1) The transience. To be clear, it is hard enough to pastor in NYC and Nassau County, Long Island when there isn’t a pandemic because a good chunk of your congregation will likely move away every year, but 2020 felt like that but on steroids. On the plus side, the exodus from the city has allowed for others to move in, which should theoretically bring in new attendees/members. However, that has often felt like;
2) Starting all over. Personally, the early years of church planting were some of the most exciting years, but also the most tiring. It wasn’t an experience that I thought I would relive, until, of course, I had to relieve it. Building new relationships has always been an integral part of pastoring, but it was equally important to move at a pace that would be sustainable for your own self care. When you move at that pace today, it just feels like you’re lagging behind. And if that’s not enough, there’s the king of all pressures;
3) Polarizing opinions. Remember the days when pastors were the shepherds of the church? For many, that’s no longer case. Christians are now shepherded by Social Media, CNN, Fox News, Google, podcasts and whatever else affirms their biases. As a result, your church members no longer look to you for spiritual guidance, but rather simply want you to just confirm what they already perceive to be the truth. As if this shift in thinking wasn’t challenging enough, now throw in polarizing opinions on reopening, masks, vaccines, racial division, and intense political elections. I can assure you, there isn’t a seminary in the world that would’ve trained you to handle such times.
I know, there’s so many more. And depending on where and how you pastor, these challenges tend to look different. Yesterday I sent my buddy an article titled something like, “Some Pastors are Struggling During Pandemic”. His response? “Some? Who are these mythical people I have never met who aren’t struggling?”