"This isn't what I signed up for. It's not how I want to do youth ministry."
Most youth leaders I've talked with believe their call to the ministry is integrally tied to building incarnational relationships with students and their leaders. Social media posts...YouTube videos...Facebook Live teaching segments have their place, but these ministers get amped from sitting down face-to-face with teenagers, not locked down at home.
That's why so many are so awfully discouraged right now. Like: depressed, angry, ready-to-give up discouraged.
In the past week alone, I've heard youth pastors crying as they recounted the fact that youth they know are trapped in unhealthy home situations, separated by the pandemic from the "safe" adults in their lives: their small group leader or a trusted teacher. Abuse is going unreported, because there is no space for students to report it.
This adds to a profound feeling of failure and helplessness.
Sadly - for some in ministry, the discouragement is even reaching the level of suicidal thoughts...and actions. A post on Baptist News Global titled "Too Many Pastors are Falling on Their Own Swords" describes the despair of pastors who've lost their jobs, been caught between angry congregants with competing ways of responding to the pandemic, or the pressure of caring for their families. Some are giving up rather than continue the vise-like pressure that is 2020.
Barna Group president David Kinnaman reported on ChurchPulse Weekly (August 5) that only 1% of pastors they polled "feel understood."
Let's not pretend this is only true for senior leaders. Isolation is the real pandemic.
Friends, if it was ever true, let's not pretend that we are not in a world war. Like, 1940 "Battle for Britain," not 1945 peace treaty. It's getting ugly. And some spiritual forecasters like Jon Tyson (Church of the City in NYC) believe we haven't hit bottom yet.
If ever we needed an infusion of hope, it's now.
One blog post won't turn this around. But hope is a life-giving antidote to Covid Discouragement. How do you cultivate that? May I suggest four practices that are helping me cope...and hope?
Limit the Propaganda: Change the Channel!
Face it: the news is a downer! We all need to be informed, but a diet too heavy in the daily Covid-19 death count (or even how many millions of people will be affected by the latest fire or hurricane) is oppressive. It's time to change frequencies.
In the film Greyhound that came out in July, Tom Hanks captains the USS Keeling, a US warship assigned to escort supply vessels across the North Atlantic. They are hunted relentlessly by a "Wolf Pack" of German U-boats.
At several points in the film, the Nazis hack into their ship's radio and broadcast taunts and smack about how they won't survive the crossing to Ireland.
Hanks, as Commander Ernest Krause, won't have it. Seeing the fear in the eyes of his crew, he grabs the mic and radios the ships to switch to another frequency.
Every war has a propaganda machine: Tokyo Rose, Hanoi Hannah, Axis Sally. Satan knows how to wear us down with an overdose of negative news. Don't let it kill your soul.
Cultivate Hope: Soak in Scripture and Prayer.
Pray it back to God and to your own soul as David did in Psalm 103. Listen and marinate in worship music that reinforces the truths and promises of God's Word. Don't wait until you're beat down; restore your union with Jesus Christ as a daily practice. The app "The One Minute Pause" from Wild at Heart is great for this.
Take the Offensive: Intercede. Reach out. Love your neighbors.
Since the pandemic started, I've been so much more aware of my neighbors. I've been energized by singing/praying "The Blessing" over my neighborhood as I walk my dog Hank. It's nearly impossible to echo "He is for you...He is for you...He is for you..." and be discouraged. Prayer is transformational: for me first, and also my community.
Stay connected to people: Network!
Whether by Zoom, phone, in person...you need others. It's natural to fall into isolation, but the effort to reach out and encourage a friend, be part of a local network, or just call your pastor and tell him or her how much they matter to you will lift them and give you spiritual vitality.
Finally, be honest enough to recognize - and act - if the Baptist News Global article seems like it's written about you. If your own discouragement has reached the point of becoming a danger to yourself, please reach out. Find a safe person you can talk to. Don't fall on your sword; your life is precious to God and others. If ever there was a time when we need each other, it's now.