Healthy Pastors
by John Kimball, CCCC Director of Church Development
If there is one factor that determines the health of a church and her ministry more than anything else, it would be the health of the pastor. Certainly a pastor who is experiencing challenges in his physical health puts stress on the church, but churches will often rally in such times to pick up slack. And it is easy to see how the emotional state of a pastor can influence church life for good or ill. But what ironically goes unnoticed much of the time is the pastor’s spiritual health.
There are many factors that contribute to the spiritual state of any believer, including pastors: Sabbath rhythms, devotional life, quality intercession, reflection and contemplation on the Word, etc. But there is a root factor that many pastors overlook — primarily because they are not taught to attend to it — identity. Healthy pastors find their identity in Christ.
Theologically, we may say, “Duh!” to such a statement. But the reality is that while most know this in their heads, it has not been fully translated to their hearts and lived out in their lifestyles. Just as with other red-blooded American citizens, most pastors find their identity in their role as a pastor — their job. If you think about it, this is precisely how America categorizes people. The first question we usually ask when meeting someone for the first time is, “What do you do for a living?” This one is a butcher. That one is a baker. The other one is a candlestick maker. Unless someone intentionally disciples us otherwise, we all tend to identify each other by our role, and self-identification is no different.
The number of pastors who find their identity in being a pastor is scary. And where this is true, their fulfillment in life is directly tied to their job and how well (or badly) it is going. Ministry is hard and messy — period. If a pastor’s identity is tied to his ministry, then his identity is going to regularly take a hit, and his spiritual state is going to suffer. But when that same pastor learns to find his identity in the Rock, Jesus Christ, a spiritual steadfastness grows that influences everything else. As pastors, we are no longer what people think we are. We are who God says we are: sons and daughters, saints (no longer sinners), precious, loved, Spirit-filled, pleasing.
A pastor’s spiritual state is inexorably tied to his identity. And the foundation of identity informs everything else. That’s why, in our Church Development process, we take the time to ensure the pastor’s identity is firmly rooted in Jesus. Want to know more? Call us at the CCCC Office at (651) 739-1474.
