Forty years ago my life came to a fork in the road. After ten years in my chosen career, with a wife and two young children, God came knocking, and we headed to Bible college, not sure where that might lead. In the providence of God, we ended up in pastoral ministry, and that somewhat tentative initial step shaped the rest of my life, and that of our family. Over the years I have had countless conversations with young men about different aspects of pastoral ministry. What has become increasingly clear is that there is a growing anxiety around the risks involved in taking that step into full-time ministry. This anxiety is being reflected as fewer candidates for the ministry are presenting, and numbers at Bible colleges are declining. In most denominations there is a growing shortage of pastors. There is widespread concern across TGCA’s networks that we need more trained men and women for the evangelistic task before us.
Being Honest About the Challenge
The reasons for this situation are many and varied, but what is clear is that twenty-first-century pastoral life and ministry are becoming increasingly complex. The economic squeeze being felt across Australia today is undoubtedly a factor for many potential candidates. The costs involved for full-time training are prohibitive for some. For couples with children plus a mortgage, it is generally a necessity for the wife to work, whether she wants to or not. In some cases, churches are not able to afford a full stipend, meaning that the pastor may have to work a part-time job alongside his ministry. This puts a lot of extra pressure on both the pastor and his family.
Many pastors also feel weighed down by the unrealistic demands placed upon them by their people. Pastors are expected to be great preachers, kindly carers, strategic leaders, and always cool in a crisis. Comparing themselves with other pastors, even within the pastoral team, can be dispiriting, and the temptation to compete can result in an ungodly, performance-driven approach to ministry that is dissatisfying and destructive.
It has always been necessary for the average pastor to be an adaptable multi-tasker and problem-solver. Needing to turn his hand to different needs and unexpected situations, often at the last minute, are par for the pastor’s course. But in my experience, this load has become more overwhelming and joy-sapping for many pastors. Even with the addition of admin staff, many pastors feel trapped with a multitude of responsibilities: government compliance, legal paperwork, event planning, desktop publishing, video recordings, filling gaps in rosters, supervising staff, property and maintenance issues. Especially in smaller churches, pastors cannot avoid these tasks and can easily become overwhelmed by them.
The flow of information about ministry these days is enormous. There are so many websites, podcasts, sermon videos, online forums, conferences, pastoral supervisors and chat groups telling us how we should be doing ministry. While much of this information is helpful, it can be discouraging to the conscientious pastor, continually raising the bar for ‘successful’ ministry. There is always more information, creating ‘outside noise’ and adding feelings of inadequacy.
Sadly, careerism is also becoming more of a consideration for some evangelical pastors these days. For academically gifted and theologically trained men, there can be a genuine temptation to view ministry as a career pathway. The sin of pride can lurk beneath a thin veneer of humility. There is little glamour in pastoral ministry, as any faithful gospel-hearted pastor will tell you, and that glamour continues to diminish with society’s growing cynicism towards clergy.
Given the above, it is not surprising that the rate of burnout among pastors, including our evangelical brothers, is at an all-time high. The call to full-time gospel service, to lead and feed the flock, to pray and care for the God’s people, has been crushed by the burden of a ministry that eventually becomes unsustainable.
Is it any wonder that many potential candidates for pastoral ministry are apprehensive?
Jesus’ Plea
There may be no simple answer to all of these misgivings about pastoral ministry, but we cannot escape the plea of Jesus in Matthew 9:36–38:
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
The task before us is as great today as it has ever been. The need for shepherds and harvest workers is as great today as it has ever been. If we see the need Jesus sees, and pray the prayer that Jesus urges us to pray, then we will also expose ourselves to considering stepping up to meet the need.
We must not sugar-coat the calling into pastoral ministry. It is not an easy life. There are great challenges to be faced. It is a calling to a life of sacrifice. But God is still using jars of clay today. It is still true that “Whoever aspires to be an overseer (pastor or elder) desires a noble task” (1 Tim 3:1).
A Word of Caution
In addressing the shortage of pastors there is a danger in seeing this as purely an HR problem. The solution becomes primarily a managerial one—financial inducements; better terms and conditions; sabbaticals and mental health breaks and so on. While it is important that pastors and their families be treated with love, respect and practical generosity, the role of the pastor is more than ‘professional’.
Imagine reading a request like this from a church seeking a pastor (see 2 Cor 4:7–12):
Faithful pastor required
Expect to be hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, struck down, and given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in your mortal body.
Are there godly men today prepared to sacrifice their careers and accept a lower standard of living; accept the reproach that goes with being labelled ‘clergy’; trust God to give them the robustness and humility to take some hits and work for little earthly reward; and do this all for Jesus’ sake?
God is looking for ‘nobodies’ who are willing to go to the cities and isolated towns scattered around Australia, for men and their families who will not be easily dissuaded. Are we praying earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to help us find and send these workers? Workers like those that John Wesley longed for:
Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth.
The Role of Churches
What about the role of local churches in tackling this shortfall? To place this responsibility solely on the shoulders of individuals is unfair and unbiblical. It is the obligation of churches to play an active part in identifying, sending, and financing candidates for the ministry. If churches expect to have well trained, godly, spiritually gifted pastors, it is their role to help in raising them up. Internship programs should be the norm in most churches, and finances should be allocated to support our Bible colleges and help in the training of future pastors.
