Pastors have a lot on their minds, weighing them down, and spilling over into their dreams… or nightmares. COVID only broadened the range of thoughts by adding in everything from best practises for sanitizing sanctuary chairs and creating seat reservation systems to procuring low cost masks and hand sanitizers.
In June, I took an informal survey of pastors by asking one question: “What occupies your thinking consistently every week of the year?” Curiously, I wanted to see if there were any commonalities on the minds of pastors “every week of the year”.
The responses came from PAOC pastors across Canada, in churches of less than 50 to just under 1,000.
3 Preoccupations Shared by Pastors (in order of frequency):
1. Our finances
How are we doing financially?
The finances; offerings and expenses.
What’s the financial situation; tithes and offerings?
Interesting enough, in May 2020, 110 PAOC churches responded to a formal WayBase survey. Respondents shared.
Overall, on average, in PAOC churches:
57% saw a decline in revenue
15% saw an increase in revenue.
28% saw revenue remain the same.
Canadian pastors anticipate church funding to decrease in the foreseeable future (3 years).
2. My preaching
Did my sermon speak to my congregation? My next sermon series?
Am I on track with what God wants me to be teaching my church?
What to preach & teach (topics, themes, etc.)
Preparing for services.
What to preach on for Sunday.
Producing high quality content and experiences for both in-person and on-line
In May, over 50% of PAOC churches reported increased online engagement. That good news means pastors need help with:
corporate church gathering re-entry and ministry strategy
technical support, online engagement (https://abnwt.com/articles/5-ways-to-increase-online-engagement) and digital discipleship (https://abnwt.com/articles/the-connection-funnel).
community engagement and resources
personal leadership coaching and managing stress of the pandemic (https://abnwt.com/articles/here-i-raise-my-ebenezer)
3. Our outreach events
How can we reach more lost people?
Our community outreach/salvations.
How have we made Jesus known and famous in the community today? This week?
The lost; how to reach the lost
What creative idea can I come up with next to reach my community for Jesus? What else can I do to make my church known in the community?
Ways of sharing Jesus with the lost.
Other common preoccupations among pastors:
Are we going in the direction we said we were going? Or are we just defaulting to the “machine” of church life?
Do I hear regularly from God as to the decisions He wants me to make?
Walking closely with God and hearing His voice.
Can I point to intentional choices and examples that we are doing that say we are indeed keeping the Big Picture in mind?
Why aren't people growing in their walk with God?
How can we be more effective at what we're doing?
Why don't our people engage in what we're offering? (Small groups, next steps, prayer)
Does the community know we’re here and are we touching their daily life?
Strategy for getting people engaged and involved.
Am I adding value to younger pastors?
Staff: developing them, caring for them, pushing them to grow, supporting them as they do.
Leading and mentoring my team.
Are we creating a crowd or making disciples?
One pastor’s comment sums up the thinking – “Constantly trying to turn my mind off of church-work so I can just be present with my family and friends, enjoying the moment.”
Think of your District team as your remote staff. We’re here to help take a load off your mind. There’s an array of resources on our #ReturnStronger blogsite (https://abnwt.com/return-stronger-homepage) and if you can’t find what you need, reach out to your team. (https://abnwt.com/our-team )
Do you see yourself in this list? What are the things you have on your mind every week of the year? Join the conversation and post your comment below. Thank you.
Bob Jones is the founder of REVwords.com, an author, blogger, and coach with 39 years of pastoral experience. Bob is also an Advance Coach with the ABNWT Resource Centre. You can connect with Bob here.