Showing results by author "Mark Dance" in All Categories

Ministers want and need to navigate the tension between being highly motivated and terminally driven. Far too many pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders quit or coast because they have failed to discern between denying themselves and neglecting themselves. We all need rest, which is why God has generously sewn it into the fabric of our schedules already—the gift of Sabbath. Sabbath is not meant to slow us down; rather, it is meant to stop us for short periods for rest and refueling.

There has always been a special weight to ministry. As pastors come to lead their churches, they recognize very quickly the task they have been called to comes with very special expectations. And with each passing year, it feels like we now live in a time when pastors and ministry leaders can no longer live up to those expectations. Burnout is rampant. Pastors are stepping down in order to protect the well-being of themselves and their families. Moral failings seem to bring down leaders we once viewed as giants.