This is an excerpt from an article published on Lifeway Media - click here to view the article
As pastors think about their greatest needs, some of those go beyond their ministries and are instead connected to their personal lives. Many pastors worry about their time management skills and how they can balance all the responsibilities they have at church and at home. In their personal lives, half of U.S. Protestant pastors say they need to focus on time management, and more than half say avoiding over-commitment is a challenge for them, according to the latest release in the Greatest Needs of Pastors study from Lifeway Research.
The primary needs pastors face in their personal lives focus on how they handle their time and work. Half (51%) say time management is an aspect that needs attention or investment today, while 43% specifically point to developing a balance between work and home.
Pastors of more normative sized churches are among the most likely to say financial stress is an area of concern for them. Those leading churches of fewer than 50 (21%) and those with congregations of 50-99 (20%) are more likely than those at churches with attendance of 100-249 (14%) to say their personal financial situations require attention.
Pastors, who make a career of caring for the needs of others, admit they often need to give attention to caring for themselves. Nine in 10 U.S. Protestant pastors point to at least one area in the self-care category as a need for them, and 14% say the category of self-care is the most challenging personally.
More than half of pastors say they find consistently exercising (59%) and avoiding over-commitment and overwork (55%) to be challenging in their ministry. Slightly less than half say they struggle with eating right (49%), taking time away from their job for hobbies or other interests (47%) and consistently resting (45%). Far fewer say they face an ongoing illness (13%), while 10% say none of these is an area of difficulty.
See also U.S. Pastors Identify Their Greatest Needs
“While most pastors are quick to say they have several challenges in caring for themselves, they are also quick to prioritize ministry needs ahead of their own,” said McConnell. “Among categories that need attention today, almost two-thirds of pastors put skills, people or ministry difficulties ahead of their own self-care. Constantly working from a physical deficit is not a sustainable formula for pastoral ministry.”
When asked what self-care need is the most challenging for them, a quarter of U.S. Protestant pastors point to avoiding over-commitment and overwork (24%) and consistently exercising (24%). Fewer mention eating right (14%), taking time for hobbies (13%), consistently resting (9%) or facing an ongoing illness (5%). Around 1 in 10 pastors (11%) say they aren’t sure or none of these issues are the most challenging for them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As you can see by reading this article I reposted, time management and physical health rate are among the highest needs of pastors. I believe the same is true for ministry leaders and non-profit leaders. Go Well Project addresses those two issues head-on and rewrites your future in both areas. It takes work. It takes coaching. It takes commitment. It takes a choice to change. On the other end of the coaching, commitment, choice, and coaching come freedom. You have what it takes to make the change! We are here to help.
Comments