Six types of pastors coming out of the pandemic …

Far fewer people alive today will need a definition to understand the meaning of the word “trauma.”

That’s because for many people around the world, the events of 2020 — primarily those from the pandemic — were traumatic experiences of varying degrees.

But if you still need an example of what it means to be traumatized, perhaps this story told by pastor Max Lucado in his book, “In the Eye of the Storm” will help:

Chippie the Parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, blown over.

The problems began when Chippie’s owner decided to clean Chippie’s cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She’d barely said “hello” when “sssopp!” Chippie got sucked in.

The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. There was Chippie — still alive, but stunned.

Since the bird was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do … she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air.

Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.

A few days after the trauma, the reporter who’d initially written about the event contacted Chippie’s owner to see how the bird was recovering. “Well,” she replied, “Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore — he just sits and stares.”

It’s hard not to see why. Sucked in, washed up, and blown over … that’s enough to steal the song from the stoutest heart.

That’s trauma!

Many of us have experienced it to some degree during the last year, and pastors have been particularly hit hard by the pandemic. Scott Free Clinic has seen the need for Pastor Care skyrocket, and we have scrambled to do what we can to come alongside church leaders and serve them in their struggles. It hasn’t been just dealing with how to conduct services, or even how to minister to people in a pandemic that has been so hard on ministers, their own congregations have been especially hard on them. Perhaps more than any other time in our lives, congregations have responded harshly to just about anything church leaders have decided to do in leading their flocks through an unparalleled time of change and challenge.

Now, as the end of the pandemic is slowly coming into sight, I think there will be about six different “types” of pastors emerge from the COVID-19 crisis. Some have led and served well, and to be honest, some have not. Here’s six types of pastors I’ve observed in the pandemic:

Already Gone – Actually, this is one pastor we won’t see any time soon in the “new normal.” That’s because when we were all forced to change how we “do church,” this pastor threw up his hands and said, “I didn’t sign up for this” and promptly left the ministry for greener (or easier) pastures. Let’s be blunt, several of these who bailed out of their shepherding positions early in the pandemic likely should never have been ordained to vocational ministry in the first place. I have long suggested the church needs to improve how it selects candidates for ordination, and the changes the church has been and will experience may help thresh out those who never were called by God to shepherd part of His flock.

Nearly burned out and thinking about quitting – Leading well, responding to change, and doing what it takes to lead a congregation through a crisis has taken its toll on many church leaders. Now, several are feeling burned out and, for the first time ever, are seriously considering quitting vocational ministry. With some love, care, and real support, some of these pastors can be refreshed and go on to many more fruitful years of ministry. Others will not get the love, care, and support they need and will leave their vocation as ministers, if not the church entirely. We need to do everything we can to help these wounded ministers to revive and be able to continue moving forward in ministry in a healthy, supported manner.

The Lazy Pastor I – Ministry tends to attract a couple types of people – workaholics and lazy men. The “Lazy Pastor, type I” is the pastor who did just enough to keep a thread of connection for the church body going, but beyond that, he used the excuse of there being a pandemic to not do much, claiming he was waiting for things to get “back to normal” so he could get back to work. Instead of working with elders, staff, and his congregation to be creative and innovative in a time of change, he mostly “sat out” the pandemic, unwilling to pivot or try something new or different. This pastor may come out the other side of the pandemic still at his local church, but he probably won’t last long in the “new normal.”

The Hero – Thanks be to God for this type of pastor, and the fact there are MANY of them out there. These are the godly, self-sacrificing leaders who did whatever was necessary to keep their congregations well connected, well love, and well served. These pastors learned new skills and worked long hours to minister to their congregations and communities. Many of these congregations actually thrived and some added new disciples as they persisted in finding ways to proclaim the Gospel, make new disciples, and to disciple believers. Most of these pastors are tired and feeling like Chippie – a bit “sucked in, washed up, and blown over,” but they have stayed at it and have brought glory to God in doing so.

The Lazy Pastor II – This is the pastor who thinks he’s going to make his life much easier on the other side of the pandemic by maintaining a mostly (if not entirely) digital ministry, thinking there will be less to do. A recent survey reveals a majority of Christians want to see digital ministry continue after the pandemic, but not as the only means of connecting to or “being” the church, but rather as a part of a full church ministry that includes bringing back in-person services. Digital ministry can be a valuable tool for the local church, but not a replacement for it.

The Trailblazer – This is “The Hero” pastor on steroids, the guy who has fully embraced technology and will integrate digital ministry as a significant, valuable, and effective part of the church he leads going forward. This pastor understands technology is just a tool for the church, but an incredibly valuable one, and has just begun to explore how it can be used by the local church now and into the future. He will help blaze a trail in tech ministry.

The church has long been encouraged to pray for and support their pastors. They need your encouragement and support now more than ever.

Scotty