Why Sundays Can Discourage Pastors

Pastors are often discouraged. This is for a variety of reasons. Some pastors are left beaten, battered, and bruised by their congregations. Others are left burdened and discouraged by the normal things of ministry—unfinished tasks, needy sheep, financial stress, an upcoming counseling session, a deacons’ meeting that could go off the rails, etc. And all of this gets compounded by the stress of Sunday morning. Sunday morning is the big day. It is, naturally, what many pastors give the most weight to. Sunday, largely, will make or break a pastor’s level of encouragement. The “Monday blues” plague so many pastors, but what if the battle against Monday discouragement actually begins on Sunday itself? Your encouragement cannot depend on how you think Sunday went. It must be shaped by God’s faithfulness before, during, and after the service.

Before Sunday Morning

Wake up early. I know some preachers who finish their sermon on Sunday morning. As such, they wake up early—5:00 a.m. at least! Others I know are ready by Thursday afternoon and don’t need to be at the building until Sunday School starts. Let me encourage you to wake up early, especially if you do not have a sermon to write or notes to refine. Wake up early, do not look at your phone, and place the Lord’s Day service at the forefront of your mind.

Pray through the entire service that morning. Do not just pray for the things you are responsible for—the sermon, Scripture readings, Sunday School. Get out your order of service and pray for each element and those who will play a part. This gets your eyes and mind off of just what you are responsible for and puts your sight upon the wide array of other things which will be done to glorify the name of Christ. The sermon is very important, but it is not the only element of worship on Sunday.

Pray for the people of your church. It is natural to pray for the elements of worship and parts of your church—music team, ushers, etc.—but spend time praying for specific people. Perhaps specific people playing a part in service, or perhaps it is just people the Lord lays on your heart. Pray for the people of your church by name before you see them.

During Sunday Worship

Focus on who is there during the service. Focus on the number of people who showed up. That number may be low one particular week, but you must not let those who are not present steal away your affections and attention to those who are present. Aside from health concerns you may have for someone who is not accounted for, do not let your mind be occupied with the names and faces of those who are not there. . At least, not in the way that would lead you to be discouraged or to doubt. Focus on the 30, 300, or 3,000 who showed up. Imagine that, 30 people got out of bed and cancelled brunch plans to hear you preach! More than that, they showed up to worship alongside of you. That’s worth being encouraged by.

Try to find one thing each Sunday, unrelated to yourself, which encourages you. This is something I learned from a mentor, and it has paid dividends. By all means, be encouraged by those who thought you preached a good sermon and liked your outfit (I mean, your wife didn’t even pick out your clothes this time!). But look around at the church being the church and find something that encourages you which is totally unrelated to you. I am regularly encouraged by members who go out to lunch with one another. Just this week, I saw a member hand their newborn baby to a couple they have connected with recently. Those things encourage me and show me the work of the ministry being done by the saints.

After the Service

Eat a good lunch. Let me press in there for a moment. We are embodied creatures. The physical, mental, and spiritual all combine and all attribute to our state of being. Sunday is a stressful day. My fitness watch records my heart rate and “stress level” all day long. Sundays always have a spike around the time of Sunday service. Indeed the whole day is mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually taxing. You need to eat a good lunch with good nutritional value. As hungry as you may be, do not give into your flesh to overeat or to eat junk food. Your mind and soul will be served by taking care of what you put into your body.

Do not take a misery nap. If you have a rough, discouraging Sunday, do not just “sleep it off.” Nothing is worse for you than to take those discouraged emotions and that negative mindset and to try and pacify them with sleep. By all means, take a nap because you are worn out in service to Christ. (I mean, you got up at 4:30am after all!) If you are discouraged, don’t take a nap. Drink another cup of coffee, walk around outside, tell your wife to pinch you if you start nodding off—whatever you have to do. Just do not go to sleep. You will wake up groggy, cloudy, and even more discouraged than when you went to sleep.

Have a short memory. This is what they say of Quarterbacks after they throw an interception. If he goes out there unsure of himself or his preparation, on the next possession he will second guess himself and make a mistake. He needs to click “delete” on that file and move on. Likewise, brothers, have a short memory for the bad sermon you gave, embarrassing turn of phrase you used, or the lambasting you took from a church member. Learn from those things, sure, but do not let them linger upon your heart and mind.

The battle against discouragement is often won or lost before, during, and after the Sunday gathering. Take care how you spend your time and prepare your heart in each area and you will be more encouraged.