Pastors in Crisis - Covid-19

I walked into the door of my home and the rant began, "Why is that game out? Why are there dishes in the sink? Girls, can't we keep this area in order?" Silence........... All three scrambled off to their rooms. The house was quiet. No one was within a mile of me. I headed down to the basement to decompress.

It was not long before my wife came downstairs. "The girls are upset. They don't understand why you are so short. You need to talk with them." At first, I responded as my regular resistant self but as I started to think through it, I softened. (You may not know this, but the daughters I am speaking of are all young adults.) These ladies are mature, very kind-hearted and engaged.

The next morning I called a family meeting. I began with an apology. They quickly forgave me like hundreds of times in the past. I began to unpack my frustrations and pressures from this crisis. Once I was able to get it out and share it with them, the stress started to go away. I asked my daughters to pray for me. Once again, we were partnering in ministry together as we had done many times before.

Reflecting on what happened this Monday, I felt that it would be a good time to appeal to you to pray for your pastor. I have learned how to get out of some of my emotional junk through the twenty-eight years of ministry, but I am here to say that the best out there still have feet of clay and were not prepared for this.

I watched one guy online the other evening appeal for offerings for his church. He looked like he was in pain. I could sense his stress building. I could sense the pressure he was experiencing. The reality is that no pastor was prepared for the events of this week. Most of us did not sign up to be an online, cookie-cutter speaker. It is quite the opposite for most. Living in the world of tv screens and video lenses is terribly uncomfortable. (Try looking at yourself in the mirror for fifteen minutes, talking to yourself!)

Here are a few things to do for your pastor this week.

1. Pray for him. You can pray that he will do the very things he is asking and encouraging you to do. It is an easy thing to do! (Don't do as I do, do as I say.) You can also pray that he will find rest during the storm. I know several guys who are not sleeping well.

2. Encourage him. Use words, texts, memes, and notes to encourage. Support what he is doing, and thank him for the effort he is putting in to be an effective shepherd. I know our staff has worked harder in the last two weeks than any other time I have seen in my years of being a pastor.

3. Don't be critical. We are all incredibly self-conscious in these moments. Most pastors can't compete with TV church. Keep the correct perspective. This is an opportunity for the church to realize that the meat and bones of true community is interpersonal connectivity. Be a grace dispenser, not a digital commando.