Trends We’ve Noticed Among Church Leaders

Trends We’ve Noticed Among Church Leaders

KATHERINE STICKLAND and CLAUDIA SMITH lead much of our church and ministry work. At the launch of a new Thriving In Ministry programme to support the resilience of church leaders, here they share some patterns they’ve noticed lately.

1. Leadership pressures seem to be growing

We’ve noticed a few shifts in church culture since the pandemic. Firstly, fewer church members are volunteering, putting more pressure on leaders to get things done. Secondly, church members seem to be more likely to voice dissent about leadership decisions. Thirdly, as with other areas of work, rates of pay have not kept pace with the rising cost of living. All this means that church leaders are working harder for less, and are coming under more scrutiny and criticism for what they do.

2. Current trends are a recipe for burnout

A worrying trend we’ve noticed is that when some leaders mention to their superiors the cumulative impact that these pressures are having on their wellbeing, it falls on deaf ears. This isn’t out of malice or indifference, but rather because the pressures on senior and regional leaders are also great, and they don’t have the time or knowledge to respond well. This means that good care provision often comes when it’s too late, and ministers are already off work sick. Read more on this here.

3. Too few church leaders invest in friendship

Church ministry can be very isolating: there’s often a distance between a leader and their members which can be hard to bridge. This is why good friendships are worth their weight in gold: particularly friendships characterised by trust, fun, honesty and accountability. Often, for church leaders these are friendships that were developed before their ministerial training, or those that exist outside of their church community. Being intentional about maintaining these friendships in key.

4. Growing pressure can lead to lapses of judgement

When leaders are stressed or nearing burnout they are more likely to make poor decisions or exhibit some kind of moral failure. This is one reason why it’s important to invest in preventative staff wellbeing measures or to provide ongoing support to church leaders, like the Thriving In Ministry series of sessions we are hosting, or the Pastoral Supervision we offer.

5. Church leaders at the end of their career have told us they wish they’d prioritised their own wellbeing more

It’s no surprise that leaders need to find a balance between service and self-care. Setting boundaries and delegating tasks allows them to recharge outside the church bubble. And when going on holiday, accept that others can probably respond to a crisis in your absence. 

6. Awareness of the signs and symptoms of stress is growing

Younger people in ministry seem to be more aware of the need to protect their own wellbeing, and churches increasingly will provide a Psychological Assessment to prepare new recruits to care for their wellbeing as they embark on a ministry role. Churches can also offer a Resilience Check-In, which is a space for an individual or group to pause, reflect and plot a path through a difficult time, guided by a facilitator..

7. Too many church leaders neglect their physical health

We’re talking here about the basics: good diet, exercise, sleep and relaxation. Put simply, people whose role is to serve others often find it difficult to prioritise their own self-care. But we look at things differently: the body and spirit are connected, and we need to care for both. This is why one of our most experienced doctors describes our Medical Assessments For Faith Leaders as “one of the most valuable medical appointments” that he provides.

8. Safeguarding is an increasingly complex task

With churches under more scrutiny to ensure they’re doing everything possible to prevent abuse, and with technology and online spaces opening new avenues for potential abuse, churches need to adapt their safeguarding policies to address new and historical safeguarding threats. We do work to help churches provide really good, robust safeguarding, whether through our Introduction To Safeguarding course or our training on Responding Well To Safeguarding Disclosures.

9. Some leaders still think asking for support means they are a failure

Asking for help doesn’t mean your faith isn’t strong enough, or you’re not praying hard enough. It’s a natural and healthy way of responding to a challenge. Finding someone outside of your current situation enables honesty and helps bring clarity and fresh perspective. This may be via Pastoral Supervision to reflect on ministry challenges with a specialist psychosocial professional; or Counselling for when struggling through personal issues; or Leadership Coaching with a coach who specialise in working with church leaders. 

10. Some church leaders find it hard to deal with conflict

We’ve heard many stories in which important issues are sidelined, poor leadership is tolerated, or low performance is ignored. In one instance a senior trustee stepped down and a staff member resigned due to their concerns about the poor leadership and communication of the licensed minister being continually ignored. But churches can learn to respond to conflict in a way that builds rather than erodes a team’s spirit.

11. Budgeting for wellbeing provision is not a priority, but it should be

Churches tend to budget for building maintenance (e.g. fire extinguishers, boilers) but neglect to maintain the health, wellbeing and skills of their leaders and teams. If you’d like to create a budget and discuss what your priorities should be, then arrange a time to speak with us.

12. Sometimes people in operational roles lack the confidence to query those in ministry roles

This culture is unwritten but well established in many churches. However, when members of a team feel safe to speak up, pose a question, raise a concern or to disagree constructively with others, they perform better, have a greater sense of belonging, work harder and are more creative. So it’s important for leaders to ask themselves ‘does everyone have a voice?’. We provide a training course on Psychological Safety to help leaders nurture trust and innovation in their team.

Would you like to chat with us about anything you’ve read here? Set up a call with Katherine here.

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