There is a spiritual battle that every church leader faces. The Enemy of our soul does not want healthy leaders serving effective churches. And, if a leader is being used by God to reach people who are far from Jesus, the spiritual attacks will be even more intense. With this in mind, every Christian leader should pay close attention to their own health on every level.
Health does not just happen—not for churches and not for leaders. As a matter of fact, like all things, there seems to be a principle of entropy at work. Churches and leaders will tend toward disarray and unhealth unless we recognize this tendency and fight against it.
So, how can we partner with God to do all we can to stay strong, joyful and healthy as church leaders? Here are four practices or principles that can strengthen us in our general leadership and in our evangelism.
1. Self-Examination
If you want to lead well for a lifetime, make a decision to examine your heart and life as a normal practice. Consider reading and reflecting honestly on Psalm 139 as a regular spiritual discipline (once a month or at least every two months). Be struck by the declaration at the beginning and the plea at the end of the Psalm. They form a powerful contrast: “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. … Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:1, 23–24).
David (the writer of Psalm 139 and someone who knew a few things about leadership—healthy and unhealthy) begins by stating with firm conviction that God has searched and knows everything about him. He went on to give many illustrations about the intimacy of God’s knowledge of every part of his inner and outer life. Then, with deep longing, at the end of this soberingly personal prayer, David cries out and asks God to search him more and reveal any sin, offense or wickedness in his life.
David was profoundly aware of God’s presence and knowledge of all that was inside of him. Yet he dared to invite God to search even more. He longed to be whole, clean and healthy. He dared to pray for an ongoing process of spiritual- and self-examination.
Make self-examination a regular rhythm in your life and you will protect your heart, ministry, witness and the precious name of Jesus.
2. Time With Your Savior
We can’t give what we don’t have. Each of us needs to be filled with the love and power of God on a daily basis. We can’t lead people where we are not going, so we need to seek the face of Jesus over and over. One of the best gifts you can give the people in your church is a vibrant and growing spiritual life. If you want to increase your witness and draw spiritual seekers to the Savior, keep growing a vibrant walk with Jesus the Messiah. He should be our first love, and time with him should be a longing of our heart and not a chore to check off our spiritual checklist.
If you want to stay healthy in your leadership, marriage, family life and witness to the world, sit at the feet of the Master. Feed on his Word. Talk with him often. Listen for his voice always. Practice spiritual disciplines.
As leaders, we teach about these things. We give consistent exhortations for others to seek Jesus daily. When this is not the joyful rhythm of our life, not only do we become spiritually unhealthy, but we find ourselves living in hypocrisy. We are inviting others to go places we do not go.
When Jesus is our first love and we linger in his presence often, we draw health from our Savior, and our love for the lost reflects Jesus’ heart for wandering sheep. If you need to rekindle your first love, do it now. Make time to be with Jesus. Even if it starts as a discipline or a duty, you can ask God to make it a passion and a joy.
3. Balance
Ministry is demanding. My wife, Sherry, and I have never gone to bed at night and said, “I have done everything I feel called to do in ministry.” Human need is greater than we can imagine or meet. The spread of the gospel will be our call until we breathe our last breath or until Jesus returns. In other words, there is always more to be done.
This is why it is essential for church leaders to learn to establish Jesus-honoring boundaries. If we want to stay healthy, we must be firmly convinced that God is on the throne and he loves people more than we do. We have to shut down the engine once a week for Sabbath time. We can turn off our phones during meals and family time with confidence that God can meet the endless needs of the people we are called to serve. We have to embrace the word “no” as we discover that we are human beings with limitations. If we want to lead for the long haul, we need boundaries, limits and the courage to say a gracious no.
4. Play, Laughter, Fun
It might seem like I have saved the lightest exhortation for last, but this is very important. I’ll be totally honest here; I am suspicious of church leaders who don’t smile much and who laugh very little. If we don’t learn to have fun, play and laugh along the way, we will crash in ministry.
“Laugh or die!” That would be a good motto for church leaders. Some things that happen in ministry are so absurd that if we can’t laugh, the weight will crush our soul. Leaders need to know that people are watching. This includes believers and those who are not yet followers of the Savior. If we are sour, bitter, exhausted and resentful (and this describes some church leaders), our disposition will push spiritually curious people away from the church and even Jesus. But, when a church leader is fun, energized and joyful, this draws people to Jesus and creates curiosity.
Do you have fun friends who bring joy to your life? Do you have a few ministry partners (inside or outside of your church) who bring laughter to your lips, a big smile to your face and refreshment to your soul? Cherish and nurture these relationships. Make time to be near these people. They will be a source of health and hope.
There are many other ways to nurture your health and fortify your soul for ministry. Lean into all of these. Your health matters to God, your family, the church and the world. My prayer is that these four ideas will help as you seek to be a healthy leader for a lifetime.