The Coming Pastoral


Crash By John Dobbs


to come. It will be felt in every career field and in every home. This post does not diminish the hard work and adjustments being done by first responders, law enforcement, health care workers, and the educational structures. But from my perspective, those who serve in ministry are, in my thinking, in particular danger for several reasons. They are serving in ways for which they have no training or experience. At


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first, this is energizing and sparks our creative thoughts. This energized feeling does not last, however. It is neither exciting for the minister nor the congregants after a month or so. They are doing their best but are unable to keep it up. Frankly, it is drain-


ing. Ministers fall into the comparison trap. Some ministries were already on- line and have everything they need in place. Many of us, however, did not. We look at what other churches are producing, and that makes our efforts feel not worth it. They are worried about ministries that are unable to operate, and if they will


be able to operate later. Some of the ministries that are very important such as support groups, specialized Bible classes (ladies, mens, teens), and Bible camps and retreats are unable to meet. The people who utilize those kinds of ministry need the support still; they are just unable to be in the same room together. Young people are missing out on the fellowship that can strengthen their young spiritual walk. The mental and physical health of our congregations is a huge concern. Pastors are exhausted. Less gathering does not equal less work. If those who


July/August 2020


don’t want to be a prophet of doom, but as a minister in touch with many ministers, I see a coming pastoral crash. And I’m not sure we can stop it. The impact of the world response to COVID-19 will be felt for many years


work professionally in the church are worthy of their calling, they are not afraid of hard work. Some members might assume that since there are no current meetings at the church build- ing, the ministers have a lot of free time. When I talk to ministers, I get the opposite impression. They are do- ing things they are not accustomed to doing. There is an endless array of glitches when it comes to online min- istry. More, the mind of a minister is constantly thinking about how to bless his people and community, and the response to COVID-19 makes this more difficult to navigate. They are not feeding their souls.


Perhaps some ultra self-disciplined ministers are growing during this season, but what I observe is that they are so involved in this new min- istry model that they have no down time. One friend said he thought during the “stay at home” time he would read many books on his “to read” list. Not so.


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