Resilience in Pastoral Worship Ministry: An Interview with David Oceguera from Bolingbrook Church
Best Practices for Adventist Worship (BP): Your doctoral research on resilience in pastoral ministry has provided valuable insights into this critical area. I'm particularly interested in how your findings relate to worship leadership and maintaining resilience in the face of weekly responsibilities. What personal practices or routines have you found most effective in maintaining your own spiritual and emotional resilience as a lead pastor?
David Oceguera (DO): Pastoral ministry is incredibly rewarding, but it is not without its challenges. As pastors, we are constantly pouring ourselves out on behalf of others. With the weekly demands of ministry, such as preaching, leading meetings, Bible studies, and making pastoral visits, not to mention all of the unexpected things that arise, it is no wonder pastors often find themselves leading on empty.
The most important thing I have done to lead with resilience and maintain a healthy well-being is to create a Rule of Life for myself. A Rule of Life is the practices and rhythms you want to include in your daily life that will help you remain close to God, dedicated to your calling, and committed to your most important relationships. It might be helpful to think of a rule of life as a trellis that supports you in staying committed to the things that are most important to you.
Through my Rule of Life, three things have been most helpful:
A Structured Devotional Life. A strengthened inner life is the most important aspect of a person’s resilience and well-being. Having a structured devotional time is paramount to making the most of one’s time with God. I have taken the guesswork out of what I am going to read for my morning devotional time, which helps me be fully present in God’s presence. For instance, I typically begin by reading a Psalm and allowing that to be a centering prayer for me. Then, I have a preselected book of the Bible I read, and I only read one chapter a day. I then read a selection from a book I am currently reading, The Pastor by Eugene Peterson. Then, I journal to reflect on what I believe God is saying to me. These practices have helped to ground me in the presence of God and join His bigger story.
Practice Self-Compassion. In my research, I discovered that pastors who practice self-compassion regularly do not suffer from burnout as often as those who do not practice self-compassion. As pastors, we are quick to care for others, often to the detriment of our own well-being, but the research is clear that if we want to be resilient, we must be compassionate to ourselves in the way we are with others. The next time you make a mistake or you feel like you did not live up to your own or others’ expectations, be gracious with yourself and pay attention to what you say to yourself. Be as gracious with yourself as you would to someone else in that same circumstance.
Protect What is Most Valuable to You. Protect what is most important to you by saying “no” to the things that threaten them. For those of us who have families, we often say that our families are the most important thing to us but then do things that keep us away from them, ultimately threatening their wellbeing. This is also true of a pastor’s mental health and wellness. Pastors must learn to say “no” to the things that threaten their well-being and create boundaries to help safeguard them.
If pastors want to learn more about developing their own Rule of Life, I created a free tool to walk through the process. It can be accessed at the following link: https://davidoceguera.com/rule-of-life-free-giveaway/
BP: Given that the weekly Sabbath can often be a time of increased responsibility rather than rest for pastors, how do you ensure you still find time for true rest and rejuvenation?
DO: I have had to change my mindset about my life as a pastor as it relates to the Sabbath. When I first started ministry almost 20 years ago, I was so worried about being “on” on Sabbath and making sure the church ran perfectly that I was often exhausted by the time I got home. While the church was doing well, I was missing the blessing of the Sabbath. I was not happy with my experience on the Sabbath and decided to make three changes that have helped me receive its blessing. These three shifts might seem small, but these small changes amount to big deposits of well-being.
I made it a point to share meals with friends on Sabbath. At my current church, there is a group of us that eat together almost every Sabbath after church. We catch up on the week, laugh together, and eat really good food. There are days when we are together until the evening, enjoying our time together. This practice of eating together has made the biggest difference in my own rest and rejuvenation.
I have been intentional with my schedule as I ramp up to Sabbath and wind down afterward. The beginning of my week is usually meeting-heavy, and as I get closer to the Sabbath, I schedule fewer things so I can slow down into the Sabbath. Easing into it has helped me to have a restful spirit as the Sabbath approaches. After my Sabbath responsibilities have ended, I wind down with my family at home, usually enjoying ice cream with my girls. Then, on Sunday, I take that day off to spend time with my family. However, I do like to spend early Sunday morning reading for the next sermon because I still have adrenaline from the previous day’s worship.
I have learned to schedule Sabbaths when I am not responsible for preaching. Every pastor has a threshold of how many sermons they can preach in a row before it takes an emotional and spiritual toll. For me, that number is five. After five weeks, I need a mental, spiritual, and emotional break from preaching. It’s important to identify your threshold and then schedule a Sabbath off from preaching. On Sabbaths, when I do not preach, I still attend church, but not having to preach allows me to be more present in the worship experience and my interactions with the people. I used to feel guilty about not preaching, but I learned early on that if I was always sacrificing my own well-being, then I could not serve the church well in the long term.
BP: How important are support systems, such as family, friends, and pastoral teams, in preventing burnout, and how do you cultivate these relationships?
DO: Research shows that pastors do not have very strong support systems. Most of our relationships are with people within our own congregations, and even with the best of our relationships, we are still guarded. This is why it is so important to have healthy relationships outside the church. This can be challenging for pastors whose lives revolve around the life of the church. The good news is that there are several ways to build healthy relationships right where you are.
Find pastors you are comfortable with, arrange a monthly lunch, and let conversations flow naturally. Since only pastors truly understand pastors, this is a great way to find support among each other.
Invest in intentional quality time with your family. Your family is your greatest treasure. Churches will come and go, but your family is forever. Invest in them.
Find a mentor. A good mentor will help you see things from different perspectives that you might not have thought about. I have been blessed with mentors who have been helpful during different seasons of my life.
Make friends around hobbies and similar interests.
Pastoral teams are another great source of support. I am fortunate to have a staff Bolingbrook Church, and the thing that has helped us the most is to intentionally carve time out each week to connect. We spend the first 20 minutes of our weekly staff meeting sharing about our lives, asking for prayer requests, and celebrating wins. Beyond that, having a clarity of roles is essential in delegating tasks.
BP: What advice would you give to other pastors for sustaining a long-term ministry without falling into the trap of burnout, especially considering the unique challenges of leading weekly worship services?
DO: Pastoral ministry can be challenging even during the best of times. However, challenging times do not always lead to burnout. There are several things a pastor can do to sustain a long-term ministry without becoming cynical and while continuing to find joy in their work.
Dig a Deep Well. When you find yourself leading on empty, what you need is a deep well from which to replenish yourself. You need a reservoir you can go to to fill your cup. Knowing how to fill your cup is how you develop the deep resilience a pastor needs to lead with confidence and joy. This deep reservoir is made of the practices, rhythms, and mindsets you intentionally adopt for your life and leadership. Spending intentional time in solitude in the presence of God is where you will get the power and perseverance you will need for a fruitful ministry.
Be Grounded In Your Calling. In light of the demanding nature of a pastor’s life, it is crucial for a pastor to be grounded in their calling. Your conviction in your calling will help you endure the seasons when leading is difficult. In Jeremiah 1, God tells Jeremiah that before he was conceived in his mother’s womb God had already “consecrated and appointed” (Jeremiah 1:5) him for a deeper calling. It is this purpose that Jeremiah would hold onto when he faced resistance and trials. This is the kind of conviction a pastor needs to persevere through the hard days of ministry. Without this conviction and certainty of calling, it is far easier to walk away from the work of the gospel.
Worship is More than a Checklist. Remember that the worship experience is more than a checklist of the “things that need to” take place in the order of worship. Worship is a sacred space where the Holy Spirit can move in powerful ways. We gather to worship God and to create space in our lives for the Holy Spirit to move among God’s people. This is why we gather. Keep the why clear and front of mind, especially on the difficult days of ministry.
Pace Yourself. Ministry is a marathon, not a sprint. Pace yourself accordingly. When we are young, we try to sprint through every new initiative because we are eager idealists ready to see the kingdom of God flourish. But with a little more wisdom, we recognize that change often takes longer than expected; and we learn to be patient. Every season of ministry may require a different pace, so stay tuned to the needs of the season.