Joby Martin: Why “Pace Is a Myth” and Faithfulness Wins

Speaking of that, you’re leading a fast-growing, multisite church. What have been some of the main leadership lessons you’ve learned in that role?

I think there are two things you’ve got to be in order to be a decent leader: You have to be clear and you have to be courageous. That’s it. So it’s not always the smartest person that’s in charge, but it’s the person that brings clarity and then has the guts to just step forward and do it. 

I’m much more a fan of direction than I am of vision, you know? When I was growing up, 30 years ago, 20 years ago in ministry, everybody was talking about casting a compelling vision—and I think it’s a little bit overrated. I think what you do is point your folks in the direction that God has called you to and just continuously go in that direction. Because the problem with a vision is, what happens when you accomplish it? Then what do you do? Are you done? And so we don’t really do that. 

From the beginning, Eleven22 has been a movement for all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ. We try to do the next thing in the direction of what it means for all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus. For us, that’s add campuses and add services and send missionaries and launch and plant churches and those kinds of things. Clarity and courage are the real backbone of good leadership.

A big topic of conversation for pastors is burnout and spiritual health. Has leading a large church had an impact on your spiritual health? How do you cultivate that?

There’s a lot of weight for sure. But if anything, it’s driven me deeper and deeper and deeper into a dependence, or my understanding of my utter dependence, on Christ. 

Man, I am the most blessed man on the planet. First and foremost, I have a wife that loves me and two kids walking with the Lord. So as long as that’s good, I can handle whatever church has to throw at me or whatever the critics have to throw. That’s all fine. I mean, 3 John 1:4 says, “I have no greater joy than this, than to hear my children are walking in the truth.” So let me start there. Home is really, really good. And man, I can carry a lot of weight because home is so good. 

Also, we have real elders [at Eleven22], like actual old guy elders, and they’re not yes-men at all. And they really do love me, my family, our church. When you have got that kind of support, it helps a lot. And then also, man, I’ve got the best team around me, ever. And because our team is so good and so talented and so committed, I get to live in the kind of rhythms that support my walk with Jesus, my walk with my family, my physical health, my mental health. And so, to me, I think pace is a total myth. I think rhythms of life are what the Bible prescribes, not pace. 

Could you explain what you mean by “pace” and that “pace is a myth”?

A lot of people say, “Do less and do less.” I think you should work really hard six days and then stop, not do a little bit less all the time. I think you should accomplish miraculous things through the power of God and work really, really hard. We’re talking about the advancement of the kingdom here. It’s the most important thing in the world. And yes, you should take care of yourself so that you can glorify God with your whole self, so that you can love him with all—heart, soul, mind and strength.

When I first went into ministry, I prayed this all the time: Lord, I am not asking you to lighten my load, but would you please give me broader shoulders? I don’t know how to describe it. I can just go for a long time and work really hard and accomplish a lot. I love it, and it’s fueling.

As long as I can get out in the woods a little bit [I’m good]. I like to hunt a lot, and I just hear Jesus better when I’m not looking at screens and breathing air-conditioned air. That has become a normal rhythm in my life, and the only reason I’m able to do that is because I have elders that care about me, and they know the best thing for Eleven22 is when I’m the best version of me. And I have a very capable, confident and competent staff that has taken over all kinds of things that I used to have my hands on so that I can stay really focused on what my part of the body is.