Lost Your energy?

I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the

desert.

Isaiah 43:19

During the pandemic, many of our meetings were on digital platforms. Greetings began with, "How are you doing?" Rather than a passing comment we'd make in the hallway, we were genuinely interested and got some genuine answers during the pandemic. Cooped up in our homes with plenty of time for rest, the most frequent response was "I'm tired." We are tired for various reasons, but it is mostly not physical. We are anxious, frustrated, experiencing a loss of control, worried, frightened, and discouraged. We are emotionally and spiritually exhausted.

The departure of clergy from positions as a pastor has never been higher. And it is not just clergy; lay leaders are also making a run for it. I experienced the pandemic as an interim pastor in a medium-sized church. Transitions are full of anxiety. Changes in pastoral leadership are mostly hard on congregations. Add a global pandemic, the end of in-person worship and in-person meetings exchanged for unfamiliar online technologies, it is no wonder everyone is tired. I remember from four years ago how proud I was that our staff recreated nearly 80% of the church's program online with technologies I had never worked with before. I also remember the trauma, misdirected conflict, and the longing for retirement that was on the horizon. But here's the thing, we are called by Christ to be the church in every age, including the seasons of pandemic and cultural change. I believe that part of the reason we are tired is that everyone is trying to rebuild the pre-pandemic church. We've been fighting a losing battle out of a sense of duty to institutions that have held and expressed our faith for generations. Maybe in our zeal for those institutions, we have lost touch with the passion of our call to love people into the presence of God in this new season, this new post-pandemic world.

The antidote to burnout is not working harder to rebuild the old structures but getting in touch with the passion for building new ones that love people into the kin-don of God. Leaders today need to develop spiritual community around the new thing God is doing in this new space, not heading back to Egypt. Faith, and passion for a ministry in the present, with available resources, human, financial, and cultural, are what leaders need. I'm tired of trying to recreate the past, but I'm energized by what God might create with us in this new space.