A Letter to Pastors During COVID-19
A LETTER TO PASTORS DURING COVID-19
By Michael Bozeman | MA, MACE, LPC
Dear Pastor,
Let me start this letter by saying I recognize you have found yourself in a difficult situation—a situation that you probably never dreamed of before. The needs of your family, congregation, and yourself are great. The fear of the unknown is always a difficult time for all of us. As you are learning to navigate the uncertainty of this time, I want to encourage you to take care of yourself.
Christ in his infinite wisdom has placed you over your congregation. He has given you a love and adoration for a group of people, who no doubt, look to you for guidance and wisdom during tough times. As a pastor, there are times when certain members of your flock are in struggles, and you are the calming presence in their lives. In those times, you are able to come alongside and point them to truth and love them through the struggle. The days we are currently in have your entire flock in an uncertain state. I know these days can easily be overwhelming for you.
My hope in this letter is to be an encouragement to you as well as a resource to your congregation. As a counselor, many people I come in contact with on a daily basis struggle with anxiety. The fear or lack of control of the future many times stops them from living the life Christ has designed for them. As you are talking with your people, I encourage you to help them live in the here and now. Christ can do amazing things in our lives when we do not allow ourselves to live in our pasts or our futures. Matthew 6:34 tells us, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” I remind people daily how we are to be thankful that Christ is standing in our future and has complete control of what will be.
The enemy is crafty, and he will take these days of uncertainty to try to distract us from what we know to be true. We hold on to the promises of 2 Corinthians 4:8–9, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” The days may seem uncertain, but we are certain that Christ is still on his throne with a love for each of us that we could never fully comprehend. As you live this life with your people and work to remind them of the life-changing truth of Jesus, trust that Christ is using you in amazing ways.
It is imperative that you take the time you need for yourself. If you are not careful, this will be a season of spiritual, emotional, and physical debits without many credits. Take an inventory of the things and people that you know speak life into you and make it a point to engage those things or people. Please know that we at Pathways Professional Counseling are always an option for you. We have an amazing partnership with the State Board of Missions (SBOM), and they will help cover counseling sessions for you and your family.
Pathways is here to be a resource to you, your family, or your congregation in any way we can. I pray that Christ will continue to give you the strength you need during this challenging time. I pray that we will all see His amazing work even in the most uncertain times. Continue the fight, continue to speak the truth, continue to be a steady force in a very unsteady time.
Blessings,
Michael Bozeman, MA, MACE, LPC
Pathways Professional Counseling