THE MINISTRY MBA

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Don’t Let Ministry Burnout Define Your 2025: 11 Common Struggles Pastors Face (and How to Tackle Them)

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THE MINISTRY MBA

10 Practical Courses to
Lead a Thriving Church

Ministry is amazing. And perhaps the most challenging job you could have.

I’ve been in ministry for nearly 20 years, serving as a lead pastor for over 13 of those years. When I came across Mark Love’s article in Church Leaders titled 11 Secrets Your Pastor is Keeping From You,” I was curious how many of the 11 felt personal to me.

Unsurprisingly, many resonated deeply.

Now, having spent the last four years coaching pastors and consulting with churches, I’ve gained a renewed perspective. While I still feel some of these struggles, they’re not as personal or overwhelming as they once were.

Today, I want to share the 11 secrets Love highlights in his article and, more importantly, offer practical wisdom on how I would handle them if I were back in church leadership. I hope that as you read this, you’ll feel seen, encouraged, and equipped to step into 2025 with renewed strength and clarity.

1. Fear of Irrelevance

Insight: Pastors often worry their messages and efforts don’t make a meaningful impact.

This is a massive issue for many pastors. It’s easy to look out from the stage and question your position on the platform. Preaching is a daunting task. What other job brings you in front of people with an expectation to be accurate, helpful, engaging, and funny

And do this week after week with entirely new material? I mean, comedians and conference keynote speakers deliver the same content over and over, week after week! We don’t have that luxury.

How to Handle It:

  • Reconnect with your “why.” Remember why you entered ministry in the first place. Your message matters, even if you don’t see immediate fruit.
  • Adapt without compromising. Stay informed about your audience’s needs, but don’t chase trends at the expense of biblical truth.
  • Trust God. Believe that God is the one responsible for the impact. What God does between our mouth and our attendee’s heart is nothing short of spectacular.

2. Close Maternal Relationships

Insight: Many male pastors report being closer to their mothers than fathers, shaping their nurturing leadership style.

This “secret” presented by Love caught me off-guard. Perhaps he’s right. I know that pastors feel the expectations of being a “shepherd” and leader simultaneously. We need to nurture through strength.

How to Handle It:

  • Embrace the gift of nurture. Nurturing leadership is a strength in ministry. Use it to create a culture of care and empathy in your church. Never mistake kindness for weakness.
  • Balance nurture with challenge. Pair your care for people with a clear call to action, helping them grow spiritually.

3. Awareness of Congregational Engagement

Insight: Pastors notice when people disengage during services, affecting morale.

And I’d add that we notice when people disengage from the church in totality. It’s challenging not to take disengagement personally. When a person leaves our church, we assume we are the reason. After all, we are the pastor.

How to Handle It:

  • Shift your focus. Don’t let the disengaged distract you from those who are deeply engaged. Preach for the people who are leaning in. And work to preach in a way that causes people to lean in.
  • Make your messages interactive. Include participation moments—whether through discussion questions, reflective pauses, or hands-on applications.
  • Take it personally, but not personal. We should all strive to improve in our role. But seeing feedback for improvement doesn’t have to destroy our soul. We free our hearts to seek improvement when we separate what we do from who we are.

4. Contemplation of Resignation

Insight: The emotional toll of ministry leads many pastors to consider leaving.

I think I pondered leaving about once a year. When I did go, I’m grateful it was from a place of health. I ran to something, not away from something.

How to Handle It:

  • Don’t make permanent decisions in temporary seasons. Recognize that moments of doubt are normal but don’t have to define your future.
  • Find safe spaces for honesty. Whether it’s a mentor, counselor, or pastoral peer group, share your struggles with someone who understands.

5. Desire for Authenticity

Insight: Pastors often feel constrained by expectations and long for authenticity.

I really felt this during my lead pastor tenure. It can feel that everyone around you wants something from you. They put on a front and pretend to care about you, but they live as a pastoral sponge. Or leach.

How to Handle It:

  • Establish boundaries. Protect your personal life from the weight of pastoral expectations. Authenticity flourishes where trust is built.
  • Model vulnerability. Share your struggles appropriately. It fosters connection and shows others they don’t have to have it all together.
  • Get off social media. I mean that. As a lead pastor, I dropped off social media almost entirely. I definitely deleted my FaceBook and anywhere else that people could request my digital friendship.

6. Spiritual Depletion

Insight: Ministry can turn spiritual practices into tasks, leaving pastors spiritually empty.

When I interviewed people to work at our church, I’d tell them, “If you’re hoping working here will make your relationship with Jesus stronger, think again.” That was perhaps a bit harsh, but it’s also mostly true. Working at a church can make our faith feel like a job.

How to Handle It:

  • Prioritize personal spiritual practices. Spend time in the Word and prayer outside of sermon prep.
  • Rediscover sacred rhythms. Sabbath, silence, and solitude aren’t luxuries—they’re essentials for sustaining your soul.

7. Personal Sinfulness

Insight: Pastors are acutely aware of their own sins and struggles.

It stinks that pastors are also human. The harder part of sin for church staff is the challenge of confession.

How to Handle It:

  • Don’t isolate. Sin thrives in secrecy. Regular accountability can be life-giving. Find people who do not attend your church to be accountability partners.
  • Preach grace from personal experience. Your awareness of sin can deepen your empathy and make the Gospel even more potent in your preaching.

8. Loneliness and Trust Issues

Insight: Many pastors struggle to trust others and feel lonely as a result.

See number 5. And it’s fair to accept this is a part of the role you’re called. Loneliness in leadership is partially part of the position. However, there are ways to combat it.

How to Handle It:

  • Cultivate relationships outside your church. Friendships with other pastors or trusted peers can provide much-needed support.
  • Invest in a trusted inner circle. Develop a small group of people who can walk with you through the highs and lows of ministry.

9. Challenges of Ministry

Insight: The multifaceted responsibilities of ministry make it uniquely demanding.

No pastor can do it all, yet that’s the expectation (and need) in many churches. The quickest path to burnout is through the desire to be all things to all people.

How to Handle It:

  • Delegate effectively. Empower others to take on responsibilities that align with their gifts.
  • Focus on what only you can do. Narrow your attention to your unique calling and let others lead in their areas of strength.

10. Heightened Sensitivity

Insight: Pastors are often profoundly affected by criticism.

Pastoring seems to bring out more profound insecurities than other jobs. Partially because the enemy is much more aware of your position and calling.

How to Handle It:

  • Remember who called you. Ground your identity in God’s approval, not people’s opinions.
  • Seek constructive feedback. Learn to discern between helpful critique and unhelpful negativity.

11. Deep Care for Congregants

Insight: Pastors pour immense love and energy into their people.

Many church-goers have no idea how much you care. And they’re unaware of how many people you’re caring for. When I was leading a church, I remember many moments when I visited a hospital, supported a family during a tragedy, and counseled a distressed couple. And that was Monday.

How to Handle It:

  • Balance care for others with self-care. You can’t pour from an empty cup. Prioritize your health and well-being.
  • Celebrate wins. Take time to reflect on how God is working in your congregation and in individual lives.

Conclusion: Walking into 2025 with Hope

As you prepare to lead into a new year, take heart. You’re not alone in these struggles, and there are practical steps you can take to navigate them. Above all, lean into the One who called you—His strength is made perfect in your weakness.

Let 2025 be a year where you minister from a place of wholeness and joy, knowing that the God who began a good work in you will faithfully complete it.

One More Thing…

Are you confident that your church is effectively making disciples?

When churches get discipleship right, everything else moves up and to the right. Discipleship is the fundamental mission of the local church. And it affects everything in and around a local church.

Unclear pathways, siloed ministries, and disengaged congregants keep churches stuck. That’s why we created the Discipleship Accelerator.

The Discipleship Accelerator is a step-by-step process to help you evaluate your current discipleship efforts, craft a clear and measurable pathway for growth, and implement it confidently.

We offer unlimited resources beginning at ONLY $49. Customized consulting and ongoing coaching start at $1,000.

I limit the number of these options to maximize my investment in each church and pastor. Let me know if you are interested.

Leading With You,
Dr. Gavin Adams

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