Why Pastors Should Pause

Pausing is one of the hardest things for me to do and it seemed even harder when I was a pastor. I think this was for two reasons: a) I loved the work of pastoring: studying, writing, counseling, leading, visioneering, etc b) I have a hard time pausing and reflecting. But I was always convicted by the model of Jesus, who took time to get away. So by not every pausing, I was basically saying I’m better than Jesus. That’s never a good position to be in. So we made sure, every year, to go on vacation and get away and unplug. Or at least do our best to unplug (My wife probably doesn’t think I unplugged as much as I should.). This year we went to the beach and basically did nothing for two weeks: reading, watching our kids swim, and eating. It was great.

This idea of rest is why I so enjoyed this interview I did with Chris Maxwell, the author of a great new series called, Pause. His latest installment is Pause for Pastors: Finding Still Waters in the Storm of Ministry. Here is a snippet from my interview with Chris for Leadership Journal: 

Ironically, it sometimes seems like those in ministry are the least likely to pause, with a busy workload caring for others. Why it is so important for leaders to find times of solitude?

There are so many times I have let what I do for God take the place of being with God.

When I first started serving as a lead pastor, I did not want to do that. I set aside time for personal spiritual formation. But, over the years, things changed. I needed to do more and accomplish more. People needed me – or, maybe I needed to be needed. We live in a driven, obsessed world even in church business. Fortunately, I learned the importance of returning to pause. The books in this series – Pause,Pause for Moms, and Pause for Pastors – come from my heart and the hearts of other writers who hope to remind ourselves and others about the now. As I wrote this book, along with stories from a variety of other pastors, we invited ministers to slow the pace and find the beauty of now.

You can read the rest of it here: