The Why Behind the What of Many Pastoral Implosions

Last February, I bought my wife a hot water heater for Valentine’s Day. I’ve always been a romantic at heart. I asked the technician who replaced the unit if I’d done something wrong that caused the heater to fail. He said there wasn’t. The heater just has a shelf life. After about a decade, the corrosion around the valve tends to fail and the unit is compromised.

It seems that young pastors have a similar shelf life and the place of corrosion is fairly predictable. Much like a hot water heater, if this issue isn’t addressed the tank springs a leak and the results can be catastrophic. Failed marriages. Leadership hypocrisy. Divisive churches. Church hurt. Scandal. Flameout and burnout. And just like a busted hot water heater, we can’t merely clean up the mess without addressing the underlying issue. In the church, we can’t merely address the disaster of pastoral implosions. We have to address the cause and try to fix the causes.

I’m convinced that the cause behind many pastoral implosions is insecurity.

I’m convinced that the cause behind many pastoral implosions is insecurity.

There’s something about pastoral ministry that seems to attract insecure young men, many of whom use pastoral ministry as a means of propping up their flimsy sense of self-worth and identity. Over time, the corrosion of insecurity leads to implosions. Pastors, especially pastors in their first decade of the work, must address insecurity. Here’s how:

1. Regularly Meditate On Your Identity in Christ
   This comes in two forms. First, meditate on your identity as an image bearer of God Himself (Gen. 1:26-28). You are a person created with worth and dignity. Our value is given, not earned. Next, meditate on your identity as a son of God through faith in Jesus. You are a beloved saint (1 Cor. 1:2), redeemed (Eph. 1:7), forgiven (1 Jn. 1:9), and dearly loved (Col. 3:12). Spend time reflecting on your union with Christ. Learn to rest in who you are, even as you begin to lean into what you do.
2. Learn to Rest
   Rest proves that God does not need us to fulfill His mission in the world. His work will carry on long after we are gone, should Jesus’ return tarry. Insecurity shows itself in our incessant addiction to the ping of our phones and the frazzled pace of our lives. Pastors must learn to work hard and rest hard and in that rest we’re reminded that God loves us even when we aren’t producing.
3. Notice Where You Look for Validation
   Whose opinion matters? This question is especially provocative on a Sunday night and Monday morning. We tend to fear what certain people think of our sermons more than others. A brash email or text message from some really gets under our skin. The dreaded, “Brother, can we meet?” keeps us up at night. These realities expose lurking insecurity in our heart and God’s Spirit allows us to see where we go for validation and return to Him to find hope and help.
4. Find Trusted Friends
   This one’s tough for most pastors. Safe friends can be hard to come by. Many have been betrayed by men they thought they could trust. But we desperately need people with whom we can expose our insecurities. We need people who know us enough to recognize the fears and frustrations that plague us, even when we mask them to others. These brothers can pray with us and help us apply gospel truth to our heart.
5. Keep Going
   Insecurity dies a slow death. Early in ministry, our insecurities will be exposed. This is a gift of God’s grace. We will see the ugly underbelly of our identity issues and we can learn to repent and find our sufficiency in Christ. This issue is not IF we are insecure. The issue is what we do with our insecurities. Pastor, keep persevering in the work. Keep assessing your motives. Keep fighting sin and finding Jesus amid the complexity of your own heart. Keep going.