Shepherding Minds...

A good friend of mine, James E. Leary, has recently written "Shepherding Minds: Rebuilding the Church’s Response to Mental Health". I have provided a small taste for your reflection... I believe this book would be of great value to your ministry. 

   "As ministry leaders, counselors, caregivers, and church members, our role is not to rush people past their pain or fix their sorrow with platitudes. It’s to stand with them in it. To hold space for both tears and trust. To remind them that their sorrow is not the whole story, and that real joy—God’s joy—is still possible right there in the midst of the struggle. That’s where the strength is found: not in getting over it, but in walking through it with God beside us. That is where true healing begins. 

So, how do we bring this into our churches in a way that’s not just inspiring in the short term but truly sustainable over time? Here are practical ways to cultivate this kind of culture in a lasting way. 

✔️ Use Scripture in All Care Training Every time you train a care team, whether for grief support, crisis response, mental health ministry, or hospital visitation, anchor that training in God’s Word. Scripture provides the framework that keeps our care grounded in God’s redemptive story rather than merely human compassion.

✔️ Introduce Reflection and Lament in Worship. Not every worship event needs to be high-energy and celebratory. In fact, for many who are suffering silently, those kinds of services can feel alienating. Create occasions where honesty is welcomed. Plan occasional evening worship events on reflection, lament, and quiet trust. These can include songs that express longing and waiting, readings from the Psalms, moments of silence, journaling stations, and opportunities for prayer. 

✔️ Include Scripture in Care Conversations When you’re sitting with someone in pain, Scripture should neither be forced nor forgotten. The goal is not to “fix” their problems with a verse but to remind them they’re not alone. For example, you can create a gentle entry point by asking, “Would it be okay if I shared a verse that’s helped me?” A quiet reading of Psalm 23 or Isaiah 41:10 can often speak more deeply than lengthy advice. Let the Word act as a balm, not a bandage. 

✔️ Equip Your Worship Leaders. Worship leaders are not just musicians; they are spiritual shepherds. The songs they select and the atmosphere they shape on Sundays profoundly influence how people experience God. Encourage them to choose songs that reflect the full arc of the gospel story: creation, fall, longing, redemption, and hope. Urge them to build in moments of pause and silence, recognizing that someone in the room is carrying sorrow. Worship that honors this emotional reality creates a sanctuary where healing can begin." (chapter 8, The Word and Worship) 

   

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."  - 2 Corinthians 1:3–4

3 Areas of Pastoral Stress..

3 Areas of Pastoral Stress ...

      by Matt Henslee, lead pastor of Plymouth Park Baptist Church, Irving, Texas and co-author of "Replanting Rural Churches".

A recent Lifeway Research study found that nearly half of pastors say discouragement (48%) and distractions (48%) are challenges they face, stress (63%) emerges as the number one challenge for pastors.

👉 Stress is the number one mental challenge for pastors. Here are three areas that cause the most stress for a pastor.

1. Finances
It’s important to remember each of these areas undoubtedly have a personal or family side and a ministry side. Yes, this is about pastors and what causes us stress in ministry. But we’re still people, and many of us have spouses, children, and other things we navigate outside of our roles as pastors.

On the family side of things, most pastors I know will never crack the Forbes Richest People in the World list. While there are some wealthy pastors out there, many are everyday people like most of our church members—living week to week, battling debt, and feeling the crunch of ever-increasing inflation.

On the church side, we all experience stretches when the weekly giving is lagging, and the deacons start asking you to preach on tithing. Just as many of our members live week to week, battling debt, and feeling the crunch of ever-increasing inflation.

Church finances can be stressful for pastors because they ebb and flow with key members moving or facing financial hardships. It weighs on us because we know the adage, “The buck stops here.”

Pastor, be encouraged with a word from our Chief Shepherd in Luke 12:24: “Consider the ravens: They don’t sow or reap; they don’t have a storeroom or a barn; yet God feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than the birds?”.

It’s going to be okay; God’s got this. He’ll take care of you, your family, and your church. Work to eliminate debt. Live within your means. Be wise. And trust God.

2. Relationships
People are another cause of stress for pastors. As a husband and father with four little ones at home, the family side of this stress point usually peaks around holidays.

If you have little ones at home as we did, that often means disappointing the people you love when your Christmas Eve service or even Christmas falls on or near a Sunday, causing your family to miss out on the traditional Christmas festivities.

When it comes to the church side of relationships, pastors see the absolute best of people—and the worst. You may have an impossible-to-please deacon, a member with the spiritual gift of anonymous complaint letters, or another who, if you let them, would fill every second of every day of your time.

If you’re a pastor reading this, we could probably share stories about relational stresses in our churches. But I’d like to remind you we stress people out, too. Our members are sinners. We’re sinners. And leading and serving in our yet-to-be-glorified state will bring about stress and animosity from time to time.

Shepherding sheep is messy, but what a privilege God gives us to lead and love His people with care. And do you know what? It’s worth it.

I’m reminded of Proverbs 27:23: “Know well the condition of your flock, and pay attention to your herds”.
Sheep may bite, run off, or do dumb things. It’ll stress you out, but it’s why you’re there.

3. Time
Time is the final stressor I’ve felt the most—both with family and at church. As a husband, I work hard to carve out time for date nights or downtime with my wife. As a father of four, I often feel like an unpaid Uber driver taking them from place to place.

And as a pastor, I rarely feel there’s enough time in a week—let alone a day—to write an effective sermon, handle administrative tasks, follow up with visitors, make visits, evangelize, and so forth. I’ve yet to meet a pastor who complains about having too much time.

Your wife will be with you long after any church you serve. Plus, she makes a much better date than your church … I’m just saying. Date her. Treat her like a queen, and make sure she’s not getting the leftovers of your time.

When you put your kids’ activities on your calendar, you have an immediate out—especially for trivial matters. But it’s also your reminder to be involved in their lives and activities.

Many of us are on social media, and it’s not only stressful in general, but it can easily be a major time-waster. Post a little something encouraging, and then get off. It’s not worth it when you have a family to love, a church to lead, and a lost and dying world in need of the Savior.

Finally, when you start your sermon prep early in the week, you build in some bandwidth for unplanned crises or ministry needs. Your sermon is important, but it’s one of many important aspects of being a pastor.

Don’t let an unfinished conclusion or illustration keep you from meeting the day-to-day needs of your flock or family—plan for disruptions by starting early in the week and picking it back up as soon as possible.

While finances, relationships, and time can cause significant stress for pastors (and their members), let’s not forget it’s a privilege to serve God’s people as pastor. It might not make you rich by worldly standards. Some people may drive you batty, and you’ll almost always be crunched for time. But it’s totally and completely worth it.

People Need the LORD...

On Tuesday morning, September 11th, 2001 I was sitting in my office at First Baptist Church, New Jersey. We were located some 14 miles from the World Trade Center Twin Towers, better known today as "ground zero". It was a crisp, clear morning with many ministry plans for the coming weeks on my desk. But, when the phone rang, the fact that I was unprepared for that news would be an understatement. The hours and days that followed were surreal.

Within our immediate congregation one member worked in the north tower and survived, exiting just shy of the south tower being struck by the second plane. He caught the last train out of the city. Other members of our community had to walk across the bridges to escape the devastation. A good number of other friends and neighbors never made it back home. The week unfolded day by day with lists of the unaccounted for, along with multiple prayer sessions. The simple fact was... People needed the Lord. 

As I look back, Sunday morning, September 16, 2001 was the most clear and concise service in which I have ever preached. I stood before an entire congregation of faces marked with grief, fear, brokenness, and confusion. Some people didn't even regularly attend our church, or any church. We were gathered that morning, while the fires still burned beneath the wreckage, with singular purpose - to seek the grace, mercy and consulation from of our heavenly Father... People needed the Lord. 

My friend, we share the same divine calling... We are physicians of the soul... Shepherds of the lost lambs... Healers of the brokenhearted... Bearers of light for those walking in darkness. Whenever we come to the pulpit, counseling room, hospital bedside, or graveside, we truly stand on holy ground. All agendas, programs, or projects must fade into the background in the face of eternity. Our clear and concise ministry should always be this ... People need the Lord.

Sunday morning will come, and your congregation will arrive with many who have experienced private wreckage, fires still burning, or hopes unaccounted for... Give them what they need... Give them the Lord! 

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."  ~ Psalm 147:3

~ PJVS

Risky and Adventurous Prayer...

As you seek the face of God these days, may the following section from "The Heart of a Great Pastor" by H. B. I London Jr. & Neil B. Wiseman give you food for thought... 

"PRAY RISKY and ADVENTURESOME PRAYERS ... 

Some prayers seem like tough exams that show us what we do not know, what the professor expects, and what significant issues we have overlooked. Spiritual directors and devotional saints across the centuries have cautioned believers against prayers that request miracles with no effort on their part. Prayers are generally not answered that way. 

Far from being magic formulas, prayers are usually answered by receiving an assignment that can be achieved only with divine aid. God answers prayers by empowering us after we have done our best. Human experience offers many examples. You will have your patience tested when you pray for patience. You will be given a peacemaking task when you petition for peace. Pray for generosity and God will ask you to give more than you have ever given. In a similar vein, genuinely great sermons usually grow out of human anguish or even travail before they receive divine anointing. 

Here are five risky, adventuresome prayers that will add a supernatural dimension to your ministry, send you into specialized tasks, make you more Christlike and require more than your best efforts. These prayers could change your ministry forever: 

1. Search me. 

2. Break me. 

3. Stretch me. 

4. Lead me. 

5. Use me.

 Seldom does a person pray even one of these petitions without incredible growth happening in his inner relationship with God or in his outer expressions of Kingdom service. These petitions produce authentic achievement in the front lines of ministry."

"Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked." 

~ 1 Chronicles 4:10

 

"Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood." 

~ Acts 20:18

Pastoral Care...

ONE THING I DID RIGHT IN MINISTRY ~

"PASTORAL CARE" 

by Shawn Merithew, Senior Pastor of Morningview Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.

"I must admit that when I was in seminary, shepherding, or pastoral care, did not figure prominently in my understanding of the role of Senior Pastor. If I were asked to name the top qualities of a Senior Pastor, I would have said he had to be fervent in prayer and faithful in study, a gifted expositor, a dynamic leader, clear and sturdy in his doctrinal positions, and able to cast a vision for church health and growth. Sadly, being a compassionate counselor, a patient protector, and a servant to the suffering did not even make my list. My concept of the pastorate was grounded in seeing the church as an organization to be led rather than a flock to be shepherded.

I dare say that elements of this “Pastor as CEO” perspective are still too prevalent in our churches today. Some churches even hire a ministry staff member who is given specific responsibility for pastoral care so that the main preaching pastor is not burdened by such “distractions.” To be sure, some churches can demand so much pastoral care that it prevents their pastor from having adequate time to pray and prepare for the ministry of the Word. That is why a plurality of elders and deacons is so important to help meet those needs and to protect the senior pastor’s time in the study. But balance is key; we must prioritize without forsaking this critical element of shepherding.

Thankfully, the precious saints of my first pastorate helped me to see the immaturity of my earlier thinking and realize the beauties and benefits of compassionate pastoral care. By God’s grace, this is something I got right, and it remains a source of continued growth in my shepherding. What follows are four blessings I have personally realized through the ministry of pastoral care.

1. It fosters a reciprocating ministry of Christ’s love among Christ’s people. In Matthew 25:31-46, we have Jesus speaking of His final judgment. We are told there that the criteria by which He separates the sheep from the goats is how they treated His children who were in crisis. Providing for the hungry, homeless, and naked, and visiting the sick and the incarcerated are essential evidences of His love. We may speak with the tongues of men and angels, but if we do not have love, we are nothing but noisy gongs. Godly love moves us to meet needs. As pastors set the example in practical demonstrations of love, members reciprocate, and the entire body is built up in Christ. (Eph 4:15-16)

2. It is one of God’s means of sanctification. It is in the valleys of crisis, illness, and hardship that we learn greater dependence upon Christ. This is true not only for members of our congregations, but for us as well. It was a thorn in the flesh which brought Paul to realize that God’s power is perfected in weakness. And it was in his restoration from his denials where Peter learned that love for Christ is manifested by tending His sheep. Visiting at the bedside of a cancer patient, helping a weeping mother to release her lifeless child, and counseling a couple through the hardships of marriage are but some of the challenges that grow us, shaping us into better pastors. Charles Bridges, in his classic work The Christian Ministry, wisely said:

“The visitation of the sick also, in the exercise of Christian sympathy, is of the highest importance to the probationer for the Ministry. Lessons are learned here that could never be learned in the study. There the importance of the Gospel may be described or contemplated — here it is realized. . . How important is the observant study of the sick chamber! How fruitful are the instructions connected with it! How varied and direct their bearing upon every department of public and private Ministration! Many have been trained for important usefulness in the Church by frequent, and, in many instances, painful attendance upon this school of instruction.”[1]

3. It builds credibility and accountability between pastors and their congregations. Pastors must remember that we do not preside over our congregations, we lead from among them. As Paul David Tripp said to pastors in Dangerous Calling, “Autonomous Christianity never works, because our spiritual life was designed by God to be a community project.”[2] As pastors and congregants walk together through hardships, the shared experience of God’s proven truths and tender mercies builds a tangible sense of family connectedness and trust. This is a critical aspect of fellowship for us all. And the trust we develop through shepherding proves vital to leading effectively through seasons of change, difficult cases of church discipline, and periods of loss or suffering.

4. It significantly enhances the effectiveness of your pulpit ministry. Preaching is one of the aspects of our ministry in which we take our greatest joy. But we do not preach for preaching’s sake; pulpiteers do not belong in the pastorate. A dear fellow pastor once told me that every time we ascend to preach, we do so with two books in our possession: the Bible, and the book of the human soul.[3] Our calling is to rightly divide the first, bringing it to bear with passion and love upon the second. We learn this second book as we walk the path of human need. As you know your congregation and are known by them, this relational knowledge gives true relevance to your preaching. It is then that your applications of gospel truth will be marked by compassion, depth, and poignancy.

Ultimately, what is ‘right’ in ministry is measured by the standard of Christ. In John 10:11-13, He said, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.” What is ‘right’ is loving, protecting, and laying down our lives for our sheep, and we embody each of these as we rightly engage in pastoral care."

__________

1. Charles Bridges, The Christian Ministry (Banner of Truth Trust, Reprinted 2009), 65.

2. Paul David Tripp, Dangerous Calling (Crossway, 2015), 38.

3. Tom Hicks, Jr. PhD., Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Clinton, Louisiana.

Be Encouraged...

Dr. Chuck Lawless, Vice-President for Spiritual Formation at Southeastern Seminary, has the following seven words of encouragement for us... 

"I want to encourage church leaders with some thoughts that have been encouraging to me over the years:

1) If you are where God wants you to be, you’re the person God intends to lead your church. You needn’t worry about impressing anybody or seeking praise—your calling is God’s affirmation of you. Just be obedient.

2) If you don’t see God work in mighty ways this weekend, that doesn’t mean He hasn’t worked. He simply may not let you know yet what He’s doing. After all, He’s not obligated to let us in on the details of His work.

3) God knows where you are and what you’re facing, even if it feels like He’s distant. It might seem that you are in the desert, but He is Lord over the desert, too. You are not alone.

4) The Spirit of God still works through the Word. I trust that’s good news for you—perhaps even a needed reminder as you prepare a lesson or sermon for this week. God takes even our most feeble efforts and works through them when we teach the Bible.

5) It might feel otherwise some days, but folks in your congregation love you and are grateful for you. Sure, every church has a headache member, but God’s people are incredibly giving, forgiving, and loving. Rest in the love God has given them for you.

6) Somebody’s been praying for you this week. I don’t know about you, but just knowing someone’s covered me in prayer every day gives me great peace and godly confidence as I look toward the weekend.

7) God still reigns. And, that’s all that matters.

Be encouraged, friends!

"He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it." ~ 1 Thess. 5:24