How to Navigate the End of the Year: Pastor’s Edition

From Thanksgiving through New Year’s in the Western church, we tend to be in a constant state of giving and celebrating. That in and of itself can be a significant stressor for pastors. But add to that the fact that so many people you minister to are suffering during the holidays, you may end up carrying others’ stress and pain as well as any of your own. Our two primary constraints, time and money, either come to the forefront and we get to heal our misguided mindsets, or they get stuffed to be dealt with another day.

Maybe it’s time to take a deep breath, even if you’re in the throes of the season, and just say no. I love the times Jesus rejects what a group of people want Him to do (even if they are His good friends), and instead, He chooses to do what the Father is doing. For example, we see in Luke 4:42 that people wanted to keep Jesus from leaving. But in verse 43 Jesus essentially says, “No, I need to go preach elsewhere. Other people need me too.” I love this because it permits me to say no, just as Jesus did. You have that permission too. Jesus is perfect love, yet He said no. We can’t love people more than He does, so that we can say no in love.

How did Jesus decide whose needs He was to meet on any given day? I’m sure there was tension with one group feeling “hurt” they weren’t chosen. In John 5:19, He gives us the key– only do what the Father is doing. The challenge is knowing what the Father is doing. That’s a tough ask unless we’re spending time with the Father to know. Time and money are so intertwined that we need the same, time with our Father, to know how to give, save, and spend our money and our energy.

I encourage you and pray for you that you will stay out of the fowler’s snare. Here are some “little foxes” (Song of Solomon 2:15-16) to keep your eyes open for, so that you can shepherd your church members with wisdom.

• Celebrations. The holiday season is filled with parties and dinners. Unrealistic expectations can heap pressure on pastors to attend or even worse, reciprocate. Be vigilant with your calendar. Schedule regular time with your Father and your family to make the season joyful for your family and your church. You can even choose to communicate to your church that you are scheduling this time so that you and your family can love them better.
• Materialism. Sadly, in our culture, the spirit of mammon is front and center during the holidays instead of Jesus. As the pastor, staying out of the trap will lend authority to your messages against materialism and overspending.  
• Health.  Ironically the holidays can become a time when we excuse ourselves from eating well and exercising and fall into gluttony. We’re celebrating the arrival of Jesus, but then we abuse His temple. Jesus loves the temple. We’d be wise to do the same.
• Events. All of the above are exacerbated when we have a multitude of outreach programs and special events. None of these are necessarily bad in themselves, but if we aren’t careful, we lose sight of what the Father is doing. We can fall into “doing” mode and stay so busy we can’t hear our Father.

Your heartbeat as a pastor is so beautifully entwined with that of Jesus, the ultimate Shepherd. You may not be able to slow the train right now, but a new day is coming. His grace will sustain you until the new year when you can begin afresh.  

We at 3Nickels are more than willing to help. You can contact us at Help@3Nickels.com, and we can help put a plan into place to start 2024 in a new direction. Our app and 3Nickels U will provide you and your members with what they need to get on track and stay on track financially. That, in turn, will help you manage your time and energy more effectively. In the long run, you will be a far more effective shepherd, and your sheep will learn to follow.