Sermon Prep Isn't Soul Care

In 2024, surveys revealed that 44% of pastors had considered leaving their current church, and 53% had considered leaving ministry altogether (Religion News Service). That is nearly half of all clergy wrestling with whether they can keep going. And yet, at the same time, less than 2% actually leave ministry in any given year (Christianity Today, 2025).

That contrast tells a story. Outwardly, pulpits remain filled. Inwardly, many pastors are tired, discouraged, and quietly wondering how much longer they can endure.

As a life coach and spiritual director who works with pastors, it is my sense that one of the hidden reasons is how Scripture is engaged. Research shows that 72% of pastors study the Bible mainly when preparing sermons or lessons (Soul Shepherding, 2024). Sermon prep is vital, of course, but it is not the same as soul care. Preparing to preach sharpens your message and feeds your people but it does not always feed you. When the bulk of your engagement with the Bible is tied to output, knowledge grows but intimacy with God quietly fades. Over time, that spiritual dryness drains joy and accelerates exhaustion.

And here is the deeper problem: pastoring, ministering, preaching, and encouraging were never meant to come from a dry or fragmented place. They are supposed to flow from union with God, from wholeness. When our souls disconnect from Him, when ministry becomes only about study and practices tied to output, we begin to minister from an unwhole place. That is why the spark dims, the joy fades, and even the playfulness that makes ministry a delight starts to disappear. True ministry is meant to rise from enjoyment and pleasure in God, not just duty and doing.

The way forward is not more productivity or another strategy to squeeze out a little more energy. What pastors need is space to be with God without an agenda, where Scripture is not just a tool for the next sermon but bread for the soul.

That is where life coaching and spiritual direction can help. They do not create the change for you, but they make space for it. They provide a confidential place to be honest about what is really happening inside, to process the weight you carry, to slow down, to listen. That kind of space opens the door to honesty, reflection, and even confession. But the real renewal comes when you step into intimacy with God Himself, abiding in His presence and living in communion with Him. Coaching and direction hold the space, Christ Himself brings the rest and renewal.

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