry leaders who are surviving the emotional and mental low tides.
“I find refreshing myself with God’s Word for confidence and a pointed Scripture stuck on my computer monitor as a reminder to put life into the right perspective”.
“Realizing I am not alone is big for me. That’s why I have been calling friends in the ministry to help me get a positive perspective on 2011.”
“When I come back from time off or a holiday break, I feel fresh and motivated to handle more of the difficult challenges. That’s when I schedule one a day and then find support from my spouse.”
“While in the midst of tense meetings or challenging e-mails, I ask God for help to listen, not react. I find a few deep breaths, saying my responses in my head before saying them out loud is critical for me. Then I can choose what is a helpful way to respond.”
What’s your response to handling low tides? What do you plan to do to have a positive outlook for 2011?