Staying Fresh in Ministry
When it comes to each of the following SIX well-being categories, how are you feeling right now?
1. Relational well-being?
2. Spiritual well-being?
3. Physical well-being?
4. Emotional well-being?
5. Vocational well-being?
6. Financial well-being?
7.If in January 2020 prior to the pandemic you were functioning at 100% of your normal operating strength, what percentage do you feel you are operating at today?
8. A key to sustainability in a crisis is pulling on our reserves to see us through. If another pandemic was to sweep the globe next week or your house burned down and you lost all your possessions, how full is your reserve tank to handle another crisis?
9. In the past 12 months have you given serious consideration to quitting the ministry?
10. Please share what has kept you personally going through the trauma of the past 2.5 years?
1. Hope, vision, the continued sustaining presence, peace and voice of the Holy Spirit, community.
2. Family; love of God and others.
3. Faith (practicing loyalty to God).
4. Calling, relationship with Jesus.
5. God my sustainer. What He allows He keeps those whose trust is in Him.1 Peter 5:7.
6. A baseline devotion and abandonment of my life to the care of Jesus. The blessings of my marriage to my wife.
7. God’s mercy, loving wife and children, caring elder board, kind church, counseling and coaching.
8. My commitment to Christ. I do this for Him first because He called me to this ministry.
9. Vision – knowing what we are trying to accomplish in my family and church.
10. 1) Being intentional on getting away from the stress of doing church for rest, days off or weekends off and week-long vacations, 2) Having several pastor friends to download about life and ministry and let out the frustrations, 3) working out, hiking and exercise is a big stress buster for me. 4) Reducing the noise of social media. 5) Staying focused on what God has called me to do and not worry about what others are or are not doing. 6) Ignore the armchair quarterbacks and follow the Holy Spirit’s direction regardless.
11. A lot of help from a lot of good people within my church and outside of it. I could give a very long answer and would be happy to if this is helpful.
12. I believe in the word of God, and I am standing on His promises for my life, my family, and my future.
13. The needs of my community and those in recovery.
14. Knowing we are providing a safe space for people to gather who think the evangelical church went crazy since 2016. Helping people who make everything a central issue and therefore are in constant conflict to find a new place to go.
15. The shepherding of my soul by the Holy Spirit. My wife and family. Positive leaders and friends around me. A resilient church body that, while we all have different opinions, haven’t allowed those to dominate our fellowship.
16. A sabbatical.
17. My ‘Calling.’ To know the Lord has placed His hand upon me for such a time as this. This has to be the strength in which we conquer the trauma and discouragement.
18. Being faithful in the little. When I thought the ministry was collapsing, it exploded. Demand for prayer, necessities, and help with everyday expenses during Covid moved the ministry into new and greater areas of community help.
19. Personal commitment to going after God. A strong wife to lean on.
20. Assurance of my calling in the Lord, and the consistency of His provision to keep everything from crashing.
21. The hope shared by others.
22. Hearing the voice of God calling me to persevere.
23. Staying in the Word and leaning on trusted leaders and teammates.
24. Personal daily walk with God in prayer and time in His word. Hiking outside in nature. Time alone with spouse.
25.1. Good family and church member support. 2. Eating and having a good healthy exercised plan. 3. Working around positive people. 4. Vacation is the key, don’t cancel your vacation time when crisis occurs. Weekend time with family is a must.
11. Which issues are currently causing the greatest challenges in your life? Check all that apply.
12. On average how many weeks of vacation do you take per year?
13. What are some of your favorite books that have helped you stay refreshed and learn to navigate the weight and stress of ministry? Please list the book title and author.
1. The Bible, author, God
2. Pastoral Gift, Loren Houltberg
3. Streams in the Desert, LB Cowman; Called to the Fire, Dr. Charles Johnson
4. The Pastor, Eugene Peterson; Gentle and Lowly, Dane Ortlund; Where the Light Fell, Philip Yancey; Didn’t See it Coming, Carey Nieuwhof.
5. Gentle and Lowly, Dane Ortlund; Emotionally Healthy Leader, Peter Scazzero; Life of the Beloved, Henri J.M. Nouwen; Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer; The Gospel, Dane Ortlund; From Weakness to Strength, Scott Sauls; The Care of Souls, Harold L. Senkbeil; Prayer in the Night, Tish Harrison Warren.
6. The Last Arrow, Erwin McManus. (Reading it for the second time this year.)
7. Leadership Pain, Samuel R. Chand; Canoeing the Mountains, Tod Bolsinger; Spiritual Leadership, Henry T. and Richard Blackaby.
8. Changes That Heal, Dr. Henry Cloud; Leading on Empty, Wayne Corderro; Resilient, John Eldredge, Replenish, Lance Witt; Emotionally Healthy Spiritually, Peter Scazzero; Soul Keeping, John Ortberg; The Resilient Pastor, Glenn Packium; The Body Keeps Score, Bessel Van Der Kolk; Created for Connection, Sue Johnson.
9. Resilient Ministry, Bob Burns, Tasha Chapman, Donald C. Guthrie; Canoeing the Mountains, Tod Bolsinger; Zeal Without Burnout, Christopher Ash.
10. Resilient: Restoring Your Weary Soul, John Eldredge; Necessary Endings, Dr. Henry Cloud.
11. Chasing Francis, Ian Morgan Cron; Ruthless Trust, Brennan Manning.
12. Most anything by Brennan Manning or Henri Nouwen.
13. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer; Prayer in the Night, Tisha Harrison Warren; Run with the Horses, Eugene Peterson; A non-Anxious Presence, Mark Sayers; The Psalms.
14. Changes That Heal, Dr. Henry Cloud; A Testament of Devotion, Thomas Kelly
15. Any books on Holiness –from old holiness preachers…it just charges the soul.
16. Acres of Diamonds, Russell Conwell; The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan; The Resilient Pastor, Glenn Packiam.
17. Unfortunately none in this area.
18. Just published a book called “The Unwind.” Writing it was a huge help for me.
19. Simple Church, Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger.
20. Abide in Christ, Andrew Murray; The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer; Canoeing the Mountains, Tod Bolsinger; Return on Character, Fred Kiel.
21. 1.Dr. Bill Winston preaching, and teaching ministries help me a lot. (a) The Law of Confession, Transforming Your Mind, The Kingdom of God in You, and Faith in the Marketplace.
14. Do you have a counselor, therapist, or life coach you meet with on a regular basis, or can do so when needed? If yes, please share why you do and the impact it has upon your life.
1. 36% No, 64% Yes.
2. Yes, it started for helping navigate a church crisis pre-pandemic, and since then it has been a means of receiving spiritual direction and soul care. It has been an unbelievable blessing.
3. Yes, currently doing marriage counseling and working through some CBT and EFT to better my emotional attunement.
4. Yes, Life changing! Marriage transforming! It has given me an ultra safe place to unpack my emotional garbage and baggage. There are very few “safe places” a pastor can be real and raw about what he/she is experiencing or feeling. I have seen a counselor both individually and as a couple for over 15 years. The strong will go because they recognize their weaknesses and need help. The pride of the weak won’t allow them to go and it only cripples their destiny as they forsake the many scriptures that speak to having advisors and consultants in our life. Counseling has made me a better leader and helped me navigate tough sections of life.
5. Yes, I met with a counselor in 2021; I also have met with a ministry coach in 2022, and I have expanded my base of pastoral friends that are willing to take my calls when I need it.
6. If I had need, but I usually find the value in pastoral friends that I know will encourage and strengthen me.
7. Yes, I have a coach, a counselor, and men I can go to.
8. Yes, Life/Ministry coach. We meet monthly.
9. Yes, I am a counselor, to include my wife.
15. What are some things you do on a daily/weekly basis that keeps you refreshed and energized for life and ministry?
1. Micro-rests. Pauses and breaks for fun, spiritual refreshment, relationship building and relaxation.
2. Friends; family.
3. Pray, study the Word of God, make disciples.
4. Watch sports, music, family.
5. Devotions, YouTube, prayers, praise songs, do or go where the Lord directs.
6. Sunday preaching. Hopeful visioning toward the future.
7. Walks with Jesus, walks with my wife, time in Scripture, time with good friends enjoying good food and good drink.
8. Morning time with the Lord, working in the yard, date times with my wife.
9. Rhythms are important for me to stay refreshed and not feel behind. We have been doing daily Bible reading with the kids before school. I have also been setting a more strict bed time for myself so I can rest. I either play basketball with some friends or go fishing once a week and I feel it when I don’t. Lately, I have been taking a slow walk around the block at night or setting my chair out to watch the sun set. Needing to take a breath.
10. Start every day with scripture – before e-mails, texts, or social media. Exercise and workout; Even if you can only take 15 minutes and walk a mile – do something proactive to keep your body in shape. Some of my best ideas come when my favorite worship music is playing while at the gym. I track my hours and give myself permission to be “done”…to clock out. Ministry will eat at you 24/7 if you allow it. Set personal boundaries. Do something fun
11. Monthly, I plan to have a prayer day. Daily – Exercise, Bible reading, and trying to slow down just a little bit have helped.
12. Fly fishing, hiking, taking road trips.
13. Workout/hike in the summer. Ski in the winter.
14. Once a month “day away” to process and pray through my thoughts and anxieties.
15. Walk and pray early in the morning, sit on my back porch at night watching the night sky and talking to God, serving and loving the “wild animals” in our wilderness (Isaiah 43:18-20), listening to podcasts, listening to music, hanging around young leaders, spending time with my wife.
16. Exercise, hobbies.
17. Dating my wife, long walks with her and golf!
18. Making time each morning for reading the Bible. Spending alone time with God and prayer.
19. Kick Boxing
20. Spend 15 minutes a day meditating on the good things God has done in my life.
21. Get outside and enjoy Colorado CrossFit daily and date my wife regularly.
22. Hike Manitou Incline each week. Get up early and spend time alone with God. Take Fridays off to be with spouse.
23. Work out.
24. 1. Praying in the Holy Ghost is a must for me. 2. Reading the Bible heavily during this period a must for me. 3. Walking, group exercise helps, eating right a must for me. 4. Doing things outside of ministries. Camping, fishing, and reading other materials. I like jazz and country music, and some soul music. Good clean jokes. 5. I like driving through the country and seeing the trees and watching the animals. 6. Church ministries is a part of my life, it’s not all of my life.
16. If you were coaching someone new to ministry, what advice would you give them on maintaining the flame and staying refreshed?
1. Be honest and vulnerable at home and with some specific advisors and mentors. Don’t put God’s responsibilities onto yourself.
2. Know what drains you and what energizes you.
3. Teach them that Jesus commanded us to teach them to observe.
4. Don’t let people get you down.
5. When you get exhausted, discouraged, weak, feel hopeless – intimacy with God will refresh you – get alone and cry it out. Then worship Him. Just as Peter did when he began to sink, he cried out to Jesus, and He rescued Him and they worshipped in the boat.
6. Personal time with the Lord in scripture and prayer. The importance of maintaining life-long friendships.
7. Step 1: Get all of your life from Jesus. Step 2: Out of the overflow of that life, love people. Step 3: See step 1.
8. It’s vital to be part of a tribe, a group of people you are doing ministry with and who understand and respect your unique responsibilities as a senior leader. It starts with your spouse, but should also include staff, elders, or other pastors and wives.
9. Obviously setting aside time to simply be with the Lord aside from study for sermon prep. I am finding out that friendships play a much bigger role in my health than I had thought, so I would encourage that. Also, creating deadlines (ends of days, ends of weeks, ends of seasons) to ‘turn it off’ to spend time with family and refresh.
10. Find YOUR rhythm of life, family, and ministry. What works for others may not work for you. Identify what FILLS you and what DRAINS you. Then be intentional on doing things that replenish and fill you while being guarded with the tasks that drain you. Pace yourself for the long marathon – it will change the way you think about what you do each day. Recognize you can’t do everything – you must train others and delegate. Guard and defend your family time. Allow yourself one 24-hour period per week where nothing is required and nothing has to be done. Take a minimum of FOUR weeks of vacation per year. Develop a healthy circle of ministry friends to do and share life with. Rarely does anyone outside of ministry fully understand or comprehend the pressures of ministry. You need a safe place to unpack your frustrations.
11. Read Zeal Without Burnout by Christopher Ash. Make friends with at least one older pastor. Just know that the battle in ministry is a battle to not grow cynical. (HT, Brad Williams, is my old boss and still a dear friend who pastors in Florida).
12. Find someone that you can share your thoughts without being judged. Make sure that you are taking sabbatical during the year.
13. The first lie of the devil to you as a young leader is “the cost of transparency is too high….keep it a secret.” Don’t listen!
14. If you haven’t gotten to a place where you understand how the gospel can impact you daily it will be hard to stay in this job.
15. Fall at the feet of Jesus regularly, find a place for quiet, strive to accomplish what God puts on your heart and invite others to go with you, celebrate, serve and love others – this allows you to watch God change people’s lives before your very eyes and you yourself are refreshed, give ministry away and invest in the generations behind you.
16. You must find a group of healthy pastors to be encouraged by and invest in. Surround yourself with pastors that know the value of connection.
17. Make sure you are staying in touch with the Lord by giving Him time alone with you. Keep your priorities in place and don’t compromise them to the ministry.
18. Make time for family and don’t try to do it all yourself. Delegation is a must.
19. Rest, family time and good coaching.
20. I’d give them my book.
21. I don’t feel qualified to answer.
22. Stay in the Word regularly, date your wife regularly, get exercise consistently, eat healthy, get good rest/sleep, maintain good boundaries.
23. Consider a weekly day off as sacred. Take vacations to get away. Have a disciplined time every day where you spend time alone with God in prayer and reading His word.
24. 1. Finding out what they are interested in doing in the kingdom of God. 2. Finding out if our church or a church can accommodate their interests. 3. Jesus said, take up your cross and follow me. I think to get someone to follow you, a leader must be refreshed themselves. The leader must have a flame or high energy in serving the Lord. The leaders must be focused on the word of God more in this time right now than ever before. (A) Focus on the word of God. (B) Positive mind set. (C) Having patience to see things come to pass for ministries and personal gain.
17. Do you have a friend IN TOWN that you can be vulnerable and transparent with about how you are REALLY doing in facing the stress and challenges of life and ministry?
18. On average how many hours do you sleep per night?
