Understanding Your Pastor's "Burden Bucket" in this season

Picture everyone in the world having a bucket. In the bucket are stones that represent the difficulties, challenges, struggles and griefs that each person faces at the moment. Our “burden buckets” are lighter at some points, heavier at others.

Right now, everyone’s bucket is heavier. We are all suffering from some sort of grief and loss in the midst of COVID. Some of our buckets are much heavier. My friend Ruth is a nurse in a hospital in a city where the pandemic hit hard. She messaged me: “I’ve never seen so much death in my life. People our age (we are both 57) and younger that just don’t survive this. And the elderly are most vulnerable.” The trauma of what she is dealing with has made her bucket heavy. In the news, we have been hearing about the heavy buckets of those in the medical field, those who continue to work in stores and delivery, teachers who have had to radically shift how they teach, ethnic minorities hit harder by the pandemic.

I want to tell you about our Pastors' burden buckets.

I oversee a lot of pastors (over 100).  I’ve been having lots of conversations. And I think there are things you need to know about the burdens your pastors are carrying… which they are unlikely to tell you.

In addition to the challenges that we all face at this time (yes, the pastor’s family is probably driving your pastor nuts some of the time, just like your family is driving you nuts), here are additional things that are in their burden bucket:

*They continue to be on a steep learning curve for how to do ministry effectively in our digital world. Some are exhausted because of all they’ve had to learn and adjust already (think of our local teachers). But for the pastor, the learning continues (no summer off!). More than one pastor is wrestling with: someone came to faith through an online service. YAY! But they live far away. How do you “disciple” someone hundreds of miles away? You can’t just abandon a baby believer. More learning.

*Their ministry load has significantly increased. In addition to the new people connecting through the digital world, inside their congregation there is the challenge for how to minister to the most vulnerable when you don’t see them weekly. And for many of our older folks, they simply don’t know how to do “online.” One pastor spoke of spending an hour just trying to help an elderly congregant get on zoom. Other members of the congregation need help of varying kinds. When someone is in the hospital, ministering to them and their family looks very different than it used to. When someone dies, the burden for care of the family is heavier without a traditional funeral. But it’s not just inside their congregation. Reports are coming in from around the conference of a huge surge in people in the community calling the church to talk to someone, looking for pastoral counseling. Is this an opportunity to reach out to the community? Absolutely. But it adds much more weight to the bucket.

*Complaints from those in the congregation have greatly increased. Pastors always have to deal with people unhappy with the pastors decisions, their sermons, their leadership. It’s part of the territory. But in this season? It’s like the complaints are raining down. And frankly, this is probably the most difficult weight for a pastor to deal with. You see, most pastors are in ministry because they love people. They really do. They love those who need protection from this virus. They love those who really want to get back “to normal” (while knowing it won’t ever be the same). They love those who are afraid. They love those who are bold. And right now, from these people that they love, here are things they are hearing:
-if you DON’T open up you are running in fear
-if you DO open up you don’t care for the vulnerable
-if you DON’T open up, you don’t care about the church (reminder: the church is not a building, it’s the Body of Christ. We have never “closed” because the Body of Christ is on the move).
-if you DO open up, I’m not coming, so you’d better keep doing virtual church… and keep improving.
-if you DON’T open up, I’ll go to the first church that does.
-if you DO open up before the state allows, we’ll call the police / report you.
(I could keep going, but you get the idea)

Many have said: “I don’t understand why we can’t just…” and the list of “suggestions” is long:
-do a drive-in service,
-do an outside service,
-open up anyway,
-start opening up for just the healthy,
-start opening up and allow only the elderly.
There is the assumption that their suggestion is “easy” or “simple” (or that the pastor hasn’t already considered it). I can assure you that it’s not simple.

Let me take just one example: The suggestion that we only open for the healthy. That may seem the “easiest” thing to do. But…
-Do you really want to tell the community that only the healthy can come to your church?
-Do you want to tell the elderly that they are not allowed?
-Do you want to tell kids that are not allowed (because they don’t socially distance well)?
-Do you want someone to stand at the door counting the number that comes in and then tell people to go away when the number is reached?
-Do you want a greeter or the pastor to have to be the “police” when it comes to wearing masks or staying distanced?
-And if you think masks should be optional… what do you do when the person six feet away from you starts sneezing and coughing without a mask on?
-Who does all the work?
-Who figures out all the logistics of where people sit, how they enter the building, how the bathrooms get cleaned, within (ever changing) CDC guidelines?
-Who asks everyone their name so that we have a record of who was on the premises in case someone in the gathering ends up with COVID and those there need to be alerted and quarantined?
-Who makes sure someone doesn’t start going around hugging people?
I could keep going…

Our pastors buckets are incredibly heavy right now. For most of us, they are heavier than they ever have been. My concern is that in the next year we will lose many due to discouragement or burn-out. 

Can I tell you something that I am ABSOLUTELY SURE of?



Your pastor is doing their best. They are prayerful and creative. They miss you, just like you miss them. They want to enter this future era in the church prepared to meet the challenges. But they need your help.

In Scripture, there are two ways that our burdens are lifted. One is by Jesus, who reminds us that His “burdens are light” (Matthew 11). Pastors that I talk to are telling me of the great importance for them to be spending extra time with Jesus, intentionally handing off burdens to Him.

But it’s not just Jesus! Galatians 6:2 tells us to: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Whoa. If carrying each other’s burdens fulfills the law of Christ, that’s a pretty big thing).

Your pastor is carrying many people’s burdens right now. Will you help carry theirs?

How can you help lighten your pastor’s burden bucket?


*Embrace the idea that the church is not a building, but it is the Body of Christ.  COVID has not stopped us. We are still on mission. New people are coming to faith. New people are being cared for. New people are connecting to our churches. New opportunities are here. If you embrace this idea, then you will see purpose and mission before you rather than frustration.

*Encourage your pastor. Tell them today that you appreciate all their work. Tell them you know they are doing their best. Support whatever decisions they are making. (One hint here: Some pastors have told me that some in their churches are blaming “the conference” or me for “holding them back.” But most of our pastors are privately thanking me for our guidelines, recommendations and guidelines, as they see the wisdom in them).

*If you have an idea? Be prepared to do the work, and be open to a “no.” Are you seeing a need? Volunteer to gather a team to meet the need. (Needs I see: delivery service for the vulnerable. Visiting those stuck at home [call them from the front yard, and talk to them while they stand in the doorway or through the window]. Food pantries for those without work.)
Would you like your church to try one outside or drive-in service this summer? Ask your pastor: if you volunteer to gather a team to figure out all the logistics for that one service, are they open? Whether they say “yes or no”… please support and respect their leadership.

*Understand it’s not all about you.  We all see things from our own limited perspective. Your pastor (and the Genesis Conference) is doing his or her absolute best to weigh the concerns of everyone in your church and community.

And above all…
*Pray for them and their families. And when you do? Drop them a text, email, or card to let them know what you are praying for.

If you do these things?  You will “carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” And that’s a really big deal.