Recently, a friend mentioned that many pastors have not fared well during this season of pandemic-induced stress, and he encouraged me to write about how I have navigated this season and maintained well-being. In all fairness, my church members have been patient and gracious; our church has remained financially stable; and we did not close our doors permanently, even though we suspended indoor worship and Bible study longer than many. I have not lost my job or home, and uncertainty is nothing new for me or our church. However, there has been stress brought about by isolation, confusion and felt powerlessness in the face of so many factors, and the inability to do in-person, relationship-based ministry that really is how Kingdom work happens. I have been somewhat inefficient, and my emotions occasionally have been closer to the surface than I wanted. However, I have peace, joy, and well-being, so here is some of how I have walked through this pandemic.
Resilience in Reserve – In a sense, my life has prepared me for the adjustments of this season. From being an only child, to health challenges growing up, to college in another state, to fairly-solitary small-church pastorates, to countless hours of study through the pursuit of three degrees – being alone and figuring out how to navigate challenges are nothing new. I am used to solitude and the dogged pursuit of goals to carry out responsibilities. Learned resilience and a measure of stubbornness have served me well. Not doing what was needed and not being OK were not acceptable options, and I drew upon resources developed throughout my life to walk through this time.
Managed Expectations – For me, five principles came together in managing expectations. The first was stewardship. What were my responsibilities, and what really needed to happen, even though I had to modify how I carried out those responsibilities? The second was possibility. The question had to shift from, “What can I not do?” to “What can I do that expresses good stewardship of my responsibilities and of Kingdom pursuit?” The third principle was reasonableness. I had to determine what reasonably, realistically was needed to carry out as much of my pastoral role as I could without making unnecessary work simply because we did not have regular services and I felt the need to work hard or prove myself. The fourth was grace – God’s grace upon our people and upon me, my church’s grace knowing and trusting I was working, and grace with myself realizing we were in new territory. The fifth principle has been the Kingdom of God. Although I long have thought in terms of Kingdom, with church as an instrument of Kingdom rather than equated with it, this season of eliminated church programs and activities forced me, in a new way, to think in terms of what might further the Kingdom rather than experiencing stress because certain activities were suspended.
Mindset and Thought Processes – Four mindsets and thought processes helped me stay on an even keel and maintain my well-being. The first was a disciplined effort to maintain balance and objectivity. Over the years, I have found that truth usually is somewhere in the middle, and it is helpful to step back from an emotional response in order to insist on as objective an approach as possible. Proverbs extols the virtue of avoiding extremes, and a friend shared with me some years ago the idea that calm is, in his words, a superpower. Second, I tried to maintain self-awareness and practice regular evaluation. Self-awareness helps us understand what we are doing, thinking, and feeling. Evaluation helps us make course corrections and find encouragement. For instance, it is encouraging to write down “wins” toward the end of each week and discover that, yes, work is getting done and good things are happening. Third, I insisted on being careful without being fearful. Finally, I availed myself of a professional coach who served as a sounding board and facilitator in my work of evaluation and planning. We worked on issues related to church, additional ministry efforts, and personal needs and goals. Coaching facilitates fresh perspectives to help with evaluation, goal-setting, and planning.
Practices – As I reflect on how I navigated the pandemic season, five practices stand out as particularly helpful. First, I maintained as much normalcy as possible. I had the option of maintaining my office schedule, so I did. Second, I adjusted my work environment at the office to give me an outside view, since nature refreshes me. Third, I got human contact where I could find it. I participated in NAMB’s Pastors Care Cohort weekly, increased my use of podcasts and online sermons to get outside my own thoughts, increased my consumption of online information to stay somewhat in-touch with the outside world, called and texted friends occasionally, and continued seeing my aging parents regularly to care for them. As things began to open up, I also started having a few face-to-face visits and doing some in-person ministry – always being careful – understanding the need for personal interaction in maintaining people’s emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. Some will disagree with this approach, but it was what I felt was best as I weighed the need to care for others with the need for caution. Fourth, I took time for personal reflection and self-improvement. Finally, I nurtured my spiritual well-being and walk with the Lord through prayer, time in the Word, journaling, and listening to online sermons. Although I already practice prayer, Bible reading, and journaling, I slowed the pace of my Bible reading and overlapped my reading with the sermons I listened to. I combined my devotional reading with the video Bible teaching I was producing for the church so Biblical principles could “soak in” better in my own heart and mind. During this season, I have seen an increase in my love for the Lord, my peace, my joy, and my gratitude.
You may be a fellow minister who also has fared well – maybe through some of the same means I have and maybe through others. You may be a fellow minister who has not done well. I pray you find the means of well-being you need. You may serve the Lord outside vocational ministry, and I hope this piece has brought you some encouragement, as well as some insight into your pastor or other church staff members and how you can pray for them. May the Lord allow each of us to find grounding and maintain peace, joy, perspective, and wholeness in Christ as we continue to move forward.