Pastor Strong program helps ministers maintain health on all levels

“We know if pastors aren’t healthy, they will have a hard time leading the flock. And that’s holistic – financial, physical, mental and marital health as well,” said Chad Schapiro, director of the Pastor Strong Initiative under the Texas Baptists Pastoral Health Network, in a Tuesday morning workshop.

After a brief introduction from Kevin Abbott, director of Pastoral Health Network, and Schapiro, the team led those in the audience to take a brief assessment to measure areas in need of attention with regard to ministerial health. 

Abbott, a former pastor and an Area 5 representative for Texas Baptists, then spoke about his own experience that led to coaching and a renewed call to help pastors like himself. 

“As a leader, it was a good place to be. I knew that deep in my soul, something was stirring, and I was leading out of a lot of natural abilities and not leaning into the spirit’s power as much as I should,” he said. “I was in a pretty unhealthy place behind the scenes.”

He said Barna survey data in 2023, following the pandemic, shows the big picture of the situation: 42% of pastors said they have given serious consideration to quitting, with 60% significantly doubting their calling and 70% of pastors battling depression. In addition, Abbott said 80% of pastors felt discouraged and 78% said they had no close friends. That data is proof, Abbott said, that the Pastor Strong Initiative is needed in Texas. 

Abbott’s personal solution was to get involved in a cohort under his mentor at Fuller Seminary, which involved reading and connecting with others to work through life issues. He also had to do a personal reflection on areas that needed attention.

The end result was a desire to pour into other pastors similarly, and Abbott said the Pastor Strong program mirrors the one he completed, with roots in the study by Dr. J. Robert Clinton at Fuller Seminary and his book “The Making of a Leader.” That book is based on research of nearly 5,000 kingdom leaders – 50 of which are biblical – and how their ministry and life development was shaped. 

He said after observing that only 1 in 3 of those leaders finished well, Clinton also noted that leadership was difficult, God’s enabling presence was an essential ingredient to successful leadership and that spiritual leadership made a big difference.

“Finishing well means being more in love with Jesus at the end than in the beginning, being more passionate about the mission than their own at the end and being more sacrificial of their time, talent and treasure at the end,” explained Abbott.

He then outlined the five habits of pastors who finish well, mirrored in the assessment that was completed earlier in the workshop. The first step was having a clear mission, or a life mandate that guides and motivates the pastor. He also mentioned relational security, with other relationships key to support. 

“Every minister should have a Paul, a mentor pouring into them; a Timothy, someone they can pour into; and a Barnabas, a peer-to-peer person that is a safe place to process,” Abbott said. “You need to intentionally have the right voices in your journey.”

Abbott said the third habit is repeated renewal, which he defined as leaning into the power of the Holy Spirit and leading from that place. He noted that true leadership that makes an impact comes from “a place of the soul, a place of intimacy with the Father, Son and Spirit, and you’re looking for opportunities to hear the voice of God fresh.”

The fourth habit is lifelong learning, a process of avoiding plateauing in personal growth by learning continually. And finally, Abbott said a sovereign perspective is key to leadership as pastors see their lives through the eyes of God and trust his bigger vision to make their decisions.

Abbott explained that these smaller cohorts of 20-25 pastors meet over five months, focusing on various emphasis areas in a single day-long meeting each month. The capstone of the program is a retreat in Colorado for renewal, recreation and celebration of the community built over that time. 

“They are a communal group, and true transformation happens on the anvil of relationship. The power of God and the spirit of God come together in a communal group. We are a rowboat and were going to work together and process that cohort environment,” Abbott said. “Your greatest act of worship is to be who God created you to be! The greatest gift you can give to your church is to take care of you.”

Schapiro added that Pastor Strong is made possible through Cooperative Program gifts to invest in pastoral health. He also explained that the 2026 cohorts will begin in February or March in the following areas: San Antonio, Houston, Austin, Abilene, Dallas and Tyler.