Ministering to the Heart of Pastors

Pastoring can be a tough, stressful job.

Most of us don’t realize how true that is because we’re only with our pastors for an hour or two on Sunday mornings and have little understanding of the time and energy necessary to keep the church moving forward.

Did you know that the average pastor works 50 to 74 hours per week, doing all kinds of jobs – teacher, counselor, worship leader, business executive, even janitorial and maintenance work?

For these reasons and others, many ministers suffer burnout. Fifty percent of pastors quit within five years of entering ministry. Eighty percent quit within 10 years.

We in the Christian community ought to be aware of these concerns and willing to come alongside our pastors in prayerful support and encouragement. Here at Focus on the Family, we’ve been advocating for pastors and their families for more than 30 years, striving to address the unique challenges they face, both professionally and personally.

One of those programs is our brand-new Pastor-to-Pastor podcast, hosted by Dave Stone. Dave has been involved in church ministry for more than 40 years and currently serves on the teaching team of Christ’s Church of the Valleyin Phoenix, Arizona. He’s also a member of our board here at Focus on the Family.

I talked with Dave about this new initiative on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly including:

How pastors can balance ministry and family.
How pastors can thrive with their children.
How pastors can handle inevitable transitions in their career and ministry with grace.

Hear my full conversation with Dave on your local radio station, online, on Apple Podcasts, or on our free phone app.