2. Members leaving the church. “It seems the more I invest in church members, the more likely they are to leave. It really hurts when they tell me they are going to another church that meets their needs better.”
3. Church decline. “We have been in gradual decline for eight years. I wish I knew what to do to reverse it.”
4. Staff conflict. “There are few things that hurt me more than staff conflict. These are the men and women I work with every day. I hate it when we don’t get along.”
5. Family pressures. “I wish I could get it right with my family. I always feel tugged in so many directions at the church that I fear I am neglecting them.”
6. Members who are resistant to change. “Every single change I try to lead is met with opposition. I mean it. Every single time.”
7. Personal financial pressures. “We bought a six-year old car with over 75,000 miles on it. We’ve already had three church members complain that we are living extravagantly. No, we are barely paying our bills with the salary I get from the church.”
8. The comparison factor. “I know I shouldn’t compare myself to other pastors, but it can hurt when they seem to do so well while I am struggling so much. My wife told me to stop looking at Facebook.”
9. Church financial pressures. “Our budget receipts have declined to the point where we are barely paying our bills. We don’t have any funds for ministry, and we will probably have to lay off the part-time assistant at the church. I didn’t learn how to deal with these kinds of financial pressures at seminary.”
10. Facility challenges. “Most of our facilities are old and in need of a lot of work. Our sanctuary is too big, and our foyer is too small. I am embarrassed when guests go into our restrooms. There is so much to do and not enough money. It’s depressing.”
Pastors have pressures. These are the top ten from the interactions we have. But I am certain there are more.
Probably a lot more.
This article was written by Thom Rainer and originally appeared at his blog. Find it here.
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