Article By Leon Daniels // EEW Magazine // Ministry

With incidences of suicide on the rise among pastors in the U.S., a popular Virginia-based preacher announced to his congregation that he needs a break from ministry for his spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional well-being.

Rev. Howard-John Wesley of the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria announced his sabbatical on Dec. 1, saying, “I am tired in my soul,” which quickly and widely spread on social media.

“There’s a weight a pastor bears in their soul and their emotions that is inescapable,” said the 47-year-old leader, who has been preaching for 30 years and estimates that he has delivered over 5,000 sermons.

“There’s not been a day in these past 11 years that I have not woken up and knew that there’s something I had to do for the church, that I have to be available for a call, that I journey with people through the highs and the lows of life, through the great moments of celebration and in the valley of death,” he said from the pulpit to a rapt crowd.

Leading four services every weekend for more than 4,000 attendees and tens of thousands of online viewers has taken its toll. Wesley will temporarily step down from Jan. 1 to April 12, making his return on Easter Sunday.

Many readers of EEW Magazine Online have praised Wesley’s decision and said they commend him for his transparency. “Jesus stole away from the crowd sometimes too,” a reader named Emilee’ from Minneapolis told EEW editors. “I think more preachers should follow his lead, and maybe they wouldn’t burn out or want to end it all.”

Though Wesley, a fourth-generation Baptist preacher, said he isn’t burned out and is still “excited” to do the Lord’s work, he did say, “I feel so distant from God. One of the greatest mistakes of pastoring is to think that because you work for God, you’re close to God.”

He said he has some spiritual and personal goals he wants to reach, and he needs to be spiritually-fed. Wesley further opened up about being stressed and experiencing unspecified negative manifestations in his health.

While announcements such as these are rare, many pastors of ministries both large and small are under immense stress, and some don’t know how to cope.

30-year-old Jarrid Wilson, a pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, CA, who admitted to struggling with “suicidal thoughts” and “depression,” took his own life September, shocking the faith community.

A Washington Post report said, “Pastors are facing newer challenges than they did decades ago that may lead some to work past their limits. Smartphones and social media have made many clergy quickly accessible to congregants.”

“I believe in boundaries, and some of my personal life is none of your business,” said Wesley as congregants shouted “Amen” in agreement.

For those wondering what he will do with his time off, Wesley said he plans to vacation, turn off his phone, read the Bible without needing to write a sermon, and enjoy Sunday brunch.