Total Health
by Lenn Zeller, director of Conference Care
An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless — not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:6–9)
Recently, when Janeen and I flew to Florida for the CCCC Board of Directors meeting, we listened with less than rapt attention as the flight attendants went through the typical safety and emergency instructions. My usual attitude is that if this plane goes down, none of that will make much difference in the end. That’s a bit fatalistic, I suppose, but then I am confident of my eternal destiny, by grace alone, through faith in Christ alone; so I’m ready should something drastic occur.
However, one interesting note the flight attendants always touch on is that if the plane depressurizes and those oxygen masks come down, “put on your own oxygen mask first, and then help others around you.” When you think about it, that is good advice. You cannot help others find oxygen if you are without it yourself. Otherwise, in the process of trying to help others, you will lose consciousness yourself. First, see to it that you are safely “hooked up,” then you will have the strength to assist someone else.
There is a parallel to that in ministry. Paul said pretty much the same thing in his letter to Titus, when he gave the qualifications for those serving as elders. If one aspires to serve as an elder or teacher, they must first have their own life in good order: a strong and healthy marriage and family life; godly character; holy, upright, self-controlled and disciplined life; and not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. And they must hold firmly to the truth of God’s Word and the Gospel of Christ in their own heart and mind if they expect to be able to faithfully encourage others in it.
In other words, pastors must carefully guard their own character and spiritual health if they hope to be able to encourage anyone else in the life of Christ. Pastors (and elders) need to be safely “hooked up” to the Spirit and Word of God before they can presume to help others do the same. “Healthy pastors” is one of our guiding values, and the CCCC is committed to doing whatever we can to develop healthy pastors who can effectively and faithfully lead the local church with integrity and spiritual strength. The whole impetus for the development of Communities of Pastors around the country is the desire to offer pastors a place where they can find the accountability, encouragement and counsel they need to carry on strong and wholesome ministries.
It takes healthy clergy to lead healthy churches. From what I have seen over the years, pastors who serve long and well are without exception those who cultivate healthy spiritual habits: personal spiritual discipline, a strong commitment to build their marriages and families, accountability with peers and other practices that meet their personal spiritual needs. In short, healthy pastors serve from the foundation of their own solid relationship with God, and they value that relationship as their number one priority.
I pray for our CCCC pastors to cultivate those healthy spiritual habits, and to find in their relationship with God the strength and vitality to carry on an effective ministry. I pray for our CCCC congregations to be caring and considerate, intentionally looking out for the well-being of their pastors, offering encouragement and help (even financial) whenever possible. Pastors are under enormous pressure, on call 24/7/365. They need God’s grace and our support!
