Hundreds of district pastors gathered for the Inter-American Division’s first territory-wide ministerial retreat in Cancun, Mexico, on day two, Sep. 4, 2024. They were reminded that they are not alone in the tireless work they do for the church. “You are part of more than 33,000 [Adventist] pastors around the entire world. Jesus is there to guide you,” said Ramon Canals, Ministerial Association secretary of the Adventist General Conference. “Focus on Jesus and His sacrifice for each one of you,” he added.

“As pastors walking through our ministerial life, we go through experiences that sadden us; sometimes, these embitter us. We feel disappointed and feel like we carry the weight of the world upon us and feel like we need help,” said Canals.

Canals proceeded to share how one pastor he knows became tired of the ministry, and wanted to give up his ministerial credentials. Canals reminded him to remember the special calling God made him, the privilege of serving Christ and not just the church and men. The pastor decided to stay in the ministry. Two years later the pastor shared that he couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m tired of the criticism, of the conflict, of the fights, I am tired of the fastidious members,” said the pastor and left the ministry.

As Canals addressed the pastoral group and shared that this may be how some felt, he turned to asking if they ever felt like they have failed God. “Sometimes we find ourselves dealing with problems that we wish we could share, and we are told that it would be good to have someone to talk to, but we sometimes feel alone,” said Canals.

Facing many challenges

“If you feel like you are struggling against depression at times, remember Elijah and his experiences with depression,” he said. Sometimes in our service to God we face many challenges, we are too busy, we are criticized and face failure, and our passion for the lost could fail. But if you come to Jesus, He can help find joy, peace and rest through his Holy Spirit,” he said.

As his voice carried throughout the center hall packed with over 2,500 pastors and their spouses, Canals urged them to seek purity, joy, peace, and rest in the only One that can bestow the gifts of the Spirit.

“We should pray for a new baptism of the Holy Spirit and enjoy the privilege of walking closely and happily with Jesus,” said Canals. “If you see your sinfulness, if you feel overwhelmed and disturbed, if you feel like you have failed Jesus, don’t wait for things to get better. Come as you are, weak and helpless to Jesus,” he added.

Clearing the Way

Canals proceeded to ask the pastoral delegation what they feel is the greatest need of the church today. “What is the greatest need of the ministry? Why don’t we ask and receive the Holy Spirit in a constant way? What prevents us from living that wonderful experience?” he asked.

According to a North American Division survey, 78 percent of pastors shared that the greatest need of the church is a spiritual revival. “Knowing our condition doesn’t lead us to peace but we need to do the things that can help us to receive the Holy Spirit,” he said. Many times, discouragement comes from the lack of having the Holy Spirit, he added. “We have a Christ who encourages us and gives us strength when we are discouraged.” The Holy Spirit beautifies life, gives energy, power, and equips us to win souls, explained Canals.  “Jesus daily received a new baptism of the Holy Spirit by spending hours with God,” he added.

There are several ways to clear the way so that the Holy Spirt can empower them to continue in their ministry in the church, said Canals.  Get close to Jesus, trust in God, obey Him, confess your sins, be aware that we need to be filled with the Word of God, ask for the Spirit continually and pray earnestly, and look at how you define prayer your life,” said Canals. Pastors must have an honest conversation with God on what they are going through, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated and in need of His power, Canals said.

Feeling Overwhelmed Physically and Emotionally

Simon Pedro Gómez, 28, who pastors 18 churches in Ocozocoautla, in Chiapas, knows about feeling overwhelmed. When he began his ministry five years ago, he had only nine churches. The stress got to him and affected him physically and emotionally, so much so that he had to scale back for three months. “It got to the point that I wasn’t well and had to rely on my wife,” said Gómez.

His wife Rebeca had to help preach sermons and still handle leading women’s ministries and children’s ministries throughout the district. “I went to see a psychologist to help me deal with my work balance,” he said. It’s not like Gómez could disconnect himself totally from his pastoral work, but had to learn to handle the load better, he said. It was a learning experience, he added: “I had to pace myself and rely fully on the power of the Holy Spirit to continue ministering in my district.” That prepared him for double the churches he now pastors.

Gómez oversees more than 1,500 church members. Some of his congregations are accessible only by foot, or on horseback. Some are very remote, requiring up to six hours of travel in the mountains. Many of the communities he and his wife lead speak Tzotzil, a Mayan language spoken by the indigenous people in Chiapas.

His time is spent planning, training, and making sure all the churches are following their evangelism, discipleship and missionary plan with all the departments every week. In addition, he visits about 25 members’ homes each week and visits each church on a two-month rotation to attend elder’s meetings and deal with church issues, he explained.

Leaving it to God

To come to the retreat, he had left his pastoral responsibilities in the hands of his elders. “A few have had church board meetings and I have to have the phone close to me to answer calls while I’m here for the retreat,” said Gómez. There are a lot of pressures in this ministry but seeing how persons have been transformed in Jesus is a blessing to see, he said.  “God has been good,” said Gómez. “We have already exceeded our goal of 132 baptisms by 15 baptisms this month,” he said.

“Yes, there are challenges in the ministry, and we sometimes cry when we make a mistake, but we have learned to put our lives in God’s hands each and every day,” said Gómez. “God is our shepherd and will help us to lead his church in these end times and will continue to empower us in His service for His glory.”

The original article was published on the Inter-American Division website.