Leading a local church at any season is clearly hard. Sometimes Summers are harder, with lower attendance, the temptation to become lax with ministry (and go outside to have fun!), anxieties about expectations for the Autumn start. Ministry in general tends to funnel leaders towards isolation, and whether it’s Summer or not, isolation leads to possible depression or burnout. A recent article we linked to last week shares that very threat to fruitful ministry. Pastors and clergy often carry these burdens alone — and that weight can grow heavy. Ministry can be lonely work, even for those of us who long ago embraced it as a calling and a joy.

Considering this, one comforting thought I’ve had during this season was the fact that we’re not the first church leaders to wrestle with the challenges of carrying one another’s burdens. We are certainly not alone in leading during hard times, and God always provided means for his people to encourage one another.

Think about what it must have been like if you were a church leader at other times in church history:

• Imagine being a church leader in Jerusalem after Stephen’s martyrdom in Acts 7 and the resulting dispersion of the church. Acts 8:1b reads, “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.” (NIV) They leaned on one another in prayer and fellowship, even as they scattered.
• Imagine being a church leader in the Roman Empire after the Edict of Milan in AD 313, which legalized Christianity throughout the empire. Suddenly believers had to adapt from being underground to being public — and they needed each other to navigate the shift.
• Imagine being a church leader during the fall of the Roman Empire as the barbarians sacked Rome. In those days of fear and upheaval, Christian communities and leaders learned how to sustain one another in faith and perseverance.
• Imagine being a church leader in Europe in the first years after Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Leaders on both sides of the divide needed courage and encouragement from one another to remain faithful to their consciences amidst controversy.

Since this is an article and not a book, I realize I may be oversimplifying with these examples, but I think you get my point. Being a church leader during times of stress and transition has always been difficult. Yet in every generation, the Lord provided fellowship, prayer, and encouragement to keep his servants from burning out.

Look at what the first church did in Acts 2:42–47:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer… Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (NIV)

Filled with the Holy Spirit, the early believers clung to one another. They prayed together, ate together, encouraged one another, and shared one another’s burdens. That hasn’t changed in nearly 2,000 years. What sustained them is the same thing that sustains us now: fellowship, prayer, and encouragement in Christ.

This is exactly why the American Anglican Council’s clergy care groups matter. They provide pastors and church leaders with the space to connect — to pray with one another, to share joys and struggles, to encourage each other, and to remember that none of us is truly alone. In these groups, leaders grow together through relationships, find courage to press on, and receive reminders that their struggles are shared by brothers and sisters across North America.

Clergy Care Groups are not about adding one more program or task to an already full plate. They are about rediscovering what the Church has always done: fellowship in Christ. As clergy gather to pray, share, and support one another, they not only strengthen themselves, but they also strengthen the churches they lead. A healthy pastor leads to a healthier church.

And as I’ve often been reminded, we are not alone. When Jesus commissioned his disciples to go into the world, he assured them of his presence: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20b) We have Christ, and we have one another.

If you need to experience the encouragement of Clergy Care Groups — where you can pray, fellowship, network, and support one another — please feel free to get in touch about this ministry. We’ll walk with you in getting started, connect you with others, and help you find a community of fellow leaders in the ACNA who understand the challenges you face. You can email me, Canon Mark, at meldredge@americananglican.org for more information. You can also visit the Clergy Care Groups page at www.americananglican.org/clergy-care-groups.