13 Survival Tactics Every Pastor Must Use When the Sky is Falling

Proven techniques to help you survive a church crisis.

Every pastor knows ministry isn’t for wimps. If any occupation epitomizes the phrase “only the strong survive” it’s ministry. There’s no escaping the bulls-eye on your back.

-Criticism, spoken in the back hallways, eventually arrives on your doorstep.

-Expectations are so high from the congregation that Jesus might have a hard time meeting them.

-A church leader decides you made a wrong decision and talks about it to everyone but you.

-People whisper that you don’t spend enough time in the office.

These examples are everyday occurrences in the field of pastoral ministry. A wise pastor expects it and learns to roll with the punches. It’s the price you pay for leading a group of people.

But there are those rare moments when the Chicken Littles of the world are right. The sky is falling or Rome is burning or the Titanic is sinking. Pick your metaphor. The bottom line is that your ministry is falling apart and the church faces a crisis.

This happened to me. Over a period of four months I lost 60% of my congregation. The church went into a tailspin. In a real sense, the sky was falling. But I’m a survivor. I moved to another assignment five years after the church had stabilized and needed new leadership.

During those tense months, I learned lessons which will help any pastor facing a church crisis. Each of these survival tactics enabled me to stay the course.

Here are the 13 survival tactics which you must use when the sky is falling.

1. Stay visible.

Don’t give in to the temptation to hide in your home or office. The natural reaction to a falling sky is to duck for cover. You feel as though you are unable to face the public. The inclination is to hunker down at home or the office. That would be a huge mistake.

Don’t run and hide. Now, more than ever, you need to be visible. Let people know you are available for questions. Don’t change your office hours. Answer your phone. No matter how difficult it may become, maintain a visible presence.

2. Find a core remnant to rally around you.

If you’ve been the pastor for any length of time, you’ve discovered some people who have your back. It’s important for you reach out to them. Schedule a meeting with your faithful few in your home. Explain to them what’s going on. Be bold and ask for their support. Let them know you are depending on them to help you get through the current crisis.

Once you get the support of the faithful few, meet with them on a regular basis. Keep them in the loop about developments in the situation. Make it a habit to thank them for how they are supporting you during the crisis.

3. Seek counsel from the wisest people in your network.

When I went through my crisis with the church I learned the value of reaching out to trusted colleagues. This is important because you will get perspectives from people outside of the crisis. Explain the situation to them. Ask them for their input.

Try to listen closely to how they respond. It’s natural to only “hear” what you want to hear. But listen for what they are saying to you. And if they say something to you that you don’t want to hear, pay extra attention to those words. Process the input of your friends and watch your situation improve.

4. Do not lash back.

This is your opportunity to model Jesus. Snapping back only increases the fall-out. During times of crisis remind yourself people are watching you closely. They want to see how you will respond. Don’t give your opposition any more reasons to escalate the crisis.

Embrace this rule: don’t say or do anything while you are angry. Keep calm. Respond only when any anger is gone. You will save yourself a lot of grief if you remember this simple rule.

5. Draw a line in the sand and refuse to resign.

Right about the time my sky started to fall I had read the story of explorer Cortez. According to legend, when the going got tough his crew wanted to sail home. What did Cortez do? He set them on fire. Why? He didn’t want there to be a plan B.

I remember when I shared the Cortez story with my wife. We lit a match and set fire to the idea of retreating. I made a copy burnt match and produced an enlarged print. I framed it and placed it on the wall above the chair in my office where people would sit and tell me I needed to resign. That single picture held me fast. Even when a group of fifty people ambushed me in the sanctuary and demanded I resign.

6. Spend more time in prayer than in trying to “fix” the problem.

The sky is falling. How do you fix that? By the time big chunks fall from the sky you can’t really fix it. You can try to minimize the damage but it’s nearly impossible to fix. Why? Because things that fall gain more momentum as time passes.

Instead of driving yourself crazy trying to do what can’t be done, spend your time praying. Ask God to intervene. And as you pray, pay close attention to what God is telling you to do.

7. Be transparent without being judgmental.

This is not the time to go on information lock-down. Nor is it time to point fingers at those who started the avalanche. Be open and honest. Let people know there are no hidden secrets or agendas. Transparency is key.

This can be difficult; especially if there are things you’ve been told in confidence. Great care is needed to not throw anyone under the bus while being transparent. Take time to think through what needs communicating and figure out the best way to do it.

8. Never talk bad about your critics.

When the sky starts to fall you will discover who are your true friends. In my crisis, people who I thought were my friends, turned on me. It’s easy for the pastor to become the scapegoat. And when the church heads down the path toward crisis, there is a lot of piling on. The boo-bird choir assembles and sings nonstop.

When the opposition puts you in their crosshairs, the temptation is to talk bad about them. Talking bad about them is an attempt to defend yourself. But you cannot defend yourself from the bad guys by becoming a bad guy. Never talk bad about your critics.

9. Protect your family.

During a church crisis, tensions rise. Those tensions even reach deep into the home of the pastor. Your family will feel the pain, hurt, and confusion. Decide now to protect your family as much as possible.

Don’t talk about the church battle in front of your children. They are impressionable and will never forget how the church treated you. Protect your spouse. There’s no need to the hurtful things someone said about them. Do whatever it takes to protect your family.

10. Decide you will not take anything personal.

In the middle of my church crisis, I noticed that as I got up to deliver my message, a couple of people walked out. After several Sundays a friend told me the reason. The people who walked out couldn’t bear to hear me preach so they went into a classroom to pray.

It’s easy to take that as a personal assault. But to take it personal would’ve only escalated the tension and inner resentment. I reminded myself that any prayer is a positive thing. I let it go. Don’t take things personally as you go through a church crisis.

11. Find a way to rally the remnant.

At the end of the mass exodus from the congregation, it felt like an atomic bomb had fallen. We had lost two praise bands and no music people remained. Teachers, board members, nursery workers, and greeters had vanished. Sunday morning worship was like a sad reminder of what we once were.

But then a new lady showed up and loved the church. Tragically, the Sunday night after standing in church and raving about the church, she was murdered. In her memory, we started a free community garden that encouraged people from the community to plant their crops. This garden, named after her, became a rallying cry which united the survivors. It was the beginning of the healing we needed.

12. Look for the positives and celebrate each one.

In the middle of a falling sky it’s important to look for the positive. With morale declining you must find something to celebrate. Do not miss any opportunity to celebrate the positive. This will lift spirits and put smiles on discouraged faces.

We had gone through such trauma, finding a reason to celebrate was a challenge. I realized we were fortunate to have people remain who still contributed financially. In every service as we prepared to receive the offering, I reminded them how fortunate we were to be able to pay all our bills. I invited the people to applaud when the ushers came forward. Every offering time became a reason to celebrate. For the next five years every offering was loudly applauded.

13. If you are at fault, admit it, ask for forgiveness, and move on.

There are times when you are at fault and the rabble rousers have a valid point. Please do not try to use these survival tactics if that’s the case. Do not try to dance around the issue. When the sky is falling there is no safe place to hide for the guilty.

When you realize your error, immediately apologize and ask forgiveness. No tactics will make it right. If you cannot bring yourself to do this, consider resignation. No church needs another cover-up by an arrogant leader.

Even when the church faces a crisis, you can survive. You do not need to cut and run. Determine to go through the challenge with those who remain. And when it’s all over, you will discover the church will be even stronger than it was before the sky fell.

Take The Next Step:

Are you struggling to lead your church through change? Does your congregation consist of older attendees? I’ve written a free eBook just for you. Consider downloading my free eBook: 7 Secrets to Lead Your Aging Church Through Change. These secrets are based on leadership lessons demonstrated by famed explorer Ernest Shackleton who led his crew of 27 to safety after a failed expedition to the South Pole.