Sustainable Ministry
By Rev. Trey Shigley
No pastor plans to burn out, but many do. A quick search reveals pastors leaving ministry at alarming rates, and many who stay feel exhausted, like they’re required to move at a pace they know is unsustainable. I’ve also met leaders who’ve served joyfully and fruitfully for decades. What sets them apart? Through observation and personal experience, I’ve noticed a few habits that contribute to long-term, sustainable ministry.
1. Cultivate friendships at work
I used to think burnout was mainly due to hard work or unhealthy churches. I believed good education and leadership development could prevent it. However, after several years in ministry, I saw peers with similar training leave while I stayed. The difference? Friendship (cue eye rolls and a cheesy Harry Potter movie clip).
I was blessed to be working alongside someone I considered a best friend. We did student ministry together, and no matter how crazy our jobs were or how much chaos the church went through, we could stick it out because we had each other to laugh with, cry with, commiserate with, and work with. Most of my friends didn’t drop out because their job was so much more challenging than mine, or their church went through a more brutal season than mine, but because they didn't have a friend in the trenches with them at their church. They felt isolated and alone, and they had nobody who understood their situation or had their back. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 reminds us, "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!”
A majority of pastors say they don't have good, true friends. Yet many of the pastors I admire in my life and across history have had deep, vibrant friendships with co-laborers in Christ. So, cultivate friendships with the people you work with. View them as teammates, practice vulnerability and confession, and invite them into your family and life. An invaluable tool for this is the next habit on our list.
2. Intercede with others, not just for others
A formative stage of my ministry development was at 12Stone Church. Every Saturday night, they created time to gather and intercede on behalf of the church. I applied this on a smaller scale, taking 60-90 minutes every week to intercede with my coworkers. I have also occasionally done this with pastors at other churches and ministries, and it has been a game-changer.
Two things this will do:
Form you into a team. Every good team has a common enemy and a common goal. When you don’t, you turn to infighting. Viewing others as an enemy, obstacle, or annoyance is so easy. And yet Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Prayer together reminds us we have a common enemy: Satan. And we have a common goal: the spiritual transformation of people. Whether you work in different roles, departments, or churches, prayer together helps us get on the same team.
Create space for vulnerability. When you are praying together for others, you have the opportunity to share your fears, your joys, your insecurities. Take those opportunities. This will open it up for reciprocal vulnerability, which can be transformational for your friendship, church, and the ability to invite the Holy Spirit into the ministry process.
3. Refuel before you need it
I am terrible at letting my car get dangerously low on gas. On one occasion, I ran out of gas in line at the gas station. Every time the line moved up, I had to get out of the car and push it forward one spot. Thankfully, people around me jumped out of their cars and helped me.
But isn't this how we often treat rest and self-care as pastors? We wait until we are too close to running out of gas, and when we do get help from others, it is a state of emergency, not prevention. As mechanics often remind us, "Maintenance is better than repair." So, take the Sabbath seriously. Use your vacation days. Set limits to your hours. Take a monthly day alone with God. Jesus himself retreated and encouraged his disciples to rest “And he said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.” (Mark 6:31)
Most overwork is a sign that you have made an idol out of your performance, your identity is wrapped up in what you do, or you don't trust God can keep things moving when you stop. There’s no shame in that: but faith isn’t just a mental practice; it’s an embodied practice. Part of recovering our belief in God’s capacity beyond our own is building our life with space to cease and allow God to carry things while we put them down. Refuel long before you need it. It's not selfish; it helps you do ministry for the long run. This brings us to our next habit…
4. Play the Long Game
Ministry is a marathon, not a sprint. The classic line, "We overestimate what we can do in the short term and underestimate what God can do in the long term," is so true! Unfortunately, I did not initially take this to heart as a student pastor. My ministry struggled because I wanted big wins fast and ignored small, faithful steps. I learned my lesson by watching a friend’s student ministry flourish in Bible engagement. He started small—reading through the New Testament with one student, then a small group, then the whole youth group. It took years, but his youth group eventually flourished while mine still floundered.
Zechariah 4:10 says, "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin." Hopefully, you will be in ministry for the long haul. Stop looking for a silver bullet to your problems, stop trying to double your youth ministry overnight, and just play the long game and be faithful with what you've got.
These habits are just a few things that can help us create sustainable ministry rhythms. And friends, it is worth it in the end.
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
