“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Timothy 4:2, NIV)

Reflecting on this passage this morning, I thought about that phrase “be prepared in season and out of season.”

In the original, ‘be prepared’ is a call to ‘stand up’ or ‘be ready’ to preach and minister under any circumstance. Lea and Griffin (NAC) see this as staying on task whether you feel like it or not, and/or whether the people under your care find it convenient or not.

I’m guessing most pastors sense when either they or their church is in season or out of season: times of self-doubt, fatigue, feelings of hopelessness and/or helplessness. Or church congregations which may need challenge, correction, or gentle guidance into the newness of the Kingdom (see 2 Tim 4:1).

It would be nice if all pastors found these situations easy to work out. It would be great to know they can pick themselves up in times of doubt, or tiredness, or the weariness of long obedience. Truth is, even if a pastor has sufficient mental clarity to make what they believe to be sound decisions at such times, few have the necessary objectivity and headspace to do so.

This is one of the reasons why plurality of leadership is a very good thing in the church. Besides being biblical, pastors can talk through challenging matters and prayerfully decide with their team what the best approach might be.

So, what does a pastor when they find themselves ‘out of season’? When things are not going well, when ministry – too often – interrupts life, well-being, and healthy practice?

Beyond any team discussion of pastoral challenges, the guided reflection of regular pastoral supervision can be incredibly helpful. Supervision sessions can bring new understanding to how one responds to ministry complexities, to one’s perceptions and perspectives. Pastoral Supervision provides a safe and confidential space to reflect on one’s work, how one is responding to ministry situations, and how one might do it better.

An ‘out of season’ moment…

Consider how Pastor John* dealt with his ‘out of season’ experience…

John’s interactions with Harry* were becoming complicated. It seemed that every time they spoke there was awkwardness and discomfort. John sensed that Harry was unhappy. Was it something John was doing? A direction the church was taking? Something about John himself? He just couldn’t work it out. John knew he had to do something, but it was all too confusing to think clearly about it all.

John, like most pastors, loved pastoral work and often took the role of peacemaker. He didn’t like it when people conveyed disapproval or unhappiness. John was especially uncomfortable because it had gotten back to him that Harry had spoken to others about his feelings. Would others turn against him too? What was Harry’s problem? What had John done wrong? What could he do about it? Could he do anything to change the situation?

An additional complication – not uncommon in church circles – was that Harry had strong connections with some of John’s co-leaders – that made any discussion of the issue quite tricky.

Sure enough, when John was trying to turn off at night, those questions yapped like a stray dog at the heels of his consciousness. So he was wide awake at a time when he could ill afford it. John was tired, confused, isolated and increasingly anxious.

John’s pastoral supervision experience…

John took his experience to his next supervision session. The supervisor sat with John, probing various perspectives, enabling John to fully explore and verbalise his experience. This helped John broaden his perspective and get some clarity on his core responsibilities. Supervision provided a safe space for John to consider what Harry’s point of view might be. Together John and his supervisor explored what Scripture might have to say to John, to Harry, and what impact the Gospel might have on it all.

Supervision helped John untangle his thoughts and responses. The Gospel truths John considered with his Supervisor were not new to him, but he did find some new ways to apply them to his complex situation. John’s Supervisor wasn’t telling John what he should do: he just helped him access his own theology and apply it to his pastoral interactions. In the sessions John was able to decide on a plan to move ahead and identified some specific ways he could interact with Harry.

Supervision helped John find clarity on his own responses and what he might be able to do differently. John felt safe to be vulnerable about himself, his fears, and his thoughts about Harry. He was able to review how things unfolded in subsequent supervision sessions.

The value of supervision

While a coach might have worked with John to identify better goals and strategies, and a mentor might have passed on some of their timely wisdom, John’s professional pastoral supervisor helped him see this issue with greater clarity. He guided John to identify how Scripture and theology informed the context, and drew it all together in a workable action plan to be reviewed in future sessions. 

Supervision is no silver bullet. The sessions can be hard work, but they allow a vulnerability, an objectivity and discernment that can lead to significant learning outcomes and better ministry. For both John and Harry, the Gospel might come to greater expression, and that would be good news all around.

*Not their real names

David Groenenboom