A Pastor's Deepest Fears

Do You Worry That You're Letting God Down?

I think one of the deepest fears an earnest pastor has is that he is going to let God down. There's this massive factor that we're not just speaking for ourselves—we're speaking for God. We want to honor him. So we're afraid to let him down. We sometimes feel that if we're ourselves too much, we're letting him down. Or if we veil too much, we're letting him down.

This sense of failure is constantly reinforced because people will often say, "If you'd preach longer, we'd like it. If you you'd preach shorter, we'd like it. If you illustrated more, we'd like it. If you illustrated less, we'd really like that." We're constantly scrutinized to do more, or to do less.

So we can feel like we're letting God down. And we can feel like we're letting others down.

The Imperfect Pastor

Zack Eswine

Written in a compelling memoir style, Eswine reflects on the failures, burnout, pain, and complexities that come with pastoral ministry—helping readers find significance in the ordinary through honest conversation and theological reflection.

At the very same time, we all want to do something significant for God and to make a difference in people's lives. So if we feel like we're letting God down and letting other people down, we can feel like quitting.

I think that's a deep fear within all of us.

Zack Eswine (PhD, Regent University) is the lead pastor at Riverside Church in Webster Groves, Missouri. He and his wife, Jessica, have four children and are the cofounders of Sage Christianity. For more information, visit SageChristianity.com.