If you’re reading this right now then I’m assuming that you’re well aware of the minister shortage going on right now across our nation. Ministers are leaving their church positions in droves. While some may argue that this was taking place before the pandemic, I think we can all probably agree that the pandemic, at the very least, accelerated this exodus. 

Carson Reed has written on this topic, in addition to speaking on some podcasts about it, but he is by no means the only one. Many observers across many denominations are noticing two parallel challenges: not only are people leaving ministry, but there aren’t many people looking to enter into it right now either.

While we tend to ask those who left ministry why they left, I would like to invite us to ask those who have chosen to stay in ministry why they have chosen to stay. This is something that I recommend you ask the minister(s) at your church, and then share your appreciation for his/her service to your congregation.

I’m 35 years old and entering my 13th year of full time ministry, and so I’ve experienced a lot but by no means have seen it all. When I look around, I’m noticing that there are fewer and fewer in my age demographic who are still in ministry. What follows are my top five reasons that I have stayed in ministry, though there are plenty more. This isn’t the final word, but I do think that these are things that every person in full-time ministry needs to some degree.

5. I work on my craft. While I believe that I have a gift for ministry and communicating the word of God to my church, I would not call myself an expert—not even close. I have a couple of degrees from a couple of universities… which is more than some ministers and fewer than others. Paying for your ministers’ seminary degree can be a massive financial burden that not all church budgets can handle. That said, sending your minister to at least one conference per year is a major blessing that I have been able to experience at every church I have worked at. It breaks my heart when ministers at these conferences tell me that they paid their own way to be there. Depending on the conference and ministry area, this can often cost one to two thousand dollars to take care of the conference and travel expenses. While I know that some church budgets are tighter than others, I believe that the church gets a terrific return on investment by sending ministers to conferences and providing them with the time, space, and resources to become the best version of themselves. 

4. My church is my people. One night, my seven-year-old son came downstairs telling me he couldn’t sleep because of how scared he was. I had him imagine that he was in the safest place in the world and that Jesus was there with him. After he closed his eyes and thought about it, I asked him what place he imagined he was in. “I’m in church with you and Mommy and all my friends.” When I heard this answer, I knew that we had found the place where we would put down roots. If I am going to work at a church, then that church becomes my family’s primary community. We plug in. We join a small group, and we volunteer in other ministries that we aren’t in charge of. My kids’ best friends are kids within our church. We do life together. I believe that this is the main difference between an employee of the church and a pastor of the church.

3. I love the people I work alongside. When I read stories or hear anecdotes of what makes people decide on a new job, the top factor is usually money. However, a close second is often the work environment. This is huge. Perhaps the top reason so many of my ministry friends have either switched churches or left ministry altogether is because of the staff with whom they work and/or the elders/shepherds whom they work alongside or under (depending on the leadership model). If your minister is dreading going into work or interacting with his/her leadership, then he/she probably won’t be at your church much longer. Since there’s a minister shortage, it means that a LOT of churches are looking for ministers, so when those who have stayed feel mistreated, they begin looking at other possibilities.

2. I take care of my soul. I can’t stress the value of this enough. Good ministers tend to be good at a lot of things, but caring for their own spiritual well-being is usually not one of those things. The reason is that we tend to be more concerned about the spiritual well-being of everyone around us. Personally, I went through a season of questioning if I wanted to remain in ministry after some hurt that I experienced, and the best thing that I did during that time was to get a spiritual director. I still have one to this day. My spiritual director’s job is to look after my own spiritual health. He listens in some special and unique ways. I provide spiritual direction to a few individuals myself for this same reason. If you aren’t familiar with this, then I will note that spiritual direction is NOT pastoral counseling (though that’s a wonderful thing as well). Spiritual directors focus primarily on detecting the presence and movement of God in the directee’s life and asking questions that will lead one into diving deeper into the wellsprings of God’s faith, hope, and love. Additionally, I make it a point to go on a short sabbatical each year. I go to a place where I don’t know anyone so that I can be alone with God. Ministers are around people all the time, and if time alone with God is something that Jesus needed throughout His ministry in the gospels, then I think it’s safe to say that we all need this as well. I’m grateful for the churches who mandate this for their ministers and those churches typically have a very strong track record of retaining their ministers.

1. I believe that I am called to minister. This is the one thing that I don’t believe churches really have much effect on. You can provide your minister with the four things above in a number of ways, but you can’t control calling. The “ministers who leave” whom I respect the most are the ones who don’t leave ministry altogether, but who leave the congregational context in order to respond to God’s invitation to ministry outside of the church (missionary, inner-city work, teaching in the classroom, non-profit work, counseling, etc.). While this might be a loss for the congregation where the minister was, it isn’t a loss for the Kingdom, and it’s important to remember that. This can be seen as a victory at times. I am still in ministry because I feel like God has called me to ministry. I hope that the reasons above show that this is a beautiful calling for which I am so very grateful. There has absolutely been hurt and struggle for me and my family along the way, but I think that’s how it is with family units anyway. We often hurt because of how deeply we love. While the love I have for the church and for my particular congregation runs very deep, my love for God must always run deeper, and his calling must always come as my first priority.