Welcome back to the Ask Paul Trip podcast. Today we're condensing several questions from pastors

into a single episode. And if you're a pastor and have a question, we'd love to hear from you.

Two ways that you can do that, email ask at paultrip.com or online at paultrip.com slash ask.

The first question is, I pastor a church where, if I let them,

my congregation would continuously extend my job description. How do I decide what I have to do

and what God has not given me to do? Along the same lines, another pastor asked, how do I handle

the weariness of pastoring a church where people seem rarely happy with what I do or where we're going and instead feel very free to share their criticism?

Paul, you've seen the polling data.

The Barna Group reports that 33% of pastors surveyed has considered leaving the profession, a number that peaked during the pandemic.

And then another study from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research showed even higher numbers, with 53% of pastors saying

that they considered leaving the profession as of fall of 2023. So, Paul, how would you

answer these questions and counsel pastors who feel burned out and are considering leaving

the ministry? Well, the first question about pastoral limits, I think, is just so important.

If you read the account of creation, the only being in that account that is without limits is

God.

God has wired us with limits.

I'll never get 40 hours in a day.

I'll never get 50 days in the month.

I'll never get 450 days in a year.

And so I do have limits.

And if I allow myself to be pressed into more and more church work,

it's got to eat into something else in my life.

...