What do you do when the church you felt called to lead becomes the place where you question whether you should stay?

In this episode of Beyond Sunday Mornings, we talk about the times when people leaving and the weight of ministry make you wonder whether the church would be better off with someone else leading it. Drawing from personal experience in church revitalization and Paul’s charge to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1–5, we consider what it means to fulfill the ministry God has entrusted to us when the work becomes difficult.

We also talk about how easily the hard moments can consume our attention while people’s lives are changing right in front of us, and why we need other pastors who will pray with us and tell us the truth. If you have been questioning whether you can keep going, this episode is an invitation to remember who called you and seek His direction for what comes next.

Conflict is going to happen in ministry, and seasons of revitalization can bring their own share of it. Change affects people differently, criticism can get personal, and there are moments when a leader can start to wonder, “Am I really cut out for this?”

For the first episode of Beyond Sunday Mornings, the conversation is about learning to lead through conflict without allowing it to pull you away from your calling. In Acts 6, the early church faced a real problem that needed to be addressed without losing sight of the work God had called them to do.

Because some of the hardest parts of ministry happen Beyond Sunday Mornings.

Research mentioned in this episode:

LifeWay Research, 2025 Former Pastors Report
https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2025-Former-Pastors-Report.pdf

LifeWay Research, Pastor Attrition 2025: Comparison to 2021 & 2015
https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Pastor-Attrition-2025-Comparison-to-2021-2015-Report.pdf