Ten Common Sentiments Pastors Wish They Could Express

I love pastors.

I respect pastors.

No, they aren’t perfect. Indeed, they often have many struggles and challenges. As I reviewed the thousands of comments I have heard from pastors, I began to see a pattern of silent expressions. Stated simply, there are many things pastors would like to say, but they don’t feel like they have the freedom to do so.

I compiled ten of the more common unspoken comments pastors wish they could express. They are in no particular order, and I have chosen not to offer further commentary to them.

“I am struggling with depression.”
“Don’t criticize me right before or after I preach.”
“I worry about my family in the church fishbowl.”
“I wish the ‘healthy’ church members in our church would stand up to the bullies and critics.”
“Pray for me; I need it.”
“I don’t know if we can pay our personal bills.”
“I am so tired of attending mundane meetings.”
“Don’t ask me to do something right before I preach.”
“I can’t keep up with all the changes in culture and churches.”
“It hurts me deeply when we lose a church member.”

I know there are many more sentences of similar sentiments. What do you think of these ten? What would you add?