“The result of the way people relate to a pastor is paradoxically very isolating.”
“I also recommend pastors have at least one close personal friendship outside of their congregation. Why? Because that person doesn’t need you to be their pastor.”
“The other piece that’s really important for clergy is to have a community of practice. Other people that do what you do that you can be real with and not be competitive with.”
“Most of us tend to be more passive who go into ministry leadership. We’re just nice people. We do this because we love people. And possibly to the point of even being a little bit conflict avoidant.”
“Often when pastors can kind of come to terms with having fair and reasonable expectations of themselves, it makes it much easier to navigate all the other expectations that people have for you. It’s still challenging.”
“One of the tasks, I think, in ministry is managing our adrenaline.”
“If we’re not careful, we can start reacting to everything indiscriminately as if everything’s a crisis. Because other people may think it’s a crisis and it’s easy to take on other people’s anxiety.”
Mentioned in the Show
Flourishing in Ministry
Follow Flourishing in Ministry on Facebook and LinkedIn
Betrayal trauma
“Beyond the Clinical Hour: How Counselors Can Partner with the Church to Address the Mental Health Crisis” by Jim Sells, Heather Sells, and Amy Trout
“Jim and Heather Sells: How Churches Can Make a ‘Tremendous’ Difference in Alleviating Our ‘Mental Health Crisis’” by Jessica Lea on ChurchLeaders
Margaret Diddams in Outreach Magazine
