Pastors today are having a difficult time leading during this pandemic! Congregations are harder to serve. They are more diverse and have higher expectations. Many pastors are caught between traditional values and outlooks and a high-pressure of unprecedented innovation and moral uncertainty, all easily identifiable in any one congregation. The pastor is no longer the major source of christian inspiration, almost universally looked up to and respected by those under his or her care.

Most pastors serve congregations of 100 members or less. They struggle to raise funds and often fail to get an adequate salary. With years of education and professional training, a high percentage of pastors earn little more than a minimum wage. In an effort to meet a congregation's demands, pastors become notorious workaholics and often find themselves living on the borders of burnout. No wonder that each month between 1,400 and 1,600 clergy from all denominations in the United States drop out of the ministry.

I have discovered that many pastors I know personally have a mixture of attitudes toward the ministry. Some have found great satisfaction and personal fulfillment in ministry; Others had mixed feelings about their ministry; while the rest were moderately distressed and facing burnout.

Is there help for pastors who are facing hard times? Is there an untapped source of strength for those who wonder if they can go on? Must these dedicated women and men continue with a sense of failure and defeat in one of the most significant vocations there is? Listen to this podcast as a few pastors openly share a few thoughts and feelings about their ministry.