It’s getting worse out there for some church leaders …

I don’t think anyone would argue 2020 was a profoundly traumatic time for much of the world, but a chief concern at Scott Free Clinic is that much of the trauma, hurts, and harm inflicted by events of last year, and continuing into this year, are showing themselves more significantly now in 2021.

In August, I reported in a blog post a serious and concerning widespread affect of the pandemic — that of languishing (you can find that post here). As we move into the final quarter of 2021, SFC is seeing a few alarming trends among the ministers we work with in Pastor Care, and reflect reports I’m hearing as well. Those troubling new trends are:

– The thick, negative languishing and malaise seen in the general population is increasingly working its way among those serving in vocational and bi-vocational ministry. Part of that is due to so many church leaders being exhausted from the significant efforts they have had to take up, and additional energy exerted, in leading through a pandemic and other societal issues. Now that we are into the “New Normal,” more church leaders are demonstrating signs of languishing and malaise regarding moving forward.

– Increasing clinical issues among church leaders. The past 18+ months impacted most people’s mental health generally, but we’re seeing increasing clinical issues and actual mental illness diagnoses.

– A growing despair among some church leaders. A key contributor to that is now that most churches are beginning to meet in person, a majority of churches are seeing only a percentage (ranging widely from 20 to about 65 percent) of their members return to in-person services, or any kind of connection, including online offerings. Some ministers are saying they “just don’t have the energy” to rebuild, thinking they’re supposed to rebuild to what existed prior to the pandemic.

Many church leaders are in need of personal refreshing in just about every area of life — spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and socially — and some need refreshing in their marriage and family relationships as well.

Don’t overstate this report — many ministers have weathered the last couple years well in most areas, but a significant population of church leaders have also been harshly impacted as well. Dealing with, working through, and healing from their own trauma, hurt, and even harm caused from having to lead through such times is a very real issue for many church leaders. I want to encourage those leaders to seek the support and help they may need to refresh, revive, and heal. Certainly, Scott Free Clinic remains available through our Pastor Care and other services.

In His Service,

Dr. James Scott, Jr.
Founder & President,
Scott Free Clinic