Former Pastors Are a Good Source of Future Pastors
Many former pastors are a good source of future pastors not despite their experiences but because of them. They should not be seen as washed-up, used-up, or expired products.
The pastoral supply crisis is coming and is already here in some denominations. Alarming rates of burnout, fewer prospects pursuing pastoral ministry, and a retirement watershed already underway have led to higher vacancies.
In response, there is renewed excitement about young, fresh pastors and new church plants. These initiatives will inject energy and excitement into the local church landscape. While these efforts are encouraging, I have two major concerns.
First, current training leaves young pastors unprepared for the hardest parts of ministry. Second, there is a lack of care for pastors who’ve been sidelined by these hardships.
Common themes emerge in the stories that younger pastors tell me. They feel unprepared for fierce interpersonal conflicts - betrayal, blindsides, personal attacks - and the unique strains on marriage and family. These take a toll and the result is often a category shift from “active pastor” to “injured former pastor”.
Disorienting experiences can leave pastors emotionally and spiritually wounded, needing rest and counsel. Many would like to return to pastoral ministry but struggle to find their way back due to a lack of available care and support.
The Injured Pastor
These pastors feel alone and abandoned when their employment at a local church ends. Church members are hesitant to make contact, denominational resources are suddenly unavailable and their invitation to the local pastors’ fellowship is rescinded. This sudden evaporation of support and fellowship exacerbates their predicament. As a result, many can’t see a way back into ministry, and some even find it difficult to return to a church.
Many good pastors are currently on the sidelines. I know because 50% of the local church pastors I’ve been praying for are no longer pastoring a local church. These pastors will remain on the sidelines without the care they need to recover from their experiences. For most of the pastors I work with the sense of calling is still clear but the pathway back to vocational ministry is not.
Many injured pastors have walked the hardest roads and experienced soul-crushing disappointments. They have been wounded in ways they could never have imagined. They know that pastoring rarely leads to the type of success or the platform that new pastors often expect. These pastors have been through a few rounds and have the bruises to show for it.
However, these factors should be seen as potential strengths and not automatic weaknesses. I am confident that many of these former pastors are a good source of future pastors not despite these experiences but because of them. They should not be seen as washed-up, used-up, or expired products.
I doubt anyone desires to make them feel this way, but some of them do. As a result, rather than walking the road to recovery, they languish on the sidelines while a new round of recruits is sent into the battle. (To be clear (again), we need these new recruits!)
A Culture of Restoration and Fellowship
So what can we do for these shepherds who once led a flock but find themselves outside the fence? How can they be nurtured back to a level of health that will permit them to return to shepherding sheep?
First, acknowledge their existence. If popularly cited statistics are even close to true, there are more former pastors than current pastors. Consider this. That’s a lot of walking wounded in need of care.
Second, reach out to any former pastors you know. Show genuine care and offer friendship. Feel free to send him to The Shepherd’s Refuge for additional care and support. I’d be happy to work with him.
Third, if you belong to a local pastors’ fellowship, consider brainstorming with that group to see how many out-of-commission pastors you can identify. Discuss what an outreach effort might look like. This could go a long way to encourage healing and, if God ordains, a return to active ministry for a former pastor.
Our response to the looming crisis must be broadly three-pronged: Thorough initiation for new pastors, consistent fortification for current pastors, and structured recovery for former pastors.
Former pastors are a good source of future pastors. They are worth pursuing as one part of the solution to the looming crisis.
Are you a pastor who finds himself in need of care, in a state of depletion, or not knowing where to turn? Let’s talk. Follow this link to my contact page or click the button below.
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Michael Krahn is a pastor, the husband of Anne Marie, and the father of Madeleine, Olivia, and Sophia. Make a connection on Facebook, X, or Instagram.