What Everybody Ought to Know About Emotions and Ministry

Life is emotional. But for those of us in ministry, it feels like it’s even a little more emotional.

That’s true even for those of us who think of ourselves as more rational than emotional. Sometimes we get surprised by how intense ministry can become. I started out in my twenties as a lawyer, so emotion wasn’t really a huge part of my wiring.

But within a few years of beginning ministry, I realized that if I didn’t figure out how to navigate the emotions of ministry, I probably wouldn’t make it in the long run.

And looking back on my time in ministry so far, I can honestly say the biggest crises I’ve had to navigate have not been spiritual or vocational nearly as much as they’ve been emotional.

What I mean by that is I didn’t know how to emotionally cope with the demands of my calling.

My biggest challenges for both paid staff and volunteers seem to involve handling the pressures, challenges, and criticism of ministry.

In my post How to Get Off the Emotional Roller Coaster of Ministry, I share six strategies to help you manage your emotions as a leader. But first, it would be helpful to drill down on the reasons why ministry is emotionally draining for so many.

So, Why Is ministry so emotional for so many?

Here’s my theory. Ministry combines three areas of life that are intensely personal:

Your faith

Your work

Your community

Because of that, it gets confusing.

What you do is what you believe.

What you believe is what you do.

Your friends are also the people you serve and lead.

Throw your family into the mix (because they believe what you believe and are friends with the people you/they lead and serve) and bam – it’s even more confusing.

Because of this, things that normally happen ‘at work’ very seldom stay ‘at work.’

Things that normally happen 'at work' very seldom stay 'at work.' Click To Tweet

Here are three common pitfalls many ministry leaders struggle with:

1. Disagreements at Home

You and your spouse end up arguing about being out ‘one more night’ at a meeting or event. But because ‘what you do is what you believe’ you feel that staying home is somehow being ‘unfaithful’ to God.

2. Taking Criticism Personally

You get an email or comment criticizing something you said in a message, and you’re really bothered by it. It’s more troubling because you’re not sure whether it means you’ve somehow failed God, not just your employer. And then guess what? You bring that home to your spouse, who also loves God.

Repeat that pattern multiple times and your spouse can end up resenting the very place that’s supposed to be her spiritual home and the spiritual home of your kids.

3. Friendship

One of the worst forms of hurt can come when someone you consider to be a friend becomes a critic of your ministry. I’ve had this happen to me a few times, and it hurts deeply. When people you share your life with quietly (or not so quietly) start to work against you, it’s very difficult to navigate.

One of the worst forms of hurt can come when someone you consider to be a friend becomes a critic of your ministry. Click To Tweet

If you don’t navigate these issues well, here’s what can happen as a result:

You begin to resent the church you serve.

Your family begins to have mixed emotions about your church.

You stop trusting people.

Your personal time with God becomes clouded and even dies for a season.

You dream of getting out of ministry.

You build up anger you’re not sure how to get rid of.

If you want strategies to deal with this, click here. You can overcome it! I’ve learned to cope with all of this.

Build A System To Beat Overwhelm

One of the reasons leaders struggle to improve their habits is they feel like they just don’t have the time to do it.

Change that.

My approach to life and leadership changed radically for me over ten years ago when I figured out how to get time, energy and priorities working in my favour.

I’d love to help you free up hours each day to do the same thing. And I’ve helped over 5000 leaders do just that.

If you’re trying to find the time for what matters most in life, my High Impact Leader course, is an online, on-demand course designed to help you get time, energy and priorities working in your favour.

Many leaders who have taken it are recovering 3 productive hours a day. That’s about 1000 hours of found time each year. That’s a lot of time for what matters most.

Here are what some alumni are saying about The High Impact Leader Course”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for providing the course again. It has absolutely made an impact in my life and family already that I can’t even describe.” – Joel Rowland, Clayton County, North Carolina

“Just wow. Thank you, thank you.” Dave Campbell, Sioux Falls South Dakota

“A game changer.” Pam Perkins, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Curious? Want to beat overwhelm and have the time to reflect, rest and reinvent yourself?

Click here to learn more or get instant access.

In the meantime

How have you found this to be true?

What have you seen people struggle with emotionally in ministry?

You’ve prepared your sermon. You’re ready for Sunday... Or are you?

The #1 factor people look for in a church is the quality of the preaching. In fact, 86% of people choose a church based on that.

So if you step back and take a look in the mirror for a moment...

Does your sermon prep get the time it deserves?
And when was the last time you took a big step forward in becoming a better preacher?

Most Pastors aren't happy with the answers they give to those questions.

How to preach more engaging, memorable, and relevant sermons—starting as early as this week.

Now, take a minute to imagine feeling confident that your message would connect on Sunday morning, knowing you’d deliver it clearly and truthfully.

It’s time to ditch the random, stressful, and last-minute approach to becoming a better preacher and communicator.

Get a proven method to preach sermons that reach more people and grow your church in The Art of Preaching. It's the only program trusted by 3,000+ pastors over 5+ years—no matter the denomination or church size—that will transform your preaching from preparation to delivery.

You’ll save hours each week with a better sermon prep process.
You’ll write messages people remember for months… or even years.
You’ll deepen your own connection with the text, seeing things you never noticed before.
You’ll be able to (finally) deliver your message without using notes.
You’ll preach sermons that reach more people and transform the lives of churched and unchurched people alike.

Learn More About The Art of Preaching