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When You Don't Want to Preach
The hardest sermons are the ones you have to preach when your own faith feels fragile.
Dr. Mark Croston preached through the unthinkable: his wife's third cancer diagnosis, hospice care, and her death the weekend before Thanksgiving 2008. He stood in the pulpit while his children grieved, his church family looked to him for hope, and his own heart was shattered. In a recent reflection for ChurchLeaders, Croston shares four strategies that sustained his preaching ministry during the darkest season of his 40-year ministry journey.
His insights matter because pastoral burnout and mental health crises are reaching critical levels. Recent studies show 38% of pastors have considered leaving ministry in the past year, with personal crisis and emotional exhaustion ranking as top factors. Yet the pastor's work remains intensely public: you're expected to deliver hope and biblical truth even when your own world is collapsing.
Croston's advice centers around leading authentically while protecting your congregation from becoming your therapist. He emphasizes owning your needs, encouraging taking time off, seeking professional help, and acknowledging that pastors experience the same grief, depression, and anger as everyone else. Here's what healthy preaching through crisis actually looks like:
Revisit your best work. When grief clouds your creativity, return to a sermon series that worked before. Update illustrations, modernize the language, and let proven content carry you through seasons when crafting new material feels impossible.
Preach to yourself first. Target your Sunday message at your own felt needs. Since you share the same humanity as your listeners, preaching to your depression, anxiety, or grief directly addresses where your congregation lives too.
Immerse in Scripture for yourself. Don't let Bible reading become only sermon prep. Let God's Word renew you through meditation, memorization, and reflection. The strength you need to preach comes from encountering God in His Word, not just mining it for content.
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Ministry Intel
Pastoral Encouragement Requires Courage, Not Just Comfort | The Gospel Coalition
Jonathan Parnell challenges pastors navigating difficult seasons to embrace God's sovereignty before seeking solutions. Writing during the pandemic's uncertainty, he argues that clarity of hope matters more than optimized strategy, distinguishing between trusting God while using practical means versus trusting in those means themselves. His five exhortations include deepening spiritual disciplines during crisis, maintaining thankfulness as a default posture, and extending grace to fellow pastors making different ministry decisions.
Consider this week: Spiritual endurance comes from going deeper in the practices that connect you to God's presence, not just cramming more productivity into your calendar. What one spiritual discipline could you intensify this week to sustain you through the long haul?
Where Do You See God at Work in Your Church? | ChurchLeaders
Mark Miller addresses the frightening silence many pastors experience when circumstances scream louder than God's promises. He distinguishes between intellectual assurance of God's presence and the emotional confidence that He's actually partnering with you in ministry. Miller offers a crucial perspective: "There are seasons when I was focused on growing the church and God was trying to grow me."
This week: Schedule 30 minutes to write out your spiritual journey over the past five years. Where did you see God show up when you couldn't see Him at the time? This practice rebuilds faith when present circumstances feel barren.
Growth Toolkit
Free month-long family challenge from Focus on the Family with conversation starters, screen time research, and daily activities to rebuild presence and eye contact. This resource strengthens families at home, creating the relational foundation your church needs to retain members and grow through natural connections.
Free ebook covering financial controls, budgeting basics, and compliance best practices for small to mid-sized churches. Transparent financial management builds the congregational trust essential for growth, especially critical when only 27% of Americans trust pastors with ethical standards.
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