Loneliness has a high cost attached to it. It takes an emotional and physical toll on us. And the consequences get worse as the years go on. These are just a few of the effects of loneliness:

• Pastors who are lonely are less healthy. There is a correlation between health and having a strong support system. People with friends tend to eat better, exercise more, and take better care of themselves. One study even found the doctor said they give better medical care to those of the solid support system.
• Pastors who are lonely are more depressed. This is probably the natural result of not having close companions to share life with. And the general population, loneliness is a key factor in many suicides. Since we were created for community, we find it harder to be happy when we are alone.
• Pastors who are lonely have less satisfaction in their lives. Again, this probably stems from the fact that we enjoy life more when we share it with someone else. Our joy seems to be tied to our ability to share things with people who are close to us.
• Pastors who are lonely create more stress hormones and their bodies. We pay a physical price for being lonely. The stress hormones cause us to put on weight and get less sleep, as well as having all kinds of other negative effects on our bodies.
• Pastors who are lonely get less sleep, and their sleep is less effective. The stress hormones also cause our sleep to be less restorative, so we don’t get the full benefit of sleep and we are lonely.

All of these are cumulative, meaning that they get worse over time. Loneliness extracts a high price from those effects. As a pastor, you can’t afford to pay that price. And as a Renegade Pastor, the good news is you don’t need to. Right now, we just want to encourage you, because having a friend you can confide in is not an idea we came up with. It was God’s idea first.

– Nelson Searcy and Richard Jarman

The above excerpt is from p. 111-112 of The Renegade Pastor’s Guide to Managing the Stress of Ministry.

Pastors Nelson Searcy and Richard Jarman share their secrets to effective stress management with practical steps and insights that you can start implementing immediately! God wants you to be a fruitful, faithful minister of the gospel. He wants you, as a Renegade Pastor, to rise above average as you pursue God’s best for you, your family, and your ministry.

P.S. – Click here to grab your copy from Amazon today!

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.