When You Feel Like Quitting Ministry

Every week, countless pastors and ministry leaders sit with the same heavy question: Should I quit? The pressures mount, the criticisms multiply, and the heart grows weary. For some, it's pastoral ministry under fire. For others, it’s a calling to serve that now feels like a burden too heavy to carry. Whether it's from a pulpit or in a quiet volunteer role, the temptation to walk away can feel overwhelming.

One weary elder from northern Minnesota recently asked this exact question. He described how passive-aggressive criticism from his congregation was stealing his joy and making him wonder if he should step down. His question echoes through the hearts of many faithful servants: How do I keep going when all I hear is negativity? At what point does this mean I should move on?

These are not easy questions but they are deeply important ones. So here are two sets of spiritual tools: eight diagnostic questions to help you discern your next step, and eight biblical reminders to sustain your joy as you wrestle.

Eight Diagnostic Questions Before You Quit

Use these as a kind of spiritual triage. Pray through them slowly. Bring them before wise counselors. Invite the Spirit to search your heart.

1. Are the criticisms true?
Discern the truthfulness of the critiques. Ask trusted friends and mentors for perspective. Self-awareness shaped by Scripture and community is essential. Not every criticism is valid but some are, and they can be refining gifts.

2. Is the criticism serious?
Is it about your leadership style or about deep moral failure? Charles Spurgeon once advised pastors to cultivate “a good blind eye and a deaf ear.” Not every opinion deserves your full attention.

3. Is the criticism longstanding?
Was this a one-time issue or part of a recurring pattern? Ongoing friction may indicate deeper heart issues either in others or within your leadership. Don’t ignore patterns.

4. Is the criticism from one or many?
One loud critic may not be representative. But if several godly people raise similar concerns over time, it's worth listening more carefully.

5. Is it moral or skill-based?
Some criticisms target integrity, others address ability. Both can affect your leadership. A moral failure may require repentance or even resignation. A skill gap may call for training, not quitting.

6. Can the criticism lead to change?
Ask: Is this fixable? Sometimes the problem is solvable through confession, coaching, or rest. Other times, it reveals a deeper misfit between you and your current role.

7. Are you a square peg in a round hole?
You may love the Lord and the church but still be mismatched for this specific ministry. That’s not failure it’s part of God’s wise shaping.

8. Have you sought wise counsel?
Don’t walk this path alone. God often confirms His direction through mature believers who love both you and the church.

If You Stay, Fight for Joy

While discerning whether to stay or step away, you also need strength for today. Criticism drains joy. So how do you keep serving when encouragement feels scarce?

Here are eight soul-sustaining strategies for the weary:

1. Root your joy in heaven, not ministry.
When the seventy returned from ministry success, Jesus reminded them, “Do not rejoice in this...but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). Ministry is a gift, but salvation is the foundation.

2. Treasure the love of Christ.
Let this truth echo in your soul: “[He] loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). You are not defined by your productivity, but by His sacrifice.

3. Preach the promises to yourself daily.
Claim God’s nearness: “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Every morning, renew your mind with gospel truth.

4. Plead for daily sustaining grace.
God’s faithfulness is not occasional it’s constant. “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

5. Read timeless voices.
Turn to old, proven friends in the faith: Richard Sibbes’s The Bruised Reed, Jeremiah Burroughs’s The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, or John Owen’s The Glory of Christ. These books speak deeply to discouraged hearts.

6. Seek encouragement from faithful brothers.
We were never meant to lead alone. Hebrews 3:13 calls us to “exhort one another every day.” Find a few voices who know your soul and remind you of your calling.

7. Care for your body and mind.
Don’t underestimate the power of rest, exercise, and beauty in creation. You are a whole person soul and body and both need tending.

8. Memorize Psalm 25.
This psalm is one of the richest in Scripture when you’re seeking direction. “He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way” (Psalm 25:9). When you're unsure what to do next, this psalm gives voice to your prayers.

You're Not Alone

If you’re wondering whether it’s time to quit, know this: you are not a failure for asking that question. You are not weak for feeling worn. Jesus Himself was acquainted with sorrow and bore the weight of rejection. He understands.

So whether God leads you to stay and persevere or release your role and step into a new season, trust this: He made you. He called you. He will guide you. Even if you feel like a square peg in a round hole, that doesn't mean you were a mistake. It may simply mean He is reshaping your calling.

Don’t make the decision alone. Seek His face. Lean on your brothers and sisters. And above all, cling to the Shepherd who never criticizes unjustly, never grows weary of you, and never fails to lead you in love.

Share this with a weary leader or pastor who needs strength for today or subscribe to our newsletter for more soul care rooted in God’s word.