Tim Dowdy said every pastor identifies with God’s call to Jeremiah: “Go where I send you, and speak what I tell you” (Jer. 1:7), but obedience to this directive doesn’t mean the pastor won’t live under great stress.
“The last two years have been especially difficult,” he said. “We had COVID, and leaders couldn’t win whatever they asked the church to do. We’ve had political and racial division. And society has changed so we can’t do some of the things we used to do, like conduct revival meetings where people flocked in.”
Dowdy, executive director of evangelism for the North American Mission Board, spoke to the Shelby Baptist Association’s pastors roundtable at Siluria Baptist Church, Alabaster, on Oct. 27. Dowdy served the Eagle’s Landing Baptist Church in McDonough, Georgia, for 31 years before directing pastoral wellness for the Georgia Baptist Convention. He transitioned to NAMB last December. Part of his work at NAMB is pastoral wellness, including retreats for pastors and spouses.
Dowdy said though the divide between believers and the world is growing larger, the church must continue to find ways to engage the community. And he remains hopeful after two years of the pandemic that growth is on the horizon.
‘Culture of evangelism’
“We had 120,000 baptisms in 2020 and 154,000 in 2021,” he said. “I believe churches must build a culture of evangelism. It’s not a program we do for three months then go ‘back to normal,’ but rather part of who we are as disciples of Christ who told us to follow him and become fishers of men.”
Dowdy’s main theme for the day was what he called “the restored soul.”
“Psalm 23 is often referred to as a funeral psalm,” he said, “but David said that God ‘restores my soul.’ And Scripture teaches Jesus is the prince of peace. The opposite of restoration and peace is restlessness. Pastors and wives need healthy souls in order to maintain effective ministry and finish well.”
Pace
Dowdy suggested three main action points for ministers. The first is pace.
“Pastors must refuse the temptation to rush all the time,” he said. “There will always be things undone, but we must pay attention to the ‘daily’ in our own lives.”
Dowdy called this a “healthy rhythm” and said it’s the opposite of living in chaos.
“It’s good to focus on the toughest jobs first,” he counseled, “and set reasonable goals with margins for the unexpected that surely come about in a pastor’s life. I call it ‘self-sabotage’ when we get out of rhythm like staying up too late and robbing ourselves of rest or not getting enough sleep when we convince ourselves we’re too busy to ‘waste’ time like this.”
Dowdy’s second suggestion is diet.
“I’m talking about our spiritual diet,” he said. “This involves prayer, Bible study and service. It’s interesting that pastors can get too busy to maintain their spiritual diets.”
Dowdy said he often counsels Christians to “chase anxiety away with prayer.”
“If you don’t have enough anxiety, your church members will be sure to give you a list of things to worry about,” he said with a laugh.
“Whenever we feel anxious, we need to pray,” he said. “If we don’t pray, we’re saying, effect, that ‘we’ve got this’ without God’s help. This is really presumption.”
Rest
Dowdy said pastors often overlook the devotional reading of Scripture since an occupational hazard is reading for sermon preparation. He said during the COVID-19 pandemic, he read the book of Philippians every day for several months, gaining new insight from familiar passages as he read.
Finally Dowdy spoke of rest, reminding his audience that Scripture calls believers “jars of clay,” and rest must be intentional and consistent for physical and mental health.
“Pastors frequently neglect going to the doctor and following medical advice,” he said. “My doctor did the math when he asked me about my nightly routine, and he told me I needed to sleep more for my heart health. And he was correct.
“Getting outdoors is refreshing, and taking a walk is good exercise. Pastors spend a lot of time sitting due to the nature of our jobs, and some doctors say, ‘sitting is the new smoking.’ We need to move!
“Part of getting outdoors is enjoying God’s creation and praying. Every day we should be thankful that God includes us in his plan for his world.”
More information about evangelism resources and Pastor Wellness Retreats is available at namb.net. Dowdy’s email is tdowdy@NAMB.net.
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