Thriving in Covenant Ministry

The upheaval in churches following the pandemic, the politics of division, difficult conversations about race and sexuality, and the pain of watching seminary classmates and dear friends walk away from the Covenant Church have made me reconsider how pastors persevere in ministry. I was taught that Covenant pastors must do four things: preach well, lead well, care well, and pray well. Of course, Baptists and Lutherans also have the same expectations of their ministers. What makes Covenant pastors unique are the two historic questions we ask in lieu of a dogmatic creed: “Where is it written?” and “How goes your walk with the Lord?”

In 28 years of ministry, I have learned that it is not always enough to preach, lead, care, and pray. And it is not always enough to ask our biblical, devotional, missional, and connectional questions. Pastoral search committees and pastoral relations committees would be wise to place a greater emphasis on the emotional and spiritual health of their pastors. To that end, I suggest four additional basic competencies of a Covenant pastor.

Covenant pastors must practice self-care well

Jesus frequently chose to step away from the stressful demands of ministry to find peace. He prayed publicly that his people might be healed, fed, blessed, raised from the dead, united, and forgiven. He also took time to draw near to God the Father. The true Messiah did not suffer from a messiah complex by trying to save the world by himself. Rather, Jesus gathered friends around him to help him to pass along the Father’s blessings. “I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).

We have not always modeled self-care well in the Covenant. I was once taught that successful church planters should work 70 hours a week. That instruction did not communicate that the physical and spiritual health of church planters was a high priority. I tried living under the burden of those workaholic expectations. But it was toxic for my soul, my family, and ultimately my church plant. The crucible of church planting helped me learn how to set boundaries and start taking better care of myself.

I am grateful that North Park Theological Seminary and the C. John Weborg Center for Spiritual Direction have long emphasized the importance of self-care. The Covenant has partnered with the Lilly Foundation and other donors to promote sabbaticals, retreats, collegial gatherings, and financial stewardship. I am grateful for the inspiration and community long fostered by the Midwinter Conference for pastors. Covenant camps create time and space for pastors to decompress from the strains of ministry, and pastors are starting to normalize conversations about mental health. The Covenant has made great progress on self-care, but we still need to unpack the legacy of unhealthy ministry expectations.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). That’s the gospel! Let us celebrate pastors for their self-care habits as much as their ability preach, lead, care, and pray for others.

Covenant pastors must study well

Covenant pastors must study to earn degrees, write comprehensible ordination papers, and preach the gospel. Beyond the practical aspect of study, we benefit from intentionally pursuing wisdom. We need to read the Bible devotionally just as much as we need to read it professionally. We also need to read widely and deeply about the topics of the day. Reading about American racism helps congregations learn how to help tear down the dividing wall of hostility found in Ephesians 2:14. Learning broadly about human sexuality helps us to figure out how to sincerely love our diverse neighbors. Studying woodworking might never directly impact your ministry—or it just might change the way you speak about the hands of Jesus. Who knows where study will lead us?

After completing my doctoral studies, I needed a break from books, so I picked up my long-neglected guitar. I found a teacher and began to study music. I had no goal other than to learn something new. When the pandemic upended our regular schedules, I suddenly found more time and opportunity, and playing guitar became an important part of my devotional time. Music was therapeutic, and I found new opportunities to play guitar in worship. I was genuinely surprised how much keeping an open mind and adopting a learning posture created opportunities for the Holy Spirit to work.

When he was still young, Jesus slipped away from his family at Passover to study. Mary and Joseph found their missing teenager “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers” (Luke 2:46-47). Jesus returned to Nazareth with his parents, but he kept on studying. “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:51). While the scribes and Pharisees were impressive scholars of the Hebrew Scriptures, Jesus had intimate knowledge of the Bible. “When Jesus had finished saying these things the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law” (Matthew 7:28-29).

Covenant pastors must disciple well

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

The Great Commission is often invoked to spur congregations toward evangelism. These days, many of our friends and neighbors have little knowledge of the gospel. It seems this is a moment to prioritize the Great Commission directives to teach and disciple. 

The pandemic was hard on program-oriented churches. My congregation promptly shifted to online worship services and daily devotionals. That was not enough to please everyone. Some folks left to worship at the church down the street that chose not to adhere to the statewide mandate to stay at home. Other people left because they got out of the habit of worship. Many left because they felt the church was either too liberal or too conservative for their taste. It was painful to watch so many people leave. It was also painful to admit that our church had a discipleship problem.

An hour of worship plus an hour of church programming each week cannot compete with eight hours a day of secular discipleship from Fox News or MSNBC. Covenant pastors would be wise to prioritize discipleship in this divisive time. We must help replace the authorities of the day with the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We must provide an alternate community that is more loving and welcoming than groups based on political ideology. We must offer robust teaching rooted in the Bible and lovingly applied to the contentious issues of the day. By the grace of God, we are called to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We must also be honest that Christian discipleship means denying self and heading to the cross. The church is more than a safe place to drop off the kids. The church is a community of people formed by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Covenant pastors must deal with conflict well

I studied conflict management in seminary. We read case studies and role-played familiar scenarios. Nothing we talked about in seminary prepared me for the social unrest of the past few years. I spent a lot of energy during the pandemic trying to navigate conflict. Those conflicts provided many opportunities for personal and spiritual growth. But I don’t believe every conflict can be “managed.”

I don’t mean pastors can “fix” a conflict or “save” a church from the causes or outcomes of conflict. I do mean that Covenant pastors can learn to deal with their own emotions and the actions that arise from conflict. God redeems some conflicts during a pastor’s call to the church. But God redeems others long after that pastor resigns, retires, or rests in peace. Some intractable conflicts feel like they will never be redeemed. Yet we trust God to transform our crosses into new life.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). It is easier to affirm those words when we are not in the thick of conflict. Those are difficult words when we are hurt and circumstances look bleak. Whereas circumstances are unpredictable, the Holy Spirit empowers us to find ways to be consistently faithful, hopeful, and loving. Having healthy margins allows a pastor to function during stressful circumstances. Deep and mature Christian relationships are more likely to weather the storm.

Covenant pastors must preach, lead, care, and pray well. These four tasks represent much of how pastors serve the church. Covenant pastors also must do self-care, study, disciple, and deal with conflict well. These undervalued qualities sum up much of who a pastor needs to be in order to persevere and thrive in ministry.