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An Open Letter to Pastors & Teachers

An Open Letter to Pastors & Teachers

Last updated on: January 17, 2026 at 8:28 am by Frank Viola

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An Open Letter to Pastors & Teachers 2026-01-17T08:28:00-04:00 Frank Viola

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

For those of you who don’t know who I am, for over 30 years I’ve been involved in church planting, shepherding the Lord’s people, and training leaders internationally. I’m the author of over 16 professionally published books, 10 of them bestsellers, published by Tyndale, Thomas Nelson, Baker, David C. Cook, and Destiny Image.

In all my years of working with fellow teachers, pastors, speakers, authors, and bloggers, I’ve come to the conclusion that most Christian leaders today are plagued with one of two kinds of ministry orientations.

The root of these orientations is similar, but they express themselves differently.

If you don’t read this entire article, I’m fairly certain you fit into one of these two ministry orientations. Skimming then bolting is another characteristic of each one. Reading this to the very end could change your life.

When I first put my hand to the plow of God’s work in my early 20s, I experienced both orientations at one time or another.

They are …

1) The Autopilot Ministry Orientation. This orientation describes leaders who go through life with their ministry switch set to default. Their approach to ministry is largely passive and reactive, being carried about by the relentless current of ministry demands.

Their ministry compass points to autopilot, drifting at sea, being controlled by demand after demand.

The results of this orientation are boredom with ministry and profound frustration. Not to mention ministry fatigue. Leaders with this orientation haven’t taken the necessary actions to shape their own ministries, given them both margin and energy.

They are too busy to attend events that connect them with other leaders who will give them a breakthrough in this area. (Except for the pop Pastors Conferences or their own denominational gatherings, but these produce very little change.)

Many of the 1,800 pastors who leave the pastorate each year in the USA have this orientation.

2) The Compulsive Ministry Orientation. This ministry orientation describes leaders who are driven to do ministry. They are engrossed in a constant state of religious activity, often putting ministry above everything else in their lives.

Ministry is their god. For them, serving Jesus Christ is more important than Jesus Christ, even though they may not be in touch with this fact.

At bottom, they are workaholics. Their approach to ministry is hyper-active. They confuse movement with progress, busyness with spirituality.

When they open the Bible, they can’t help but look for fodder for their next sermon or article. And what they pass on to others is largely derived from others.

The results of this orientation are overwhelm, burnout, and loss in personal areas of their lives, including their relationships and their health.

Again, many of the 1,800 pastors who leave the pastorate each year in the USA have this orientation.

Reality Check

A mark of both orientations is that you can’t stop and breathe to reflect on that which could change your life and cause your ministry to have a far greater impact.

Not to mention getting to really know the Lord you serve. Deeply.

Thankfully, there’s a third kind of ministry orientation. But in my experience and observation, it’s rarely seen. It’s what I call …

3) The Intentional Ministry Orientation. Leaders with this orientation are . . .

* Intentional about knowing Jesus Christ in the depths and ministering HIM instead of information about Him.

* They’ve discovered a well that never runs dry and have learned the secret of living under an “open heaven.”

* They have clarity. They know what their special mission is as well as their unique contribution. And they don’t stray from it.

* They get sufficient rest and time for relaxation and creative energy.

* They respond quickly to people, including to their emails.

* They invest in making connections with other leaders who are true peers and/or who are ahead of them (outside of their movements).

* They give time for opportunities that are life changing, that create amazing connections, and that expose them to new arenas of knowing Christ. In other words, they’ve moved past the echo chambers that most leaders live in.

* They have the faith and courage to move out of their comfort zones to forge relationships with other leaders who are outside their denomination.

* They know that they cannot effectively minister that which they’ve not experienced themselves.

* They are looking for depth, not what’s popular or trendy.

I’m convinced that one of the reasons why contemporary Christianity is so shallow today is because so many leaders have no interest in the deeper Christian life. In other words, their ministry compass is calibrated to Autopilot or Compulsive.

Consequently, their work never gets beyond the status quo.

What’s at Stake If You Don’t Change Your Orientation?

At best, you’ll stay stuck, firing on all cylinders with very little impact or eternal value. At worst, you’ll lose relationships, your health, and possibly your career.

How Does One Move from the First Two Orientations to the Third?

Since 2015, I have been holding a mastermind group for pastors and teachers. It’s called THE INSURGENCE EXPERIENCE (IXP).

It’s not a cohort, a conference, or a seminar.

It’s a premium mastermind group.

To get the details, go to THE INSURGENCE EXPERIENCE – check out the video from the leaders testifying about it and fill out the application if it resonates.

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