One way to de-stress your pastor or leader…
Maybe this is just me, but would you like to help de-stress your pastor or leader?
Tell us what the conversation is about…before the meeting.
I typically get requests that start like this:
Pastor, can you call me?
Pastor, I need to meet with you.
Pastor, can I have a few minutes of your time?
You can only imagine what happens in these meetings. I often hear something such as:
- I had an affair
- I committed a crime
- I am leaving my wife
- I have an addiction
In the past year, I’ve heard every one of those, a couple of them multiple times. Even before the meeting, my mind starts racing, I imagine the worst, and I am confused in how to prepare or pray before the meeting.
Sometimes people simply want to hangout…or…occasionally…they may even have something positive to share. Those are encouraging meetings, but it’s good to know that in advance too.
Here’s how you help your pastor. Tell me the basics of what the conversation is about before the meeting. You don’t have to tell me everything, but just the general nature of what we are going to discuss. Even if it’s going to be bad, eliminating the energy I have to put into imagining the worst, allows me to preserve that energy for other things, helps me fully prepare and pray for you, and lowers the immediate tension when we meet.
Fellow pastor/leader, am I alone here? Would this be helpful to you?
