Pastoral Discouragement Is Normal: Wisdom from Charles Spurgeon
June 15, 2026
June 15, 2026
This article is taken from Church Matters, the 9Marks journal for pastors, in the issue titled “The Pastor and Suffering.”
Abstract: Geoff Chang uses the teaching and example of Charles Spurgeon to help pastors see why they shouldn’t be surprised when they battle discouragement or depression. Chang notes four reasons why discouragement is normal for pastors: because they are merely human, because of the weighty nature of their work, because leadership is lonely, and because of the inactive nature of the pastor’s work. Spurgeon also offers us hope in our weakness, pointing us to God’s good purposes for us and for our people as we walk through dark valleys.
J.L. Thompson graduated from the Pastors’ College in 1880 and took a pastorate in Esher, southwest of London. But within a few years, he found himself struggling. He writes,
I was completely broken down in health, not able to put a couple of thoughts together, and hadn’t preached for months. Thinking, in my depressed state, that I should never be able to take a charge again, I applied for an insurance claim, to which I considered myself to be entitled. I was examined by the physician, who cheerily told me that six months of complete rest at the seaside would restore me to health.
Thompson decided to write to his former pastor and college president to see if he knew of any seaside homes that he might apply to. He wrote back,
Dear Mr. Thompson,—I don’t know of any Ministers’ Rest. Mr. Brown’s House at Herne Bay is more general. I am sorry you suffer from depression, for I know how heavy an affliction it is. Get to the seaside as soon as you can, and I will find you £5 towards the expense. The Lord bless you!—Yours heartily, C. H. Spurgeon.11 .C. H. Spurgeon, The Sword and the Trowel: A Record of Combat with Sin & Labour for the Lord. (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1892), 378-379.
With Spurgeon’s encouragement and support, Thompson was able to take six months off for rest, saving not only his ministry but his life.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the most famous preacher of the Victorian era, understood the discouragement and depression that accompany pastoral ministry. Spurgeon had a remarkably fruitful ministry. Thousands were converted under his preaching; his sermons were being sold weekly by the thousands; church ministries were growing. It would be easy to think that Spurgeon was constantly encouraged and joyful.
But when you read his letters and listen to his sermons, you realize that Spurgeon was often deeply discouraged. He bore the “daily pressure of anxiety” (2 Cor. 11:28) for his many church members, for the orphanage, for the pastor’s college, and for much else. As a result, he often fell into a dark “melancholy,” what some today might call depression.
In his classic Lectures to My Students, Spurgeon gave a lecture on pastoral discouragement (“The Minister’s Fainting Fits”). Whether you call it discouragement, depression, melancholy, or “fainting fits,” Spurgeon’s point is that this experience of spiritual and emotional darkness is a part of pastoral ministry. It’s not something unusual but rather something to be expected. And as Spurgeon read church history, he saw that many other pastors had experienced something similar. From Martin Luther to John Calvin, from David Brainerd to Adoniram Judson, and to many others today, many of God’s servants have had to walk through dark valleys. But there in that darkness, they encountered God’s faithfulness.
Here are four reasons from Spurgeon why pastors should expect to encounter pastoral discouragement:
The first reason we should expect to be discouraged in the pastorate is that we are mere men.
Is it not first that they are men? Being men, they are compassed with infirmity, and heirs of sorrow. Even under the economy of redemption it is most clear that we are to endure infirmities, otherwise there were no need of the promised Spirit to help us in them. It is of need be that we are sometimes in heaviness.22 .C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students: Addresses Delivered to the Students of the Pastor’s College. Vol. 1. (Passmore & Alabaster, 1875), 168.
This is easy to forget. As those who regularly handle the things of God, we can forget that we are still mere men. We have the privilege of preaching, advising, counseling, and leading, and sometimes we can begin to feel that we are somehow above our people. But these times of discouragement come to humble us, to remind us that we are mere men who live in a fallen world.
Part of being human means living in a fallen body. So often our lowness, or depression, can come as a result of health challenges. Spurgeon writes,
Most of us are in some way or other unsound physically. Here and there we meet with an old man who could not remember that ever he was laid aside for a day; but the great mass of us labor under some form or other of infirmity.33 .Ibid.
Spurgeon was frequently sick due to issues with his kidneys. Later in life he developed gout, which afflicted his feet and joints. These illnesses were extremely painful, and because they were compounded by overwork, Spurgeon was sick for weeks at a time. Often, the physical illnesses led to deep discouragement.
But Spurgeon also had a category for mental illness.
As to mental maladies, is any man altogether sane? Are we not all a little off the balance? Some minds appear to have a gloomy tinge essential to their very individuality . . .44 .Ibid., 168–169.
Some people are more prone to depression and discouragement than others. Spurgeon was naturally very optimistic, but once, when he was 22, he was preaching to a large crowd of about 10,000, and some troublemakers yelled “Fire!” which led to a stampede. Seven people died from being trampled, and many more were injured. Spurgeon was never the same after that event. He was traumatized by it and, for the rest of his life, he would occasionally sink into depression.
And yet, Spurgeon believed that the Lord could use even these kinds of weaknesses to make us better pastors.
These infirmities may be no detriment to a man’s career of special usefulness; they may even have been imposed upon him by divine wisdom as necessary qualifications for his peculiar course of service.55 .Ibid., 169.
Pastor, your weaknesses and discouragement do not inherently disqualify you. Rather, they highlight God’s grace as you persevere. Spurgeon’s people would watch as their pastor persevered and preached through pain, and that helped them persevere, too. Many pastors have battled serious discouragement, and yet the Lord has used that struggle to make them into skillful and tender counselors.
Good men are promised tribulation in this world, and ministers may expect a larger share than others, that they may learn sympathy with the Lord’s suffering people, and so may be fitting shepherds of an ailing flock.66 .Ibid., 168.
God could have sent angels to be pastors. But angels are unable to suffer like us. They would never understand our pain. Instead, he sent frail humans like us. Why? Because our frailty makes us ready to show compassion to fellow sufferers. Pastoral discouragement allows us to identify with our people.
If pastoral ministry were simply reading books, preaching sermons, and attending meetings, there would be no reason to be discouraged. But when we consider the weighty calling of shepherding souls, of leading God’s people, of preaching to the lost, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
Who can bear the weight of souls without sometimes sinking to the dust? Passionate longings after men’s conversion consume the soul with anxiety and disappointment. To see the hopeful turn aside, the godly grow cold, professors abusing their privileges, and sinners waxing more bold in sin—are not these sights enough to crush us to the earth?77 .Ibid., 170.
As a pastor, dealing with sin is discouraging. You preach and you counsel, but unless the Spirit brings repentance, you are helpless. So you pray, and teach, and wait for God to move. This is a burden, a daily anxiety we feel for the sake of our people.
Sometimes the more earnest you are about your work as a pastor, the more liable you are to be discouraged as you see how feeble and fruitless your efforts can be. Not only that, but pastoral ministry feels endless. Until we bury people, the work of shepherding them to the Celestial City will be ongoing, and we will be anxious for their souls.
Ours is more than mental work — it is heart work, the labor of our inmost soul. How often, on Lord’s-day evenings, do we feel as if life were completely washed out of us! After pouring out our souls over our congregations, we feel like empty earthen pitchers which a child might break.88 .Ibid.
Pastoral ministry is different from being an engineer or an accountant. You can compartmentalize your life from your work in those vocations. But as pastors we have to engage our hearts, our minds, and our bodies in the work. We have to be present with our people and give of ourselves to them. The ongoing toll of this will wear anyone out.
The more a pastor gives himself to the things of the Lord, the more likely he is to find himself alone. Spurgeon describes his experience:
A minister fully equipped for his work, will usually be a spirit by himself, above, beyond, and apart from others. The most loving of his people cannot enter into his peculiar thoughts, cares, and temptations. Men of God who rise above their fellows into nearer communion with heavenly things, in their weaker moments feel the lack of human sympathy.99 .Ibid., 170-171.
As those who have been set apart by the congregation to prayer and the ministry of the Word, pastors can find themselves isolated. You want to cultivate godliness in your people, but this takes time, and it’s hard to be patient. Additionally, as those who have authority, your people will probably treat you differently. People feel like they can’t act normally around you. As much as you try to relate to them, they will still view you as their pastor.
So, Spurgeon advises, make sure you build fellowship with other like-minded pastors.
This loneliness, which if I mistake not is felt by many of my brethren, is a fertile source of depression; and our ministers’ fraternal meeting, and the cultivation of holy intercourse with kindred minds will with God’s blessing, help us greatly to escape the snare.1010 .Ibid., 171.
Spurgeon was intentional about spending time with other pastors. His day off was Wednesday, and he would often spend the day with another pastor. And he was part of several pastoral fellowships around London. This was not simply because Spurgeon was an extrovert; this was about persevering in the ministry.
It’s a privilege to study, to read, to write, and to meet with people. But the lack of physical activity can also be a challenge. Spurgeon, who was probably overweight for most of his life, can attest to this.
There can be little doubt that sedentary habits have a tendency to create despondency in some constitutions. To sit long in one posture, poring over a book, or driving a quill, is in itself a taxing of nature; but add to this a badly-ventilated chamber, a body which has long been without muscular exercise, and a heart burdened with many cares, and we have all the elements for preparing a seething cauldron of despair, especially in the dim months of fog.1111 .Ibid.
I’ve known pastors who have poured themselves into their work—studying, counseling, and preaching—while neglecting their bodies. And some have cut short their ministries because of ulcers, back pain, and all kinds of other problems. As those who focus on spiritual matters, it’s easy to think that our bodies are unimportant. Spurgeon probably had that attitude for most of his younger years. Sadly, he died at 57. I wonder what the Lord might have done if he had lived to be 70!
As Paul says to Timothy, physical training is also of “some value” (1 Tim. 4:8). If you want to prolong your ministry, Spurgeon would encourage you to look for opportunities to be active, especially out in nature.
A day’s breathing of fresh air upon the hills, or a few hours’ ramble in the beech woods’ umbrageous calm, would sweep the cobwebs out of the brain of scores of our toiling ministers who are now but half alive. A mouthful of sea air, or a stiff walk in the wind’s face, would not give grace to the soul, but it would yield oxygen to the body, which is next best.1212 .Ibid., 172.
As those who spend much of our time in front of a computer screen and in books, this is a good reminder: go for a hike, plant a garden, take evening walks. These sorts of tasks not only keep me active, but they also end up being some of the best times for spiritual meditation.
Brothers, don’t be surprised at your discouragement. It’s part of the burden you carry as a pastor. When you experience these dark seasons, trust that God will accomplish good through it, in you and in your people. Turn to him, believe his promises, receive his comfort, and then minister out of the comfort you’ve received.
The lesson of wisdom is, be not dismayed by soul-trouble. Count it no strange thing, but a part of ordinary ministerial experience. Should the power of depression be more than ordinary, think not that all is over with your usefulness. Cast not away your confidence, for it hath great reward.1313 .Ibid., 178.