Why Are Pastors So Discontent?

Why do I continue hearing reports from pastors who are discontent?

Discontent with the members of their church. Discontent with their senior pastor. Discontent with their staff. Discontent with their elders/board.

Not hopeful, holy discontent that leads to action and change, but 'I don't want to do this anymore' discontent.

At least 6 pastors in the last 6 months have told me they're seriously considering leaving paid ministry, getting a 'real job,' and doing ministry as a lay person.

Is this as prevalent as it seems?  Or do I attract these stories since many moons ago I was a discontent pastor who left paid ministry for a 'real job'?

If it is truly as common as it appears from my vantage point, why is this? Is it something wrong with pastors? Something wrong with the way church is done? Something wrong with Christianity?

I'd love your opinions.

Comments

[neil westbrook]

Discontent seems like a filter or maybe more like a sift through which what is really going on in ministry these days is being poured. So what IS really going on in ministry these days??? There are many reasons why pastors and staff ministers feel discontent. 1. burnout 2. ill-equipped for ministry today 3. the whole idea that one would "feel" good in ministry anyway may be shaky ground 4. change, change, change...everywhere change - except in many local, particularly traditional and aging, churches 5. lack of spiritual grounding in ministers 6. the american corporate model that most churches and denominations have bought into for the past 70+ years which is based more on capitalism rather than called community may be catching up with her.

I really have a heart for those considering leaving the ministry - God needs a few good men and women to serve the kingdom today! Eddie Hammett offers coaching for ministers considering a vocational transition - www.transformingsolutions.org

In Defense of Ministers:

Most ministers work well over 50 hours a week. They are supposed to be teachers, social workers, counselors, chaplains, and events coordinators. There are very few people that a minister can confide in and trust with the deepest secrets and frustrations of his or her soul. Very few ministers have the freedom to ask dangerous questions. Progress in churches moves considerably slow when compared to most every other areas of social networking, and there are very few reliable ways to measure progress (some count offerings and amount of people, but we know this is a terrible way to measure). Preachers walk around with giant targets on their backs that they cannot see, yet everyone else seems to take aim. For the amount of different job descriptions they fill and the hours worked, ministers are severely under-paid. Ministry is terrible for families (just look at most kids and spouses of said ministers).

[neil westbrook]

In response to the previous comment:

"Most ministers work well over 50 hours a week. They are supposed to be teachers, social workers, counselors, chaplains, and events coordinators."

I am a minister and I don't work well over 50 hours a week and I wouldn't support anyone in my congregation doing that. If this statement is true, it points out the need for ministers to spend some time in self-development and self/time/energy-management. Additionally, no one minister whether pastor or staff should try to wear all of these hats! It sounds like people pleasing to me in addition to a lack of focus and clarity regarding a specific role/function of spiritual leadership. A good corrective is a Job Description and goals! I have found that setting goals, having a job description, a mission statement, and setting priorities keeps me focused on the things I am responsible for as a pastor...and keeps me from doing all of the many other things that others should be doing...or simply we don't do!

"For the amount of different job descriptions they fill and the hours worked,"

Again - ask your church for a JD just for you as the pastor/staff minister. Otherwise you will be pulled in more directions that any one person can possibly handle - it's the same way in any industry. In fact, other industries place much more emphasis on having roles and responsibilities clearly defined than most churches do.

"Ministry is terrible for families (just look at most kids and spouses of said ministers)."

Is that really a fair statement? Consider substituting - Insurance business is terrible for families...or...Teaching is terrible for families...or...Banking is terrible for families! My point is that the burden of responsibility to family rests on our shoulders. I can see two possibilities that would justify this statement: 1. A need for self-development on an individual's behalf or 2. that a minister is caught up in a very unhealthy church system or tangled him or her self in a social web that cannot be changed and must retreat in order to survive.

Being in ministry can be a challenge today. Many people go into the ministry with the best intentions, but without realistic expectations.

[Mike Benner]

I wonder if the discontent ministers feel isn't with our way of doing church. This thinking troubles me as I enjoy the privilege of serving in full-time ministry. But it doesn't seem very natural for a group of believers to pay one person or a small group of people to be trained and do ministry on their behalf. It seems like a modern phenomenon that's time may be passing. The priesthood of believers way of thinking is that when one is set apart for ministry others are off the hook. When there's no one minister, everyone grows deeper in their own gifts and offerings of ministry, love, and service to God.

[david mc]

as a minister who left full time ministry and got a different job, i'll tell you a couple things from my personal perspective:

a) my "secular" job pays a heckuva lot better than my ministry gigs. It will help put my kids thru college.

b) I have a much better ministry as a lay person. I am not hampered by trying to please anybody in order to get their offering. I just say what I believe and let the chips fall where they may. I always did that anyway-but it is nice to not even let the financial aspect enter your mind and tempt you.

c) I interact with a lot more people who need Christ now.

d) My teaching has changed somewhat due to the fact that I am more in tune with the "real world" that my listeners live in everyday.