Why Good Pastors Drift
For pastoral and leadership teams · 4 conversations
Team Discussion Guide
One conversation for each Part, and one for the conclusion. Read the chapters before you meet, open with the line from the book, and choose the questions that fit your team. These questions are about the soul, so answers are always invited, never required.
Part I · Chapters 1–3
How Good Pastors Drift
Ministry is a beautiful servant. It is a terrible substitute for God.
Chapter 1 · Why Good Pastors Drift
Which good things in your ministry most easily crowd out your own time with God?
Chapter 2 · When Ministry Becomes a Substitute for God
Where might work done for God be standing in for time spent with Him?
Chapter 3 · The Dangerous Rewards of Ministry
Which reward do you lean on most to feel you are doing well: affirmation, influence, results, or being needed?
Try this as a team
Each person privately writes one sentence: If my role ended tomorrow, what would remain of my life with God? Share only if you choose.
Part II · Chapters 4–7
What Drift Looks Like
Do not despise the fruit. Just refuse to let the fruit answer questions that only the presence of God can answer.
Chapter 4 · When Theology Outpaces Intimacy
When did Scripture last speak to you personally, apart from preparing to teach it?
Chapter 5 · When Activity Replaces Abiding
Looking at last week, where was time with God scheduled, and where was it simply assumed?
Chapter 6 · When Public Fruit Hides Private Distance
Which results do you reach for to reassure yourself when something feels wrong inside?
Chapter 7 · The Quiet Loss of First Love
What has quietly diminished in your love for Jesus that would once have concerned you?
Try this as a team
Bring last week's calendar. Mark the hours spent with God with no ministry outcome attached. Talk about what you notice, not yet about what to fix.
Part III · Chapters 8–10
The Way Back
Repentance is not God pushing the pastor away. It is God opening the way home.
Chapter 8 · Returning to the Secret Place
What would help time alone with God feel less like a task and more like coming home?
Chapter 9 · Leading From Overflow Again
If not from time with God, what are you currently drawing on to carry the ministry?
Chapter 10 · Guarding First Love for the Long Haul
Which rhythm protects your first love, and which pressure breaks it most often?
Try this as a team
Before you meet, each person drafts one line of their own First Love Rule of Life from Chapter 10. Share one line with the team and name one person who may ask you about it.
Conclusion
Before You Lead Anyone Else
Do not wait until the return feels impressive. Return while it still feels small.
Before the Next Thing
Which line of the closing practice do you most need in this season, and why that one?
Come Back to the One Thing
What would it look like for this team to protect one another's time with Jesus?
Try this as a team
End the meeting in two minutes of silence before anyone prays aloud. Let Him lead before you lead.