You have heard numerous sayings that point to the immense influence leaders have—for example, from international leadership guru John Maxwell: “Speed of the leader, speed of the team” and “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” These types of pithy sayings can encourage us to be better leaders, but they also remind us that the mantle of leadership is heavy.
We can better steward our leadership influence by ensuring that we have both impact and sustainability. Those of us in formal church leadership and those of us who walk alongside church leaders (such as elders, mentors, and close friends) must take care of ourselves and each other. We can do so by encouraging rest, margin, and an overall healthy, sustainable approach toward life and ministry.
It can be tempting to believe that the more effort a leader gives to their church, the healthier the church will be. But if church growth comes at the cost of a leader’s personal health—mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual—the cost is too high. Ultimately, we can’t have healthy churches without first having healthy leaders. The order is important.
In the Air Force, servicemembers look at the daily wear on an airplane engine and measure its health. Using a process called SOAPS testing, they analyze an oil sample from every jet engine after every flight for the smallest of metal fragments. Any metal fragments in the oil are a sign that engine wear is causing irreversible damage to the engine, so they have protocols in place to look for these early warning signs.
How could we be similarly proactive about our health in our lives of leadership?
Healthy leadership
Have you evaluated your health lately? How are you seeking to improve it? Here are a few recommendations:
1. Create more margin.
Get out of the urgent and focus on the important. A great way to do this is to write down your goals. Don’t be afraid to disappoint people who attempt to pull you from those goals by filling your inbox with demands.
Practical tip: If the urgent items that pop up truly demand attention, identify who you can delegate them to.
2. Set marital guardrails.
Discuss with your spouse: Where is work creeping into your marriage? What time can you protect each week to invest in your relationship?
Practical tip: Mutually agree on what you want to spend time on individually and as a couple and what things you need to say no to.
3. Define family rhythms.
Sit down with your family and discuss what activities are life-giving. Make a short-term plan, then reevaluate and adjust as needed.
Practical tip: Put things on the calendar and budget financially for them.
4. Get a hobby.
What do you love to do when you’ve got time on your hands? You can learn more about God and yourself by pursuing generative activities that help you unwind and find peace. Other pastors have found activities such as painting, playing the guitar, sculpting, fly fishing, or playing basketball to be rejuvenating. The possibilities are endless.
Practical tip: Carve out time to spend on something you already enjoy doing or in a new area where you want to learn and develop.
5. Take routine sabbaticals.
Schedule regular time to decompress, reflect, pray, and listen to the Lord. The clarity you can achieve through this time with God will help you remain focused on the most important things—a wise choice for a leader.
Practical tip: Take a half day each month to unplug from the office, disconnect from your phone, and get alone to seek clarity.
Is God speak to you about an area of your life where you can become healthier? Prayerfully consider being receptive to your own SOAPS testing by engaging with your spouse, loved ones, and team—and at the first sign of problems, take steps that allow you to thrive in healthy, sustainable ministry for a lifetime.
Let’s journey together.
You don’t need to do ministry alone. You can find opportunities to connect, plus more content and conversations about church administration, at XP Summit: xpsummit.org.
