Healthy Leaders

Healthy thriving churches are led by healthy ministers.

Purpose

To intentionally build leaders to lead from a place of spiritual, relational, mental and physical health.

Ministry, while fulfilling the call, can be stressful, to say the least.

The last few years have exacerbated that stress.

- Covid created new levels of uncertainty as we walked in a season that we have never walked through before. We wrestled with loss on an unprecedented level and our ministries and churches landscape shifted to a new paradigm.

- The racial tension that has become even more prevalent over the last few years has reached a fevered boiling point in our nation.

- The political unrest and division in our nation has seeped into our churches where there is a push from both sides to condemn the other.

- An unhealthy social climate exists with the animosity toward the church as the push of gender debates, homosexuality, abortion, etc. create polarizing views in our communities and even in our churches.

-The economic uncertainty has affected people of our church and in turn our churches. Businesses closing, jobs being lost, the damage of inflation create strain on our people and our budgets.

All of these things in and of themselves carry stress, but we aren’t just dealing with one or a few, we are wrestling with them all. The burden and the stress of ministry is all too real for many ministers and pastors today.

Statistics

According to a November 2021 survey from Pastoral Care Inc.:

- 38% of pastors are thinking of quitting the ministry

- Of those 38%, almost half (46%) are under age 45

- 50% of ministers who become pastors quit before 5 years

It is with these numbers in mind that our district, led by our District Superintendent Ronnie Morris, is committed to leading pastors/ministers to a place of health in order to lead well, see our churches thrive, and the kingdom grow.

Luke 2:52(NIV) - “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” This verse gives us four key areas of growth in order to develop health in our lives.

1. Spiritual Health

Because we minister in a spiritual field, we tend to fall into the pattern of thinking that we are spiritually healthy. However, recent statistics from Barna tell us some alarming things about the spiritual practices and health of pastors and ministers:

- 72% only study the Bible when preparing for sermons and lessons

- 21% spend less than 15 minutes a day in prayer

In our busyness for the business of the Kingdom, we have forsaken the health of our spirit man.

A.W. Tozer said it this way:

“Every Christian, however he may be dedicated to the holy art of prayer and worship, must of necessity descend to work and eat and sleep and pay his taxes and get on somehow with the hard world around him. … The big problem is to keep the two elements of the Christian life in proper balance…Today the Christian emphasis falls heavily on the active life…The favorite brand of Christianity is that sparked by the man in a hurry, hard hitting, aggressive and ready with the neat quip. We are neglecting the top side of our souls. The light in the tower burns dimly while we hurry about the grounds below, making a great racket and giving the impression of wonderful devotion to our task.”

What Tozer is communicating is that, even as Christ followers, we can get so busy giving of ourselves that we neglect to take the time to strengthen ourselves. So the more we busy ourselves, the dimmer the flame of the relationship grows.

There is always another sermon, another phone call, another email, another counseling appointment, another meeting, another visit, another funeral, another event for us to be involved with. Don’t let the time demands of ministry cause you to negate your spiritual health. We cannot produce spiritual health in those we minister to from a spiritually unhealthy place in our lives.

How do we maintain our spiritual health?

- Prayer

Our lives are shaped by the prayers we pray. The church of today is a product of prayer. There are people, men and women, who have prayed prayers for the church during its history that we are reaping the benefits of today. Your life is a product of prayers. You are the product of the prayers of generations previous. You had great grandparents praying for you, you had grandparents praying for you, you had parents praying for you.

The prayers that you pray are shaping your life. When you pray, you are shaping your future and the future of the generations to come in your family and in your church.

Based on your current prayer life what kind of future are you shaping? How do we maintain a healthy prayer life?

- Develop a prayer list. I have found that a prayer list keeps me focused during my personal prayer time.

- Find a place. Jesus regularly withdrew for the purpose of prayer.

- Find a place in the church to pray. If the church is too busy or distracting, find somewhere you can be alone with God.

- The Word

While we are ministers of the Word, we must still make the Word a priority in our lives. Because we are regularly in the Bible for study purposes, we often grow familiar with it. The familiarity, if not careful, creates what sociologists would call a “bias.” This is not to mean that we are biased against the Scripture, but that our familiarity has caused us to stop seeing or receiving fresh inspiration from the Spirit of God.

How do we keep the Word fresh in us?

- Find a Bible reading plan. Our district has provided resources to a yearly bible reading plan. Youversion Bible App from Life.Church provides hundreds of free Bible reading plans that cover a range from yearly, quarterly, topical or thru-the-Bible.

- Change Translations. While there may be a particular version that you prefer for study or for preaching, don’t be afraid to change the translation in which you do your personal reading. Often a different translation can bring us a different insight into what we are reading.

- Devotional Life

Find a devotion for your daily walk. The devotional is simply a starting point or a focus point for your daily walk with Christ.

2. Relational Health

There is a paradoxical aspect to relationships in ministry—you are constantly surrounded by people but you’re not really close to anybody. Pastors/Ministers can be among the loneliest people.

Statistics tell us this:

- 70% of pastors do not have someone they consider to be a close friend We were created for relationships. Scriptures tell us this:

When God created Adam, He looked at him and said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” It was from Adam that He created Eve.
Moses went to Egypt with Aaron as His orator.
Elijah ministered with Elisha following him. Elisha watched, studied and modeled his life after the prophet.
Paul rarely ministered alone. In his journeys, he went with Barnabas, Silas, Timothy and others.

Relationships are important for a myriad of reasons.

- Relationships provide us with perspective. They allow us to see us for who we really are and situations for what they really are.

- Relationships provide us with inspiration. The people we are in relationship with can inspire us in our ministry, our family life, even our treatment of our spouse. They can inspire us with fresh ideas for our church and in bettering ourselves in areas of leadership.

-Relationships stir creativity within us. The people that we are in relationship with should sharpen us and stir us to be more creative. Many ideas for our churches nd our ministry are stirred by the conversations with the people around us.

- Relationships provide us with accountability Everyone needs accountability. You need people who know you. Not “pastor” or “preacher” version of you, but the whole you.

Statistics also reveal:

- 50% of pastors do not meet regularly with someone for accountability In this time in our culture where it seems the moral failures, leadership failures, and financial misdeeds of pastors are constantly in the news, it is imperative that we have the proper relationships in our lives to help us be aware of our blind spots..

We need accountability spiritually. We need people to ask us about our spiritual health. How’s your spiritual walk? How’s your devotional life? How’s your prayer life? What is God speaking to you personally?
We need accountability relationally. Who has permission to ask you how you are doing as a spouse, a parent or as a friend? Everyone needs someone who has permission to ask us the hard questions.
We need accountability as a minister. We need people who will hold us accountable for what we say, what we post, or the actions that we may take.

The problem lies in the fact that ministry is isolating by nature. We feel as if we can’t be too close to our church people. We don’t get too close to other ministers. So we choose to isolate. The enemy feeds off our isolation. He attacks our minds. He starves our spirits.

Why do we relationally isolate?

- Comparison. Let’s be honest—we are human. We see others Facebook posts. We see the good reports from their church. We watch their services and we compare. Comparison is a deadly trap of the enemy. In all our comparison, we turn inward. We end up in the cycle of negativity about ourselves and our church.

- The lie that you’re the only one. We tend to think that we are the only one dealing with frustration, stress or the ministry problems that we have. Because of that, we feel as if we can’t be honest or vulnerable with those around us. The truth is you are not the only one. There are many others battling the same things. Don’t fall into the lie.

How Do Walk In Relational Health?

In his book Relational Intelligence, Dr. Dharius Daniels states there are four categories in which people should define their relationships.

Friends - The people in your life where there’s a mutual interest in being present for each other, supporting one another, and doing life with each other.
Associate - Someone you’ve developed a relationship with, but the relationship is merely the consequence of intersecting schedules—we work together, we go to school together, or we attend the same gym, and as a result, we have a relationship. But the kind of reciprocity that’s present in a friendship may not be present with an associate.
Assignment - These are the people who are quite simply a mentee, someone you feel called to help, coach, or those you lead.
Adviser - An individual that is mentoring, advising or coaching you.

Who are your friends? Who are your associates? Who are your assignments? Who are your advisers?

Everybody needs healthy relationships in your life. Find yourself a Paul who will pour into you. Find yourself a Timothy that you can pour into. Find yourself a Barnabas that will encourage you.

3. Mental Health

During and because of the COVID pandemic, mental health has come to the forefront in the conversation of our society. The church has not been immune to this. We have seen numerous high profile pastors have moral failures, enter rehab for substance abuse, leave their families, or even take their own life. In the last few years, we have seen several young leaders and pastors commit suicide:

Andrew Stoecklein, 30, Lead Pastor of Inland Hills Church in Chino
Darrin Patrick, 49, Teaching Pastor at Seacoast Church in South Carolina
Jarrid Wilson, 30, Teaching Pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship Church
Matthew Warren, 27, Son of Pastor Rick Warren

All of these men chronicled their struggle in the area of mental health with depression and anxiety.

For years, this has been an unaddressed topic in our churches. We have avoided it and labeled anybody who has attempted to address it. In the past as the church addressed it, it usually was restricted to things like: Try harder; Pray more; Read the Bible more; It’s just a demon that needs to be cast out.

The result is that we have had people struggling in our pews, struggling in our pulpits, and afraid to be open and vulnerable about what is going on in them. As a church, we must be better. We must address mental health and be honest about our own struggles with our mental health.

91% of ministers have experienced some form of burnout
18% say they are fried to a crisp right now
75% of pastors report being “extremely stressed” or “highly stressed”

Paul Tripp writes about the problem of pastors mental health and notes the unrealistic expectations, tensions at home, fearing man more than God and pursuing personal glory more than God are some reasons pastors typically burnout. He goes on to say: “Churches forget that they’ve called a person who’s a man in the midst of his own sanctification. This tends to drive the pastor into hiding, afraid to confess what’s true of him and everyone to whom he ministers. There’s a direct connection between unrealistic expectations and deepening cycles of disappointment.”

Dr. James Emery White echoes those thoughts: “To this day, the disappointments can still blindside me. Nothing prepares you for how ministry can drain you emotionally, leaving you in pain, or even worse, feeling numb or in despair or with seeing anger.” He goes on to say, “This is why so many good men and women in ministry have careened into moral ditches, or simply soldier on with plastic smiles and burned out souls.”

Your mental health is important.

As pastors/ministers, we walk with our congregation through many things:

Grief
Loss
Trauma
Doubt
Fear

And we are expected to play the parts of:

Counselor
Spiritual Leader
Confidant
Strength
Wisdom

And while walking with people through their darkest moments, we carry the weight of their struggles and still wrestle with our own dark moments.

How do we care for our mental health? The Bible isn’t silent on mental health. In fact, many of the great leaders of the faith wrestled in this area.

- Moses: Became so frustrated with the people of Israel that he hit the rock he was supposed to speak to.

- Elijah: Was begging God to kill him after Jezebel threatened his life.

How do we address and walk through this journey to mental health?

Learn Your Triggers

Triggers are thoughts, feelings, or events that cause a person to feel stress. What is it that, when this topic comes up or this thing happens, causes the stress to overtake you?

We have to examine what are our external stress triggers. What are the things outside my control that happen in life that bring stress?

What are the internal stress triggers? What are the things that I do that trigger stress in my life? Is there a thought pattern? Is there something I dwell on? Is it a habit that I need to change? Is there a habit I need to develop? Is it a lack of rest?

Understanding the triggers that lead to stress allows us to make decisions and choices that are beneficial for our long term health and wellness. Stress, unresolved, unaddressed, and not dealt with will eventually lead to burnout. While stress is a temporary moment, burnout can become a season.

Get Around The Right People

In seasons of stress, you have to get around the right people. You need some people who will encourage you, pray with you, and give you a proper perspective. When you’re in a stressful season, you don’t have a right perspective. You need some people who are not in it, but are with you and can tell you what is really going on. You need encouragement in those moments. You need people you can draw strength from. You need people from whom your faith can be stirred.

Rest

I Kings 19:5-7(NKJV) - “Then as he law and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.”

In stressful seasons, you have to rest. Rest is trust. Rest equals peace. Rest means quieting all our racing thoughts, worries, and concerns, and turning them over to God. We all need rest to recharge and to be effective. If we don’t rest, we will experience burnout.

Find Your Rhythm

Rhythm is defined as: “movement, fluctuation or variation marked by the regular recurrence or natural flow of related elements.”

Matthew 11:28-30(Message) “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Jesus tells His disciples that in relationship with Him we learn the unforced rhythms of grace. If there is an unforced rhythm, then there must be a forced rhythm. Jesus tells us this unforced rhythm is light. It’s easy. It’s freeing. By contrast, a forced rhythm is a burden. It’s heavy.

A forced rhythm stems from different areas:

Stress
Worry
Doubt
Fear
Anxiety
Insecurity

Living at an improper rhythm will eventually burn you out. It’s unhealthy. It leaves you feeling burdened and weighed down. Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time for everything:

Born/Die
Plant/Pluck up
Kill/Heal
Breakdown/Buildup
Weep/Laugh
Mourn/Dance
Cast Away/Gather
Embrace/Not To Embrace
Gain/Lose
Keep/Throw Away
Tear/Sew
Silence/Speak
Love/Hate
War/Peace

Each of these require something different from you. Different actions, different emotions, different attitudes. Seasons where it’s a little busier. Seasons where my approach has had to be different. But seasons are just that—seasons. They are not meant to become a lifestyle. After a season, you regulate to a sustainable rhythm.

Find A Therapist

There has been a misconception about this in the church. We think it’s not okay to take medicine related to our mental health or to see anyone to talk to about our mental health. It’s interesting because we don’t do this in any other area. We don’t tell people who wear glasses they need more faith. We don’t tell people who have hearing aids they need more faith. We have doctors for every part of the body and the area of mental health should be no different. Find a Spirit-led counselor that you can talk to.

Sabbath

Sabbath steams from the Hebrew word shabbath meaning "day of rest.” The Sabbath was instituted by God. He took the first Sabbath.

Genesis 2:2-3(NKJV): "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day all sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made."

We often get caught up on all the other things. We talk about adultery and we talk about idols in life, we talk about stealing and killing. Nobody preaches about not resting, yet God takes it seriously enough to state it in the Ten Commandments. We must be consistent in taking a weekly sabbath. Take a day off. Find something you enjoy and do it. Take the walk. Hit the golf course. Hike, bike, read. Rest. We must be consistent in taking vacations. We must be consistent in taking sabbaths. Talk with your board and schedule a sabbath for your ministry.

4. Physical Health

50% of pastors are unhealthy, overweight and do not exercise. Truthfully, our lifestyles don’t often allow for health. We eat a fast food meal on our way to a meeting. There are countless meetings where food is a part. We have church potlucks. We are in people’s homes. And while health may not be at the forefront of our minds, we must take it seriously.

Our longevity in ministry can be cut short by poor health.
Our sharpness of mind is affected by what we eat and our activity level.
We challenge others to live healthy lives, so we should set the example.
Our physical energy level rises to the demands of ministry if we’re in shape.
Our bodies are temples too, created by the Master Craftsman and placed under our stewardship.

It’s important to understand: Your physical health is a spiritual matter.

I Thessalonians 4:4(NIV): “that each of you should learn to control your own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable,”

Isaiah 40:31(NKJV): “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”

How Do We Protect Our Physical Health?

Exercise

Find a way to regularly exercise. Join a gym. Some hospitals allow clergy access to their fitness center. If you can’t join a gym, take time to work out at home. In our resources, you will find a maintainable program for your workout at home.

Proper Diet

Fast food does not a healthy lifestyle make. A proper diet requires planning and discipline. Do some research and establish a good meal plan for your life.

Regular Physical Checkups

Regularly see your doctor for a physical evaluation. Let them check your bloodwork and run any exams that need to be done. Often the doctor can identify any supplements or vitamins that need to be added to your daily regimen that will help your physical health.

Sleep

According to the Sleep Foundation, “Duration and continuous sleep serve critical roles in the support of our brain and body function.” Turn your phone off or on do not disturb where unwanted messages are coming through at night. As much as possible, establish a routine bedtime to allow your body to adjust and rest properly. Burning the candle at both ends, getting up early and staying up late, may help you accomplish more but eventually the candle will burn out.

Leadership Podcasts

L252 Podcast by the Arkansas AG
Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast
Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast
The Art of Leadership Daily
Maxwell Leadership Podcast
CMN Leadership Podcast

Leadership Books

Leadership Pain by Sam Chand
A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards
Lead Like It Matters by Craig Groeschel
Help! I’m In Charge by Rod Loy
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell
Deep & Wide by Andy Stanley

Spiritual Health

Bible Reading Plans

- District Reading Plans

Devotional Resources

- Tozer for the Christian Leader by A.W. Tozer

- Live in Grace, Walk in Love by Bob Goff

Relational Health

Books

Relational Intelligence by Dharius Daniels
Date Your Wife by Justin Buzzard
Kingdom Marriage by Tony Evans
Raising Kingdom Kids by Tony Evans
When Work and Family Collide by Andy Stanley
When to Walk Away by Gary Thomas

Mental Health