Well, it’s been two years.

Are you sick of talking about COVID yet? I understand, but this is important. Just like a good counselling session, we need to talk about the journey, including the pain. We need to unpack the wounds we’ve experienced and take time to grieve our losses. This is the path to recovery. I hope this post will help you understand the wounds and grieving of our pastors from the past two years.

In any career, a person can experience wounds. Some come from specific situations with certain people. Others happen over time, where the wounds develop from fatigue and anxiety. If they’re not dealt with, the wounds get deeper, the work gets harder, and the suffering lasts longer. Eventually, it leads to complete burnout. (The body will eventually shut down if the mind doesn’t choose to!)

Although pastors and all ministry workers, accept a unique call that can bring on a higher level of suffering, even on a supernatural level, we’ve witnessed the result of too much suffering over the past two years. The evidence shows a significant impact on pastors. The Western Church has experienced the largest resignation of pastors in recorded history. (See below – articles from reputable sources as evidence.)

• “Are More Pastors Quitting Today?” (LifeWay Research)
• “38% of U.S. Pastors Have Thought About Quitting Full-Time Ministry in the Past Year” (Barna Research Group)
• “The Great Resignation” (The Ministry Collaborative)

This reality was highlighted for me once again when I attended the C3 (Creative Church Conference) in Dallas last week. Numerous pastors were telling their stories from the past two years of wounding and grieving. And most of the content within the pastoral breakout sessions was centred around recovery from pandemic-era wounds.

And so, as I’ve walked through my own grieving process, listened to the grieving of other pandemic-pastors, and researched the fallout experienced in the Western church, here are 5 significant wounds that pastors have experienced during the COVID-19 church journey.

5 Post-Pandemic Wounds Pastors Still Carry

1. Pastors have faced bullies.

Pastors witnessed disgruntled congregates transform into bullies over the past two years. When the church moved to an online forum, it provided unique opportunities to share the Gospel with a wider audience. Unfortunately, it also provided emboldened ambiguity to share opinions and criticisms that would not have been shared under normal circumstances.

We all realize that the COVID journey has hit everyone hard, and the pastor makes an easy target to lash out against. Therefore, pastors have come through an extended time of criticism. Years of mistakes, missteps, and misspoken words from years of ministry have surfaced during the pandemic, typed out behind the security of a screen, then in the worst cases, circulated or posted publicly on social.

There are pastors who carry wounds from bullying behaviour that was wrong; both cruel and unjustified.

2. Pastors have faced anxiety.

Pastors carried high levels of anxiety over multiple issues. Immediate pivots to the online ministry were a very steep learning curve for pastors, most of who were rooted in in-person work their entire lives. Then after the online church novelty wore off, attendance and finances became significant concerns. This, of course, was just before the mask and vaccine wars began!

Many people in many professions faced their first burnout over the past two years. Pastors became likely candidates due to the type of responsibilities they carry. Many of them pushed too hard, working long hours because they believed COVID would be a short season of hard work. With relatively pure motives I might add, wanting to endure for Christ and the Church.

There are pastors who carry wounds from anxiety attacks and extended sorrow.

3. Pastors have faced betrayal.

Pastors felt betrayed on multiple levels throughout the pandemic. Rightly or wrongly, Pastors assumed that staff members, church leaders and committed volunteers would endure this hard season with them. And truth be told, some did! Many, however, did not. When times got tough, and they experienced their own COVID-journey-pains, they abandoned their post… and their pastor.

Some of them bunkered themselves in their homes out of fear. Some quit because it got too difficult to lead or serve. Some turned their backs on their pastor or church leadership due to disagreement on health protocols, masks, vaccines, or ____FILL IN THE BLANK___. And some legitimately burnt out for similar reasons as pastors did.

There are pastors who carry wounds of abandonment from the people they thought they could count on.

4. Pastors have faced disappointment.

Pastors experienced disappointment after disappointment during the pandemic. Yes, I understand, so did everyone! And yet, it’s important to highlight some of the unique disappointments that were centred around pastoral ministry. There was a constant barrage of disappointment that made it extremely difficult for pastors to keep morale high, and maintain forward motion.

There was disappointment in government officials for constantly shifting church protocols, passing responsibility onto clergy; many of whom did not have the calling nor the desire to enforce. There was disappointment in congregations who seemed constantly divided over every issue, ignoring calls to unite around Christ and the Gospel. There was even some disappointment in God for not intervening. (This is a hard truth!)

There are pastors who carry wounds of disappointment from all of the above, and even COVID itself.

5. Pastors have faced failure.

Pastors faced a variety of failures during the pandemic. Well-seasoned pastors faced complete shifts in their roles and responsibilities, and couldn’t rely on many of their past ministry tools. Organized pastors who always had a plan and schedule, including rhythms for sabbath rest, burned out. Some, unfortunately, even fell into moral failures for the first time, which cost them significantly.

There were failures to stay connected with their congregations. If they could turn back time, they would have written more emails, mailed more cards, and made more phone calls. Most of them assumed, like everyone else in the world, that the end of the pandemic was just around the corner. They would see everyone soon, but the street just kept getting longer!

There are pastors who carry wounds of regret from their failures; so many things they wish they would have done differently.

What happens next?

Thanks be to God, most pastors are in recovery! Contacts that I have in Christian counselling tell me that their schedules are full of pastors and ministry workers. I’m also hearing about a lot of pastors who have just returned from a sabbatical or are planning on taking one soon.

This is all positive because it means the grieving has started and charting a course forward is coming soon! There is still a deep desire for pastors to rejuvenate their relationships with Christ, and refresh their calling to pastoral ministry.

Once again, thanks be to God; may He have the glory!!!

What can you do?

• If you’re a pastor or ministry worker, look back over the list of 5 above. Have you experienced these? If so, call your denomination, fellowship, or network lead. Let them help you come clean to your leadership about what’s been happening over the past two years. Plan some vacation time, or maybe even a sabbatical. Get into counselling and make a recovery plan.
• If you’re a congregate, look back over the list of 5 above. Assuming that you didn’t add to the above, reach out to your pastor and church staff, and ask them if they’re enduring any of these. Ask them if they’re grieving? Ask them if they need a time of rest and recovery? Maybe just write them a small note of encouragement, thanking them for their service through the pandemic.

Join the Conversation; Share Your Thoughts

• What has your pastor and church staff had to endure throughout the pandemic?
• How might they be hurting or suffering as we hit the 2-year mark?
• What wounds might they be carrying?