After all we are men and women of faith, power, and action! RIGHT?

“The spiritual shepherds of the faithful, are not supposed to burn out. Ministry leaders, the CEO’s in charge of efficient organizations, are not allowed to feel low. Christians, especially Christian leaders, must never be depressed.” Subodh S Lal.

There are articles pointing to this growing problem among the faith-based leaders – New York Times – “Evidence Grows of Problem of Clergy Burnout”, or Paul Tripp’s Gospel Coalition blog post, “Depression and The Ministry.” Thomas Rainer’s Pastor’s Today Blog reports the rate of depression among ministers is growing at a higher rate than the general population.

SO THAT WE ARE CLEAR the ministry is not collapsing in total today.  There is a growing concern that is worthy of dialogue and understanding causes. Here is are some of my thoughts as to cause:

• Spiritual Warfare – we are in a battle, our spiritual enemy does not want us to succeed as effective servants making a difference for the cross. If ministers are to be damaged from his perspective – so be it!
• Unrealistic Expectations – My doctoral research discovered that the average church member today expects their leader to simultaneously manage up to seventeen tasks. This is NOT REAL!
• Sabbath Breaking – A day of rest does not include cutting grass, painting homes, washing vehicles, and power shopping at the mall. It means totally disconnecting from all digital noise and actually RESTING!
• Comparing Ourselves Among Ourselves – There will always be someone better and bigger. Avoid this debilitating mind game.
• Critics Platform – “In the day when ministers used to……” Don’t you love people who believe they are doing God’s work by tearing you down? The critic never offers positive regard for you or your family. NEVER!

This graph shows how a cycle of depression starts. Take notice of the last step before the cycle goes around another time – “Depressive thinking styles.” Albert Einstein stated that you cannot change your circumstances with the same thinking that created it. At some point you MUST get outside of your knowing to allow another person with a fresh perspective to step into your life.

In my next blog post I am going to address some ways to consider on combating depression in the ministry. Let’s start a dialogue on this topic. What trends do you see? I will go first – respond below. Looking froward to the next blog post!