By Larry Barker, VP of Church Strategy and Training

“Speed of the leader, speed of the team!” Several surveys point out that many ministry leaders are not spiritually healthy and have even ignored their own personal soul care. The pressures of ministry help to promote death by one thousand papercuts because the pressure is unrelenting. The enemy seeks to break you but God desires to use your challenges and setbacks to make you into who He desires you to be. The stress, anxiety, exhaustion, family strain, burnout, and even depression is real.

You must know yourself to lead yourself before you can ever effectively lead others. What is promoting health (physically, mentally, relationally, intellectually, and spiritually) in your life? What is promoting your daily well-being? What and who is strengthening your resilience and perseverance in your ministry and life? What are you doing to thrive and flourish in the midst of the spiritual warfare of leading a ministry? As a leader are you taking the advice you are giving everyone else about rest, sabbath, and Godly rhythms?

Pastors are on call 24/7 and this is referred to as “role immersion.” This makes it very difficult to ever shut it off and to be able to catch your breath. You can even get texts now at 11:00 pm telling you what is wrong with you and the mistakes you are making. It is easy to place yourself under the burden of misplaced shame. The devil is the accuser who loves for you to think that because you are the spiritual leader you “shouldn’t be feeling this way” or you “shouldn’t be discouraged” or you “shouldn’t be having these emotions.”

Give yourself permission to be human. The pressure of PRESUMPTIVE CRITICISM seems to be even greater today with everyone presuming they know how to do it better than you. This is complicated not only by role immersion but also by “role complexity.” You are expected to have all the answers, fix every problem, and wear Superman’s cape. You are not bullet proof nor can you leap over a building in a single bound. Good news–God never asked you to.

The challenge of leadership in ministry today is complex not only because of“role immersion” and “role complexity,” but also because of “role ambiguity.” The expectations are so uncertain, obscure, and full of unrealistic expectations. Define your role clearly. You should be willing to do anything, but you should not have to do everything. Being overloaded will eventually create pain in your life both spiritually and physically. Learn to say no and you are much better off focusing on doing one thing well rather than many things poorly. 

The Message states Romans 12:11-12 like this: “Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder.” Learn how to flourish in ministry and not just survive. Your personal resources will be drained and you must learn how to refuel and recharge. Listen to III John 2: “Dear friend, I pray that you may prosper in every way and be in good health physically just as you are spiritually.”

Be patient and faithful in your personal growth. Show yourself some grace. Be honest about the stress levels in your life. Ask these questions: Am I getting enough sleep and exercise? Am I eating well and getting the right nutrition? What do I need to stop doing because I am already too busy? Who is helping you and who are you leaning on? God has not called you to lead alone.

Our culture has brainwashed us into believing that charisma (personality) and competency (performance) is more important than character (identity in Christ), but that is not true. Focus on I Timothy 4:7: “Exercise thyself rather unto godliness.” The best leaders are servant leaders who humbly are following Christ and say like Paul, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” Most importantly, ask yourself this question: Are you having a vibrant quiet time with the Lord?  

God did not create you to be self-sufficient. You need air to breathe, food for energy, and sunlight to stay healthy. You need shelter from the cold, clothes to keep you warm, and love to make you whole. You need relationships to complete you and a mentor to walk with you and guide you. A mentor is someone who has been where you want to go and is willing to help you get there. Most of all you need Him because without Him you can do nothing on your own!

What one thing could you begin doing that would significantly contribute to your overall health and joy?