How are your Church Leaders doing?
To celebrate Pastoral Care Week, we want to honor and acknowledge the pastors in our community who have helped us through the pandemic and all the other struggles we have dealt with this year. In this article, we want to celebrate pastors by recognizing some of the ways the pandemic has affected ministers in our community and how we can support them.
Difficulty Connecting
Pastors are people who are meant to touch and engage, but with the pandemic, it has become increasingly difficult to connect with church members. Being unable to offer a hug to hurting church members at a funeral or losing the ability to gather together are new realities that pastors must face in their ministries.
Increased Mental Health Issues
Like everyone else, pastors have also experienced the increased stress brought on by the pandemic. However, they are also in a position of leadership where they are responsible for the direction of the church during this crisis. Church members alike should be aware of the mental health challenges that pastors may be facing during the pandemic.
Ways We can Support our Pastors
Pastors Patrick Coats and Jessie Carbo shared these suggestions in this week's podcast:
Take the time to send a text, email or letter to a pastor to let them know their hard work is appreciated.
Support pastors by sending them prayers over a voice recording through text or email. Prayer is a powerful and practical tool we can use to support our pastors.
Encourage them to reach out to mental health services if you notice a need for extra help.
While the pandemic and Pastoral Care Week won’t last forever, we as a church should still continue to encourage and care for the pastors in our community.
Contributing Wellspring Author
This week's episode:
Our most recent Wellspring on the Air Episode featured Pastor Patrick Coats from Florida Baptist Convention and Kingdom Covenant Baptist Church, & Pastor Jessie Carbo from City to City Miami and The Brook. This episode, hosted by Dr. Leigh Byers, is helpful for understanding the stress that ministry leaders have been under during COVID and how you can share your appreciation for them.