Even as church life and ministry are challenging right now, I am very hopeful. One of the reasons is because I believe that all of the turnover in pastoral positions will lead to more congregations looking in different places for new kinds of leaders. I write about this phenomenon as an opportunity for congregations in the latest issue of CBF’s Fellowship Magazine. You can read the article by clicking here and navigating to page 24.

Photo by Katerina Pavlyuchkova on Unsplash.

Hopefully we are now nearing the end of Covid-19 as a defining reality of our lives. The effects of the pandemic are likely to be long lasting, though. Finances (personal and institutional), politics (since Covid became such a wedge issue), and relationships (deepening or stretching, sometimes to the breaking point) are a few of the areas in which we will all continue to deal with fallout.

In my work I talk with a lot of clergy who are having a crisis of vocation either brought on or amplified by the pandemic. But I’m noticing that in general the repercussions vary according to when each pastor entered the system:

Those who were already contemplating retirement or a change in contexts. These pastors tried to hang on for a bit to get their congregations through the pandemic. When it became clear that the end of Covid was not imminent, many (understandably) decided to make their exits rather than persist under the stress of pastoring during a pandemic.

Those who were serving in their context for more than a year pre-Covid. These pastors got a full cycle of firsts under their belts before the pandemic arrived and put everything familiar in disarray. They had had some time to understand their contexts, build trust, and inhabit the role of leader. (They also had had enough exposure that they had begun to develop detractors, as happens in any pastorate.)

Those who had served less than a year but had at least led during a major liturgical season (e.g., Advent) pre-Covid. Going through major observances and signature events together often serves to bond pastor and people in mutual ministry. The relationships were still new and fragile, though.

Those who started their roles in January, February, or early March 2020. Many of these pastors are really struggling. They started a position and didn’t even get their feet underneath them before the floor dropped out. With varying degrees of success they have cobbled together their understanding of congregational culture and their ever-altering place in it.

Those who changed churches mid-pandemic. Some of these leaders are only just now getting to know their people in person after lots of time together online. They had to try to build relationships in less traditional ways, and sometimes they had to launch experiments and make decisions without all of the information that in-person community offers.

Those who are coming into new-to-them churches in this pre-post-Covid time. The Covid fog seems to be clearing, and now a new phase of the work begins. Pastors in new-to-them churches are, then, jumping into big questions without the benefit of the honeymoon period that many ministers enjoyed in The Before. How do we right-size our infrastructure? Are these people we haven’t seen in a long time gone for good? Do we keep up hybrid worship or switch back to fully in-person? What will the polarization of the last election and the partisanship around Covid mean for relationships among church members? What work around anti-racism is more possible and pressing now that we have physically re-gathered?

I make these distinctions to highlight that the pandemic has been challenging to all pastors (and all people!) and that there are nuances to the issues. I hope that lining out the obstacles to thriving for each group helps leaders locate themselves and begin to see why varying aspects of Covid have been harder or easier depending on each pastor’s level of rootedness in the context. Naming the barriers is the first step toward strategizing ways to minimize or maneuver around them.

A note to congregations: not every pastor is in vocational crisis. Some are even thriving. But all are attending to the challenges that the pandemic has presented to them as clergy and as humans. Please keep this in mind when your hopes for your church or your expectations for your minister’s leadership do not align with what is unfolding.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash.

By sheer force of demographics, there is likely to be a big wave of pastoral retirements in the next few years. That number will be augmented by the strain that the pandemic has placed on clergy. After navigating the tensions around safety precautions and noting that some version of online ministry is here to stay, many pastors who have the financial means will, understandably, decide that the time is near to enjoy the fruits of their labors and spend more time with people they love and activities they haven’t had time for previously.

This retirement can be a celebration, a forward-propelling moment for both the pastor and the church. When clergy retire with intentionality, it

• Allows the ministry pastor and congregation undertook together to carry forward

• Shows care for the church

• Gets the departing minister in a good head and heart space for what’s next

• Helps set a helpful tone for the transition period, including the pastor search

• Strengthens congregations’ connections to bodies itself useful in the transition and beyond

• Paves the way for next minister to get off to a smooth start

• Can be spiritually transformative for all involved

In short, pastors can do as much leading in the ways they retire as in all their time leading up to their departures, setting themselves up to enter a new chapter with fulfillment and hope. Thoughtfulness, though, is key. That’s why I’m introducing a new coaching package for those clergy who are considering retirement. Over a series of 6 one-hour sessions, we will develop a plan to address the Ps of finishing well:

• Processing. What aspects of your identity are bound up in being a pastor, and what might be some healthy ways to have those needs met in retirement?

• People. How can you show grace to those you’re leaving behind?

• Priorities. What big picture pieces are you holding that you need to follow through on, pass to others, or set aside?

• Preparations. What logistics need to be tended to and by whom to pave the way for a good transition?

• Promotion. Whose voices, inside the congregation and beyond, need to be heard now in order to broaden the church’s imagination about what will be possible after you leave?

• Personal planning. What financial support will you need in retirement, and where might you find it? Where will you continue to find purpose, routine, and support once you are no longer the pastor of your church?

The cost for the six sessions plus a planning sheet organized by the 6 Ps of retirement planning is $900, and you can schedule a free exploratory call to talk about through your questions and hopes for retirement coaching here.