From Battles to Blessings: Restoring the Pastor's Thought Life

August 14th, 2025

By: Zach Watson | Founder and Director of Refresh-Restore Ministries

I still shudder to think about a few moments in pastoral ministry that began with the urgent words from a deacon: “This has been brought to our attention…” or “They have said…” You can almost feel your chest tighten before you even know what the “this” or the “they” is. Sometimes it’s a small misunderstanding, sometimes it’s a genuine concern, and sometimes it’s something so far removed from reality you’re left wondering how it even started. Ministry has a way of bringing those moments to your doorstep unannounced. The phone call that interrupts dinner. The after-service conversation that starts with, “Can I see you for just a minute?” The email you hesitate to open. In those moments, the real battle isn’t just what’s in front of you—it’s what begins to stir inside you. Thoughts run ahead to worst-case scenarios. Old insecurities start whispering again. That’s when the health of the pastor’s mind matters most.

I’ve learned—often the hard way—that the mind of a pastor is one of his most precious stewardships. Before the pulpit, before the programs, before the meetings, there’s the quiet work of guarding the heart and thoughts. If that interior life becomes toxic, no amount of outward ministry “success” can make up for it.

In this article, I want to share six areas of the pastor’s mind that can either strengthen ministry or slowly erode it. I’m not writing as an expert, but as someone who has walked through each of these—sometimes stumbling, sometimes getting back up only by grace. My hope is that by naming them and grounding them in God’s Word, we might all be a little more alert, a little more anchored, and a lot more dependent on the One who called us.

Six Areas of the Pastor's Mind:

1. Fear -Driven Ministry

One of the most deceptive drivers in pastoral ministry is fear. Not the healthy kind that Proverbs says is the beginning of wisdom, but the kind that enslaves. Fear of criticism. Fear of losing people. Fear of being seen as inadequate.

I’ve made decisions that looked wise on the surface but were really made because I didn’t want to face someone’s disappointment. I’ve kept my mouth shut in moments when I should have spoken truth, and I’ve overworked myself to exhaustion because I was afraid of appearing lazy. Adrian Rogers once said, "If you please God, it doesn’t matter whom you displease. And if you displease God, it doesn’t matter whom you please." And yet, the trap of fear is that it feels like leadership. We tell ourselves we’re “protecting unity” or “avoiding unnecessary conflict,” when really we’re avoiding the hard obedience of trusting God’s approval more than man’s. Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” Fear-driven ministry wears you out because you can never satisfy everyone. It shapes sermons into safe lectures instead of Spirit-filled messages. It keeps us from calling sin what it is. And over time, it turns shepherds into hirelings.

The fight against fear isn’t about becoming thick-skinned or emotionally detached. It’s about becoming more God-dependent. It’s remembering that He placed you where you are, and His purposes will stand regardless of who approves or disapproves. Man’s opinion shifts like sand, but His will is the solid ground beneath your feet.

2. Self-Rejection

I’ve stood at the pulpit after hearing a gifted preacher and thought, “Why am I here? I can’t preach like that. I don’t lead like they do.” Those thoughts may sound like humility, but in reality, they’re a quiet rejection of the God who made and called me.

Self-rejection doesn’t always announce itself loudly—it’s often a subtle undercurrent in the mind. It shows up when we second-guess every leadership decision, not because it’s wrong, but because we assume someone else would have done it better. It creeps in when we compare our congregation, our resources, or our gifting to someone else’s, and conclude that what we bring is less valuable. Sometimes it’s triggered by a well-meaning comment: “I heard Pastor So-and-So preach on that same passage—he had such a unique take on it.”

Paul Tripp warns, “No one gives grace better than a person who is deeply persuaded they need it themselves” (Dangerous Calling). When we forget how desperately we need grace—and how freely God gives it—we start trying to justify our place in ministry through performance. That’s a treadmill that never stops and never satisfies.

The gospel tells me I am fully known and fully loved. That means God is under no illusions about my weaknesses, yet He still calls me His own and equips me for His purposes. My identity is not up for debate every Monday morning—it is sealed in Christ. His calling and equipping me is greater than any human ranking or comparison. When I live in that freedom, I can celebrate another pastor’s strengths without resenting my own limitations. I can preach without trying to outshine someone else’s sermon. I can shepherd without constantly wondering if someone else would do it better. Ministry stops being an exhausting stage for proving myself and becomes a joyful field for serving Christ and His people.

3. Toxic Conversations

I wish I could say I’ve never been part of a toxic conversation in ministry—but I have. Sometimes it was gossip disguised as concern. Other times it was fault-finding in another pastor who isn’t my enemy but has a different ministry preference than mine. It can be as subtle as shaking our head at a church that uses a different worship style, or assuming that if someone doesn’t share our exact approach to discipleship, they must be less faithful. Social media can make it worse. With a few taps, we can publicly “share our thoughts” about another ministry, knowing it will generate nods from those who agree and discredit those who don’t. We can scroll for hours, silently measuring others against our own ministry philosophy, fueling pride if we think we’re ahead and discouragement if we think we’re behind.

Herschel York reminds us, "The pastor’s conversation should heal, not harm; it should lead to unity, not division." Toxic conversations often grow out of that hunger—we want to be seen as discerning, wise, or “in the know.” That’s where another subtle form of toxicity creeps in: creating narratives about people or situations under the guise of discernment or preparation. We might justify this as “just wanting to be ready if something comes up,” but in reality, we’re constructing a mental storyline about someone without their presence or perspective.

Ephesians 4:29 calls us to use words that build up, “that it may give grace to those who hear.” That includes what we say in private and the storylines we rehearse in our own minds. If left unchecked, these patterns breed suspicion instead of trust and warp how we see the very people we are called to love. The remedy is not only to avoid tearing down but to intentionally fill our speech and our imagination with what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable (Philippians 4:8).

4. Christ-Centered Contentment

There have been seasons in ministry where the visible results were scarce—attendance down, finances tight, discouragement hanging heavy. My joy wavered in direct proportion to those metrics. When my contentment is tied to results, it rises and falls with the numbers.

Philippians 4:11–13 is more than a coffee-mug verse for hard times. Paul’s statement—“I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content”—is anchored in the sufficiency of Christ. The word “learned” is important. This wasn’t instinct for Paul; it was the result of walking with Christ through plenty and through want, through applause and through abandonment.

Jeremiah Burroughs wrote, “A Christian comes to contentment not so much by way of addition, as by way of subtraction” (The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment). True contentment isn’t about adding more visible wins; it’s about subtracting false dependencies. When Christ is enough, nothing else can threaten the foundation of our joy. In pastoral ministry, this looks like rejoicing after a hard members’ meeting because Christ is still the Head of the church. It means being genuinely glad for another pastor’s fruitful season without resenting your own. It means sleeping well at night after doing what you can, trusting God with the rest. Contentment in Christ doesn’t ignore pain—it refuses to let circumstances define ultimate joy.

5. Holding On to Hurt

History is full of leaders who carried wounds that shaped the way they governed. One example is President Andrew Johnson, who rose to power after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Johnson’s deep resentment toward his political opponents often clouded his judgment, fueling bitterness that crippled his presidency. He could not move past the offenses, and it colored every decision. You see, pastoral ministry has its own version of this. A sharp word in the hallway, a betrayal from a trusted leader, a friendship that ends in cold distance—these moments replay in the mind like a scene on a loop. The more they replay, the deeper the bitterness roots itself.

Thomas Brooks warned that Satan loves to “fish in the troubled waters of a discontented heart.” Hebrews 12:15 tells us to “see to it… that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble.” Hurt will come—that’s unavoidable. But holding onto it is a choice. The longer we cling to it, the heavier it gets, until it begins to shape how we see people, preach sermons, and make decisions. Letting go doesn’t mean the wound never happened, and it doesn’t mean the person’s actions were justified. It means refusing to let the offense become the lens through which we see all of ministry. It means trusting God’s justice and comfort more than our desire for revenge.

6. The Danger of Hidden Sin

Hidden sin is ministry’s silent killer. No one wakes up one day in a moral collapse—it’s the slow drip of secrecy, the quiet compromise, the sin that goes unconfessed because we fear what people will think. I’ve had seasons where I kept struggles to myself, and those were the times my ministry felt most hollow. John Owen’s warning still stands: “Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you” (The Mortification of Sin). Proverbs 28:13 makes it clear: “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” Ministry requires accountability—someone who can look you in the eye and ask the hard questions.

The gospel we preach is the same gospel we need. Our people don’t need a perfect pastor—they need a repentant one. And we must remember—God’s grace is stronger than our strongest temptation and more faithful than our most stubborn sin.

A Snapshot of Pastor Well-Being

The struggles I’ve described aren’t abstract—they show up in data, too. According to a 2022 Barna Group study, 42% of pastors have considered quitting full-time ministry in the past year, citing stress, loneliness, political division, and the immense demands of the role as top reasons. The same study found that 65% of pastors report feeling lonely or isolated, and the percentage of pastors who feel “well supported” has dropped from 68% in 2015 to just 49% today. These aren’t just statistics—they’re a mirror. They show how mental and relational toxicity, if unaddressed, can push even the most called and gifted leaders toward burnout or resignation.

A Final Word

You don’t need to fix every area overnight. Choose one place to begin. Pray over it. Confess where needed. Seek the counsel of a trusted brother. Most importantly, fix your eyes on Christ, who is able to “keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24, KJV).

The mind of the pastor is not meant to be a lonely battleground. It’s meant to be a place where the Spirit of God renews and strengthens you daily through His Word and His presence. Let Him have the final word over your fears, your failures, and your future.

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” — Isaiah 26:3, KJV

Grace and peace,

Zach Watson

Quotes Sources:

• Rogers, Adrian. Adrianisms: The Wit and Wisdom of Adrian Rogers. Bellevue Baptist Church, 2005.

• York, Hershael W. Quote from pastoral leadership teaching, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, date unknown.

• Tripp, Paul David. Dangerous Calling: Confronting the Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry. Crossway, 2012.

• Powlison, David. Seeing with New Eyes: Counseling and the Human Condition Through the Lens of Scripture. P&R Publishing, 2003.

• Burroughs, Jeremiah. The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. Banner of Truth Trust, 1648 (reprint).

• Edwards, Jonathan. Charity and Its Fruits. Banner of Truth Trust, 1852 (reprint).

• MacArthur, John. The Master’s Plan for the Church. Moody Publishers, 2008.

• Owen, John. The Mortification of Sin. Banner of Truth Trust, 1656 (reprint).

• Murray, Andrew. Absolute Surrender. Christian Literature Crusade, 1897.

• Scroggie, W. Graham. The Christian Life in the Modern World. Pickering & Inglis, 1938.

• Varon, Elizabeth R. “Andrew Johnson: Impact and Legacy.” Miller Center for Public Affairs, University of Virginia (article detailing Johnson’s leadership failures and personal limitations)

• Barna Group. “Pastors Share Top Reasons They’ve Considered Quitting Ministry in the Past Year.” Barna.com, April 27, 2022. Also referenced in “7-Year Trends: Pastors Feel More Loneliness & Less Support,” Barna.com, July 12, 2023.

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