Dead or Alive

Is it dead or alive?

Judging by the picture, the Colorado Blue Spruce in our neighbor’s yard is dying.

The red tail hawks who used to nest there are not happy about it. We’re not happy about it. If that tree dies, it could fall on our house.

Having a tree service take down a huge specimen would cost several thousand dollars. So, I wanted a clear prognosis.

When we showed an expert the picture, he zoomed in, past the deceptively dry needles and lifeless limbs to identify fresh green candles at the tips of the lower branches’ needles. “It’s not dead yet,” he said. “It just needs water.” 

For the cost of watering, a huge expense would be avoided.

I wanted to slap myself in the forehead—not because I should have known about the tree—but because I know how this is true for pastors. 

There’s a picture of this in the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19:4-8. Hounded and exhausted to the point of despair he wandered (ran away?) into the wilderness and sat down under a broom tree. There God sent an angel, who physically fed him, strengthening him for a long journey toward an encounter with God that prepared him spiritually for the next season of his ministry.

Many of my friends and colleagues have been drying up and burning out from a lack of living water—the very water they spend their lives offering to others. They’re not dead, yet, but the truth is: they’re slowly dying.

Pastoral Coaching: Necessity, Not Luxury

I often say that the business world clearly understands the value of coaching for their leaders and how it affects the “bottom line.” Far too often churches view coaching for pastors as a luxury they can’t afford. They’re hung up on a misinterpreted picture, a misguided understanding of the quantitative cost. Think of the cost of taking down that Colorado Blue Spruce versus watering it. It is right to compare this to the price of pastors who opt out of the ministry; of scores of hours spent dealing with avoidable staff turnover and mishandled conflicts with congregants as opposed to well-timed, well-aimed coaching. It’s like the car mechanic says: “You can pay me now, or you can pay me a lot more later.”

Digging deeper: What is the qualitative cost of that kind of church culture? How do pastors lead toward spiritually healthy, winsome congregations when they themselves are running on fumes?

And how is the mission of the church compromised? How is gospel ministry to the surrounding community hindered by the church’s failure to care for her ministers?

We don’t claim that pastoral coaching will eradicate suffering. It cannot stop the flow of unhappy congregants away from church. But it can allow pastors to root down, re-engage ministry, and grow more resilient. 

Preventive Maintenance and Provisions

The Lord has been pleased to use us to do some effective preventive maintenance. That includes facilitating sabbaticals, a successful pastoral transition and equipping ministry teams to grow in mutual understanding, appreciation, and trust.

Throughout our ministry we’ve brought pastoral couples into a space where we supply them with provisions, and they can drink in God’s grace. When we are with pastors and pastoral couples our goal is not that they go back to their churches with sermon material, or some fresh new strategy for ministry—although these often flow from deep refreshment. 

Instead, by God’s grace, we want to be with them in their journey. With them for a season long enough to work changes and work for their faith (see Paul’s prayer in 1 Thess. 3:10). Our prayer and aim is simply that instead of stressed-out, empty, dry, and brittle they would come away from a season with us spiritually renewed and resilient, imaginative and relaxed, supple and alive. It's the most important thing they can give to both their families and their congregations.

Back in the mid 2000s when the seeds of our present ministry were being sown, we would take pastors away to a place of beauty, enjoying lovely meals and wide ranging conversation at the table. I recall listening to one man’s story and his questioning aloud how anyone could respect him. Everyone in the room saw past his struggle to the strength, gifts, and beauty of his redeemed heart, and instead of losing their respect, his honesty increased their respect and trust. By God’s grace we’ve seen this happen repeatedly, facilitating an intentional environment, prayerfully attending to men’s hearts, and seeking the presence of Christ together. 

We want to give the gift of being seen, affirmed, and refreshed. Our prayer is that we would be able to minister to pastors that they might be fully alive. Our hope is that their redeemed hearts would be so present, evident, and strong, that people would see Jesus who gave them his life, and shaped their hearts to share with others.