Eric McLemore, pastor of Northside Baptist Church, Milan, writes in his journal during a recent “Off the Grid” hike on the Appalachian Trail. The group was led by Kevin Perrigan, manager of Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center.
NEWPORT — According to recent findings from Lifeway Research, of all the mental challenges faced by pastors, stress tops the list (see article in Aug. 3 issue of the Baptist and Reflector).
Joe Sorah, harvest field ministry team leader for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, said pastors talk about the stress they are under, but he does not hear many people talk about solutions.
“Ministry is all encompassing,” Sorah observed. “You must find an outlet that works for you or you probably won’t last long in ministry,” he said.
Sorah encouraged ministers to participate in physical exercise of some kind because it helps release pressure and benefits the body. “Many of us say we just don’t have time to exercise, but just getting in a 30-minute walk in the morning or evening can relieve a load of stress and clear the mind.”
The staff of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board’s conference centers understands the stress faced by Baptist ministers, both before and certainly after the pandemic of 2020 that is still prevalent today.
The “Off the Grid” ministry — which officially launched in 2020 — was developed by Kevin Perrigan, camp manager at Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center. Perrigan said he wanted to have a ministry that would enable pastors to find an outlet to get away from the pressures of ministry while also forming new friendships with other pastors from around the state.
“What started as a discussion with a pastor friend — about the idea of a backpacking trip just for pastors, with the purpose of allowing them to disconnect from the stresses of the ministry — has transformed into the ‘Off the Grid Project,’ ” he said.
Perrigan had been toying with the idea of having an “Off the Grid” ministry for many years. The fact that the idea came to life during the pandemic — when many pastors were struggling through some of the most challenging days of their ministry — was just good timing. Or, more accurately, God’s timing.
Enjoying the beauty of the Appalachian Trail are pastors, from left, Shawn Allred, Kenton; Doug Elders, Fairfield Glade; James Cowley, Virginia and Eric McLemore, Milan.
“Only God knew that He would utilize this idea to place pastors into an atmosphere where they can be refreshed and renewed,” Perrigan said. “The pandemic seemed to be the catalyst that set this program in motion.”
Perrigan said the ministry is doing just what he hoped it would: “Throughout all the Off the Grid trips, I’ve seen pastors become relaxed, share stories, struggles and concerns,” he said. “Many have become avid hikers since their trip to help them structure a time away to decompress on a weekly basis. It has been an honor getting to know these incredible men and their desire to be used by God.”
Shawn Allred, pastor of First Baptist Church, Kenton, participated on the latest hike on the Appalachian Trail in August. “It was great to get away and unplug for a while and to reconnect with God, His creation and other pastors,” he said. The trip also provided “time for personal, refreshment, prayer and reconnecting with the Lord,” Allred added.
Joel Pigg, pastor of Salem Baptist Church, Trenton, for 16 years, noted that serving as a pastor “is by far the most personally satisfying and yet the most personally stressful thing I have ever done.”
A pastor is on call 24/7, Pigg said, whether it is constantly leading, teaching and encouraging others or helping to guide Christians to a closer walk with God or guiding “lost folks to find eternal life in Jesus Christ. … We never take off our ‘pastor’s hat.’ It is always with us and it is always on.”
The Trenton pastor is a firm believer that ministers have to be “replenished. … Our first and foremost replenishments is our own quiet, personal time with God” and times when ministers can “take off their pastor’s hat and be a regular guy.”
Gathering for a photo during a recent round of golf are Kirk Casey, DOM Cumberland Plateau Baptist Association; Douglas Hayes, pastor, Everett Hills Baptist Church, Maryville; Gary Rickman, TBMB staff member; Mike Poe, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bluff City; Randy Roper, DOM, Big Emory Baptist Association; Shane Maples, pastor, Friendship Baptist Church, Lenoir City; Bill Roberts, interim pastor Pine Eden Baptist Church, Crossville; Joe Sorah, TBMB Harvest Field Ministry team leader.
Pigg enjoys riding motorcycles with his wife, Suzanne, and also with fellow ministers. He participated in an Off the Grid motorcycle event with other ministers at Carson Springs earlier this year. “I walked away completely refreshed and renewed,” he said.
In addition to Off the Grid, both Carson Springs and Linden Valley Baptist Conference Center in Linden, offer sharply reduced rates for any minister or staff member if space is available.
“I feel that ministers and church staffs should take advantage of the opportunity to get away from the daily grind and come to the places He has provided to us as Tennessee Baptists so they can see His glory,” said Jimmy Tucker, manager at Linden Valley.
He noted the conference centers provide the setting “to sit and reflect, sit in silence and hear from Him. … Linden and Carson are perfect places for that. God dwells at both locations and is waiting for time alone with you,” Tucker added.
Tucker said pastors who have participated in Off the Grid events or taken a personal retreat say they feel “refreshed.” He added that participating in a retreat or Off the Grid event annually, “helps them in ministry, whether it’s doing sermon planning, prayer time, reflection or just down time while they are here.”
Tucker suggested that church staffs seriously consider the conference centers for staff retreats.
By getting away together, church staffs have found they’ve grown tighter, are more open/vulnerable with each other, the walls come down because they are here by themselves and focused on their staff relationships with each other and their walks with the Lord, he said.
“I have been told multiple times that they feel so refreshed, much stronger as a team, and ready to get back to ministry,” he added.
David Williams, former pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church, Morristown, recently took advantage of the discount offered to pastors and church staff at the conference centers to spend a few days at Carson Springs to “be refreshed and to pray.”
Williams said he believes the conference centers “are the best kept secret” in the state convention.
“They are a perfect place for the pastor to get away from the daily grind of ministry and to spend time with the Lord,” he said. “With all of the chaos in recent years that has added to the pressure of pastoral ministry; it is vital that we ministers ‘care for our souls’ or we will simply burn out and/or leave a trail of destruction in our lives, that of our family and the churches where we serve.
“It is imperative that pastors get away,” he said. “Jesus did. He went up on the mountain to pray.” B&R
