The “slump” metaphor is used often in sports. The baseball hitter is in a slump because he has not gotten a hit in 15 at bats. The football quarterback is in a slump because he has only completed eight passes in the past two games.
But pastors can get in slumps as well. Admittedly they are not as easily recognizable as sports slumps. There aren’t really any metrics to tell us that a slump is in progress.
Still, pastors know when they are in slumps. They recognize their preaching is not as effective as it has been. Their relationships to some church members may be strained. Perhaps no one has joined the church for a while. Or maybe the Monday morning blahs have intensified lately.
Sure, the pastoral ministry slump is subjective if not vague. But it’s real. And every pastor experiences it. So I asked several pastors what they viewed to be the causes of slumps they experienced. Here are their top responses in the form of direct quotes. Read more
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