This is one of the most talked about and striking questions in the self-care inventory.
As I write this, we are experiencing an unprecedented pastor crisis in the United States. Many pastors have just had enough, regardless of whether or not they fell called or trapped.
Ministry is not easy and it is not like any typical job. It is not something that you do just to earn a paycheck, you really needed to be called. So often, people get into ministry out of a sense of calling, but they stay because they fell like there is nothing else that they can do. While this is understandable, it is not healthy.
Ministry is nearly impossible to do well and in a healthy way if you feel trapped. At the heart of the Gospel is a trust of God, this includes trusting God with our career. Are you serving in ministry because God continues to call you to this work? Or, do you stay because you feel there is nothing else you can do.
If it is for the latter, for your sake, the sake of your family and the church, don’t stay if you are not called.