Posted on March 16, 2025 by Lindy Hinckley, tLMFT
Church Worker Wellness
Share
Beginning on January 7th, the foothills bordering the Los Angeles, California communities of Altadena and Pacific Palisades burst out in flames. According to the Los Angeles Times, these small brush fires grew into a conflagration that killed 28 people, destroyed 18,000 buildings valued at more than 275 billion, and left a burn zone 2½ times the size of Manhattan. The Los Angeles area is where my dad was born and it is home to my extended family members. Sunset Boulevard, and Malibu, and the Pacific Coast Highway are familiar places from my childhood and teenage years. Starting the evening the fires began, my husband and I watched breathlessly with many tears, as it all went up in smoke and fire. We sat in disbelief and admiration as firefighters battled the blazes with limited water availability and terrifying conditions.
What do the fires in California have to do with obstacles church workers face? I was talking one afternoon with two pastors and they mentioned that often times pastors are referred to as firefighters as well as being shepherds. Pastors are the ones in the church who “put out fires.” This was an interesting concept since I had spent several weeks watching the valiant efforts of the firefighters in California. They had to surmount incredible obstacles in fighting fires that can be compared to what pastors sometimes face in their spiritual battles.
The L.A. firefighters attempted to put out fires while the strong Santa Ana winds blew with gusts up to 90 miles per hour that some labeled apocalyptic. The wind usually blows the fire uphill but, in this case, they blew the fire downhill. Sometimes pastors can face stiff opposition like these winds; the devil certainly likes to create storms and turmoil in congregations.
The Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:14: “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” A pastor must do a lot of prevention work in mitigating differences between congregation and even community members.
Many people fleeing the Pacific Palisades had to abandon their cars on Sunset Boulevard and firefighters attempting to reach the fire had to bulldoze these cars out of the way to reach their destinations. Just as the firefighters had to bulldoze through obstacles, pastors must get through difficult roadblocks. Sin, shame, and guilt are all obstacles between parishioners and Christ’s forgiveness.
Through confession/absolution and pastoral counseling pastors remove roadblocks to help parishioners reach safety in Christ.
Just like the firefighters who reached the blazes only to find empty fire hydrants and empty reservoirs, sometimes pastors can reach the limit of their compassion and can have burnout. Symptoms of burnout include: depression, work feels like drudgery instead of inspiring, reconsidering your career, taking out your frustrations on those around you, and addictions.
During the fires in Los Angeles, natural gas, old buildings or poor construction, winds, drought, narrow canyons, and dry brush made the conditions the firefighters faced very dangerous. Apathy, pride, contention, shame, disunity, selfishness, and lack of support can cause dangerous conditions in the church. A small spark of disrespect for the pastor or his office can cause these problems to get much larger.
So, what can aid a pastor in fighting the fires of his daily life and walking with his congregation? Just as the firefighters from all over the US, Canada, and Mexico helped with the conflagration, pastors can reach out for help from fellow pastors, a trusted advisor or friend, attend Doxology, or visit with a counselor from Lutheran Family Service. We are trained to recognize depression and burnout and have solutions for a valiant pastor fighting fires.
Lutheran Family Service counselor, Lindy Hinckley, tLMFT, serves individuals, couples, and families in person in Deadwood, South Dakota, and throughout the state via telehealth.
If you as a church worker (or that special church worker in your life) are in need of Christ-centered mental health or marriage counseling, contact us today.
Lutheran Family Service walks with those experiencing difficult times through mental health counseling, marriage counseling, crisis pregnancy counseling, and adoption services.
More posts about Church Worker Wellness
