Tips for Staying Positive as a Church Leader
Ministry is a noble and rewarding calling, but it is not without challenges. In fact, a Google search for the words “pastoral discouragement” returns more than 100,000 articles, blog posts, and websites. Yet ministry does not have to remain mired in negativity.
Positivity Means Maintenance
Staying positive requires more than trying to have a good attitude. Your life is not a collection of independent systems and responsibilities. Every area of your life has an impact on the others. Your physical health influences your mental and spiritual well-being, and your relationships at home affect your relationships with colleagues.
If you want to maintain a positive approach to ministry, you need to consider your overall health.
Be Mindful of Your Body
While there can be a lot of different reasons for struggling emotionally, sometimes the problem is physical. Remember, emotions are chemical reactions in the brain, and if you are not physically healthy, it throws off the balance of those chemicals.
It might seem remedial, but here are three areas you need to keep an eye on in your quest to remain positive:
Sleep
The average person needs about 7–9 hours of sleep a night. But to really get healthy in this area, work on sustaining a regular sleeping cycle. By going to bed and getting up at regular intervals, it is easier for your body to regulate your sleep/wake cycle.
Exercise
Physical fitness helps people see the world differently. It gives you sharper memory and cognition, higher self-esteem, better sleep, and more resilience to everyday challenges. Looking fit is not the point of physical exercise, but it is a nice byproduct.
Diet
Your diet has a direct impact on both your physical and mental health. Processed and low-nutrient foods and sweets can have a cumulative adverse effect on how you feel. It is essential to maintain a schedule that allows you to eat well and plan for healthy foods instead of grabbing junk to fill the void between meetings.
Pay Attention to the Spiritual
When people are out of balance spiritually, they tend to look for material remedies to repair equilibrium. As you know, regular prayer, worship, and Bible reading have a spiritual impact in the same way that exercise, diet, and sleep have a physical impact. You teach this to your congregation—do not neglect yourself.
It is helpful to incorporate regular times of quiet into your schedule. Technology has made constant distraction an epidemic. Silence allows your mind to unwind and makes it a lot easier to be present with God and your surroundings. Pick times throughout your day when you can be quiet—maybe it is 10 minutes before your day starts or in your car as you head to and from work. Use this quiet time to ruminate on God’s faithfulness and goodness in your life. This quiet reflection will benefit your spiritual health and bring a more positive outlook to your day.
Observe Your Emotions
It is easier to respond to feelings than it is to monitor them. But if you want to be more positive, you have to pay attention to your emotions and attitudes during the day. When you notice that you are feeling cynical, pessimistic, or simply not giving others the benefit of the doubt, you can choose to change your attitude. This means acknowledging things you can be grateful for and recognizing God’s hand (and care) in difficult circumstances.
Invite people you trust to let you know when you might need to take a few moments for an attitude adjustment.
Guard Your Relationships
The work of church leaders happens at the intersection of many critical relationships. Negotiating family, friend, and church member relationships can be tricky—especially when you are trying to maintain their attitudes as well as your own. Here are some suggestions for managing those relationships for optimal positivity:
Family
Be on your guard against sacrificing family relationships on the altar of the church. Not only does this create stress at home, but it also creates nagging feelings of remorse, frustration, and resentment.
Friends
Connecting with people outside of your church community is helpful. You can confide in these friends without worrying that you are disloyal. But make sure they are mature. You are not looking for people to get together and vent with—you want people who will listen and empathize, yet also help you get back on track.
Church members
The Bible has a lot to say about gossip for a good reason—it destroys community. Do not talk about one church member to another church member, and do not let people gossip with you. When a challenging conversation about an absent party is not about restoration or reconciliation, it is probably going off the rails. Set the example for how people are to speak about others.
Stay Healthy to Remain Positive
Church leadership can be tough and demanding, but it does not have to get you down. By being mindful of your overall health, it is not too difficult to remain positive, enthusiastic, and confident.
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