Thursday, June 11, 2015

Hope for the Hurting Pastor


Rick Ezell, my mother's pastor, offers some good perspective and advice for pastors and other church-leaders . . .

"The American church is suffering, and pastors are hurting with them.

If the statistics are true, 70-90 percent of churches in North America are either plateaued or declining. Many churches close their doors each year; others struggle to keep the church afloat.

The typical congregation is graying, and with that comes a greater demand for care and bereavement ministry at the expense of evangelistic and outreach efforts. Faithful members attend less frequently due to travel, sports, work and leisure. Monies once used for ministry are now expended for building upkeep and maintenance. Pastors are performing additional work because there are fewer staff members and volunteers. Because of financial shortfalls, many pastors are taking pay cuts and having benefits reduced or eliminated. All the while, the church continues to decline, with the prospects for improvement fading like the sunset."

Read the entire article at The Baptist Courier's site here.

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