In a recent entry on his website, Nashville pastor Pete Wilson says: “I was reading an article recently and it had a startling quote in there from H.B. London, head of pastoral ministries for Focus on the Family. He disclosed that ‘at least 70 percent of pastors in the United States claim they have no friends.’
“This stat is absolutely heartbreaking and unacceptable to me. No wonder most pastors don’t make it in ministry long. So why don’t they develop friends? There’s tons of reason but here’s a few that come to my mind.
1) False Expectations: Many want their pastor to be friendly to everyone but close to no one!
2) False Assumptions: Many pastors have been told, ‘You can’t EVER, EVER, trust people because they’ll use things you share with them against you one day.” (Side Note: Didn’t seem to stop Jesus.)
3) False Accusations: Many pastors will be criticized if they have close friends. If a normal person has close friends, we call it healthy. If a pastor has close friends we call it a clique.
“Pastors, don’t fall for it. You’ve been created for deep connectedness like everyone else. Develop and cultivate your close friendships (and encourage your wife to do the same). You’ll need them. Every single one of them!” (Visit Pete’s website.)