Only one in three pastors finish well. And 78% say they have no close friends. Kevin Abbott, who leads pastoral health and resilience work for Texas Baptists, joins Eric Bryant to talk honestly about the isolation that quietly derails so many pastors — and what it actually takes to keep going the distance.
Drawing from 30 years in ministry, a season as a military chaplain, 13 years as a senior pastor, and now years spent walking hundreds of pastors through cohorts built on his doctoral research at Fuller Seminary, Kevin shares the habits that separate leaders who finish well from those who burn out. He gets real about his own dark nights of the soul, why “every leader has a limp,” and the power of having a Paul, a Barnabas, and a Timothy in your life.
This conversation is packed with practical wisdom and real stories — including pastors who found physical, emotional, and spiritual breakthrough through community, coaching, and the kind of friendship most pastors never let themselves have.
📚Resources mentioned:
“Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership” by Ruth Haley Barton
“Sacred Rhythms” by Ruth Haley Barton
“The Making of a Leader” by J. Robert Clinton
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