Editors Note: This article is written by Dr. Luke Trifilio as part of our series on finding hope in the midst of depression. In this series, our counselors are helping people understand the reality of depression and how God sustains and helps those who are depressed. View the Series Page here.
Many studies have shown that pastors are more likely to experience depression than their congregants.
While the causes vary, the experience is often the same—a downward spiral leading to paralysis, isolation, and hopelessness. Our response to depression can dim our vision of the Lord, minimize the work of the Holy Spirit, and distance us from God’s people.
A care plan for pastors will look similar to that of our congregants, but in many ways, depression can feel heavier for pastors. At the same time, pastors have unique resources and can even find redemptive purpose in this trial.
This article discusses the battle for ministry leaders with depression, and gives practical suggestions on how to respond when depression sets in.
When Ministry Feels Like Darkness
Spiritual Warfare
We have a real enemy who is relentless in his pursuit to take us down. Satan is not just a liar—he is the original and ultimate narcissist. The destroyer cannot defeat us, so he attempts to make us ineffective.
The devil wants us isolated, distracted, and self-focused. He attempts to divide us and distort our perceptions of the Lord. He wants us to question our calling. He wants to minimize the real progress that is occurring in our congregations. Confessing this struggle is a first step to disarming the devil.
Church Culture
I hate to say this, but the church—maybe your church—is not always a safe place for those struggling with depression. Unfortunately, false views of depression are common, and they can cause more harm than good.
Church elders and lay leaders may assume they supernaturally understand people’s struggles but never ask real questions and rather contribute to the downward spiral of depression by offering simplistic or judgmental responses.
Serving Too Much
We empathize, console, bond with sufferers, and carry our wounded Saints. We sit in hospitals with dying brothers and sisters—it’s absolutely the right thing to do. However, the weight of those experiences lingers long after the funeral. We sacrifice family time to be available 24/7 for crisis care, often leaving our own loved ones feeling neglected. We wrestle with sermon preparation, especially when the Lord feels distant.
Common Threat
Like the Apostle Paul, we experience deep anxiety for the church (2 Corinthians 11:28). Depression is not inevitable, but we must be on guard. Ministry’s weight is real, and if we are not careful, it can crush us. Burnout, discouragement, and spiritual exhaustion are not signs of weakness—they are warning signs.
Pastors, you are not alone in this battle. Depression is not a foregone conclusion, but it is a real threat.
How the Light Transforms Depression’s Darkness
Awareness
Feelings precede awareness. The problem is we feel depressed before we are cognitively aware of our internal course. The feeling creeps in, and we descend downward without stopping what is happening. We don’t catch it until we realize we’re stuck! We often respond by withdrawing, but depression thrives in isolation. Disappointment leads to disillusionment and despair. A setback can lead to hopelessness.
Can we respond to depression differently? Is there a redemptive purpose to our suffering?
The Light
Depression is personal, but so too is Jesus Christ. He knows us intimately as we are in a process of becoming like Him— He knows us and we trust Him as He grows us. Think of biblical counseling as Light conquering darkness. Jesus calls us to depend upon Him and His people as He leads us out of darkness, illuminating our path forward with His Word.
Jesus Christ is Light, and this hardship of depression can draw us to a closer and more intimate walk with and in the Light.
Gradual Progress
I find it helpful to see depression as a dimmer switch. Pastors are like everyone else; we want a miracle—an instant cure. Depression is suffering and we want to get out of it as quickly as possible. Our desire is for depression to be like a light switch that we can just click on and the darkness goes away. However, the Lord knows what He is doing, and often rather than a quick and spontaneous cure, He gives us a process.
Like the dimmer switch, electricity travels through the circuit, and one can move that switch in an upward direction that increases and intensifies the Light. This is a redemptive approach that leads to a closer walk with Jesus Christ.
Counseling
This Christian walk was not meant to be alone. Biblical counseling sheds light on the causes of depression, to see those blind spots, wrong thinking, dying to our egos, handling expectations, identifying passivity while actively moving with momentum. We trace the resistance and pursue the heart.
This is not simply coping techniques to endure depression, but in the Lord, it is spiritual change for renewal. This is to walk with a brother or sister who knows the challenges of ministry, the ups and downs, that too, has experienced disappointments, frustrations, and rejection that uniquely accompanies ministry.
Pastors need to be shepherded as well as their congregations. Getting counseling is not a sign of weakness but part of discipleship and the process of sanctification. Getting biblical counsel will also encourage your congregation to pursue God’s way of healing as well.
Personal Example
I know I tend to get too ministry-focused, sometimes to the detriment of my own spiritual disciplines. I tend to always be shepherding others rather than cultivating healthy mutual ministry relationships or leading corporate prayer while neglecting my own time with the Lord.
Years ago, I had a minor health scare, and when I first met my new doctor, he groaned when I told him I was a pastor. He explained that he had treated several pastors and they were always taking care of others while neglecting their own health.
We have to choose new patterns on a personal and ministry level. Below are a few of my suggestions and strategies to get to a healthy place and stay there.
Get Help on a Personal Level
In the midst of depression, pastors can:
1. Seek Counsel and Take Preventative Steps
Overcoming depression strengthens both you and your ministry. Your struggles can become a testimony that blesses others and fosters a culture of mutual ministry in your congregation.
2. Build an Inner Circle
Surround yourself with spiritually mature mentors who can support, challenge, and pray with you. You can also ask your congregation to pray for you as you pray for them.
3. Turn to Scripture
God’s Word is filled with examples of faithful believers who battled despair (Job, David, Paul, etc.) yet found hope in Him. Many great church leaders have also struggled with melancholy—you’re not alone.
4. Confess and Reflect
Regularly confess your sins and encourage your congregation to do the same (James 5:16). While depression isn’t always tied to sin, hardships invite self-reflection.
Get Help on a Ministry Level
In Numbers 11, Moses came to the reality that he was carrying too much of the burden of ministry to minister from a healthy place. He appointed leaders, to begin the process of care. Many leaders feel this same pressure, and refocusing on equipping actually leads to long term multiplication of care.
1. Offer Biblical Counseling Resources
Consider placing biblical counseling resources in your bookstore, lobby, or welcome center. Mini-books are especially helpful as they provide practical guidance quickly. To ensure privacy, keep them in a discreet area. Also, encourage small group studies focused on soul care, alternating between Bible studies and topical books. Some churches have successfully started support groups, such as reading Ed Welch’s Depression: Looking Up from the Stubborn Darkness together.
2. Seek Biblical Counseling Training
Invest in biblical counseling training for yourself. One of its greatest benefits is applying what you learn to your own life while improving your ability to minister to others.
3. Offer Biblical Counseling Classes
Consider offering classes on biblical counseling. Recommend resources with video teachings including Caring Like Christ and study guides including How People Change and Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands. You might also explore developing a Lay Counseling Ministry, as organizations like BCC provide training to help churches build such programs.
4. Establish a Care Team
Rather than handling all ministry responsibilities alone, form a Care Team to assist with home, hospital, and hospice visits. This team should focus on providing spiritual care through the Word, with monthly training sessions. While practical support (meals, rides) is valuable, the primary goal is mutual ministry and encouragement.
Conclusion
As a ministry leader, you are not alone in your battle with depression. Even though you may feel alone, God is near, and you can wisely draw some others near too.
Just like depression didn’t form overnight, it typically doesn’t clear overnight. However, any step toward the light and equipping others can bring much-needed momentum and hope. Trust God with whatever next step you can take and bring some others in.
BCC has many counselors who would understand your struggle with depression, and we would welcome the opportunity to walk with you. Learn more and schedule an appointment.
