Grace for the givers during Lent and Easter

As leaders approach Lent and Easter, it is worth asking: how often do we extend to ourselves the same grace we offer others? Burnout and isolation are becoming increasingly common among church leaders in Canada, yet many still lead without trusted spaces to name fatigue or doubt.

Lent and Easter offer pointed reminders of God’s grace, forgiveness and sacrifice. For pastors and church leaders, these seasons carry profound spiritual meaning and significant weight. Fresh “visitor-friendly” sermons must be prepared, people accompanied through grief and hope, volunteers mobilized, and sacred moments stewarded thoughtfully. Often, leaders carry this responsibility quietly, even as their own reserves run thin, both in the office and at home.

At World Vision’s recent Church Forward gathering, leaders were invited into a different posture. Rather than strategy first, the focus was reflection. The gathering named the cost of ministry honestly, while pointing toward rest, renewal, and the sustaining power of community.

Lent reminds us that the way of Christ is costly. Long-time pastor and World Vision partner Rob Hogendoorn spoke candidly about persistence, not the heroic kind, but the quiet endurance required in seasons of fog and fatigue. Drawing from David’s leadership story, Rob reminded us that faithfulness does not mean unbroken strength. Even leaders after God’s own heart experience failure, doubt, and exhaustion, and yet are sustained through grace, creativity, and the support of others.

Many pastors recognize this reality intimately. Busy church seasons can leave leaders depleted, pouring themselves out for others while neglecting their own mental, physical, and spiritual health. Jason Ballard of The Pastorate and a dedicated pastor named this tension clearly: pastoring is a hard and holy vocation. It is holy because we witness resurrection moments, lives transformed and faith renewed. It is hard because the work is never finished, expectations are high, and the Canadian cultural and political landscapes are increasingly complex and often encourage division.

Lent also calls us into the wilderness, a place of testing, but also of clarity. World Vision Canada’s President and CEO, Allison Alley, reminded leaders that our being matters more than our doing. Sustainable ministry requires rhythms of rest, reflection, and rootedness in God. Scripture affirms this truth again and again. Jesus withdrew to quiet places. Elijah collapsed from exhaustion. Rest is not a failure of faith; it is a discipline of trust.

Easter, however, tells a different story. Resurrection is never a solitary event. The women run together from the tomb. The disciples walk side by side on the road to Emmaus. The risen Christ appears among gathered friends. Community is not an optional support; it is God’s provision.

Throughout the Church Forward gathering, leaders spoke of the importance of trusted relationships, peers who “see the shore” when vision is lost, companions who listen without comparison, and communities where leaders can be fully known. World Vision modelled this posture by creating space not to perform, but to breathe, reflect, and belong.

As a partner of Canada’s local Church, we are honoured to be an extension of your community. A “roll your sleeves up” member, prepared to serve pastors and church leaders in every season of ministry, as they serve their churches and the children and families whose lives are changed as a result.

Despite the busyness and demand, may Lent remind us to lay down what was never ours to carry alone. And may Easter remind us that the life God calls us to is sustained not by striving, but by abiding, together.