What to Do if You Feel Like Quitting [EP:096]

<p>Have you considered quitting ministry?</p> <p>If you have, you’re not alone. There are many pastors and ministry leaders who are considering whether or not it is time to go.</p> <p>A 2013 study from the Schaefer Institute reported that 1700 pastors leave the ministry each month, citing depression, burnout, or being overworked as the primary reasons. In 2019 a summary of surveys from Fuller Institute, Barna and Pastoral Care Inc. showed that 1500 clergy leave pastoral ministry every month. And just last week I saw a church leadership expert take a poll asking, “have you considered quitting in the last 14 months?” And a resounding 77% answered, “yes!”</p> <p>Thousands of pastors around the United States and around the world are ready to quit.</p> <h2>If you are one of those people, what should you do?</h2> <ul> <li>Remember that God loves you apart from what you do for Him, so if you quit, He will still love you completely!!!</li> <li>Sometimes when you feel like you want to quit, you really don't want to quit. There is something else going on. Be opened to what God is revealing to you.</li> <li>Acknowledge your current reality. Don't deny your feelings, hoping that if you ignore them they will magically disappear.</li> <li>Take a day off. Let your staff know that you will not be available. Don't text, don't check email, don't answer the phone. Go for a walk, watch a movie, go shopping, sleep, whatever you need to do. This is a buffer that will allow you to catch your breath before you do the work of deciding whether or not you should quit.</li> <li>Take a vacation. Some people want to quit but what they really need is a vacation! After they come back they feel energized and renewed, ready to go! On the other hand, if you dread coming back and never get relief, that is significant.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Create small places of margin (a few minutes several times throughout the day) and ask, "God, how do you see my situation. What is your will?"</span></li> <li style="