Divine Favour Ministries

The new church plant added 15 new members in less than 3 months. Regulars were attending the Wednesday night bible study, musicians were “paid” and performing every Sunday then….the Pastor quit.

What happens to a new church plant when a novice Pastor phones in his resignation to senior members of the church ? In our case, the new leader failed to personally contact his sponsor, inform the new congregants or even show up at the upcoming Sunday service. According to Pastor Terron Morris, over 350 pastors will quit each week and walk away from their church plants or seasoned ministries. Why? Pew Research offers several stats from surveyed “resigned pastors”.
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.80% of Pastors and 84% of their spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastors.
.Pastors who work fewer than 50 hours a week are 35% more likely to be terminated than Pastors who work more than 50 hours per week (how many hours do you work in your job?).
.50% feel unable to meet the needs of the job.
.70% do not have someone they consider a close friend.
.56% of Pastors’ wives say they that they have no close friends.
.46% say that they’ve experienced depression or burnout to the extent that they needed to take a leave of absence from ministry.

Are mega churches the answer for a country where cell churches and online ministries are booming? Maybe, just maybe, the new leaders are in need of training, peer support, prayer and fasting. In a time where some ministers fellowship with other leaders who appear to be thriving and doing well, the new minister would benefit from a mentor or support system that is not draining finances or critiquing without consideration for a new plant’s growing pains. When we pastored our “growing church” we did not receive any support from our former church, the national organization or fellow brothers/sisters who worshiped under the same banner with us for over 30 years. We lacked training, organizational skills and mentors. Regardless of our failing support system we were able to grow, pursue missions, participate in outreach and evangelize our corner of the world. Eventually finances were the main cause of our closing our doors. I wonder if we had financial support from our generational church, would we be open in a brick and mortar location today. That however is fodder for another post.

Ministry burnout is an ever increasing problem facing our ministries and ministers today. As believers are extending their arms of hope to unbelievers across the world, how often are we offering a kind word of encouragement to a new leader, minister, evangelist or missionary? Are our ministers trained to take a break from ministry every 30 days? Is continuing education a part of their personal agenda? If they are an independent ministry, has someone attempted to educate them on the importance of fellowship with leaders or joining an organized independent body of like minded leadership? The answers to most of the posed questions is probably a resounding – no.

Numerous ministries are birthed from pain, dissatisfaction with the leader or weariness of internal conflict at the previous ministry. (the previous list is not all inclusive) Therefore, many leaders are thrown into a shark’s tank without the proper tools to survive and succeed. In closing, how do we end this cascade of fallen ministry leaders each month? According to Anne Jackson, the answer is prayer, relationships and taking a break.

Take a break man or woman of God. It really is okay and should be mandatory. Seek out and connect with the right people, confirm your calling from God and seek His face daily for peace of mind and answers to your situation. Proverbs 3:6 – In all thy ways acknowledge Him and he shall direct thy paths.

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