Stress Management for Pastor's and Ministry Workers
According to the latest release in Lifeway Research’s 2022 Greatest Needs of Pastors study, of all the mental challenges U.S. Protestant pastors face, stress stands out above the rest. Distractions and discouragement are also significant factors for pastors when it comes to mental challenges in ministry.
Most pastors point to stress as a mental challenge they are facing in ministry (63 percent). Nearly half of pastors say discouragement (48 percent) and distraction (48 percent) are ministry mental challenges, while less than one-third of pastors point to loneliness or lack of friendship (28 percent), depression (18 percent) or lack of contentment (17 percent). Another 14 percent aren’t sure or say none of these are mental challenges for them.
Greatest Mental Challenge
When asked to narrow it down to the area of mental challenges they most need to address today, stress, distractions and discouragement top pastors’ list. More pastors identify stress (31 percent) as their greatest mental challenge in ministry than any other challenge. Nearly 1 in 4 pastors (23 percent) say distraction is their greatest mental challenge in ministry, and 18 percent say discouragement.
Fewer identify loneliness or lack of friendship (9 percent), depression (2 percent) or lack of contentment (2 percent) as the mental challenge they most need to address today. And 15 percent of pastors say they’re not sure or none of these are their primary mental challenge in ministry.
Being a pastor is stressful. Therefore, It’s important for pastors to learn healthy ways of maintaining their mental health amidst the variety of pressures that continue to come their way. Ignoring stress is not the answer. Resilience requires investment. (Research provided by Lifeway 2022)
Duration: 3 hours
Teacher: Skip Pilgrim, Ph.D. MRT
Delivery: Workbook and Power Point
Class Agenda:
- Session 1: Understanding stress and the effects of stress.
- Session 2: Recognizing signs of being stressed and 10 purposes of stress management.
- Session 3: The stress continuum. Stress intervention techniques.
- Session 4: Stress intervention tool box. Identify your stressors.
- Session 5: Compassion fatigue and burnout.
- Session 6: Developing stress resilience and learning God's plan for stress reduction.
- Session 7: Q&A "Stressed Out People Pleaser."