The Healthy Church Staff Podcast
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The Healthy Church Staff Podcast
How to Stay Strong as a Church Leader (Even When You Feel Weak!)
Ministry leadership can feel isolating and exhausting, but even the Apostle Paul admitted feeling despair under pressure—which means it's okay when you do too. The key to enduring leadership isn't never feeling weak but knowing where to find strength when you do.
• Isolation is a silent killer in ministry—Jesus sent disciples out two by two for a reason
• Find ministry partners, accountability groups, or mentors who can pray for and encourage you
• Remember your calling by revisiting the moment when God first called you into ministry
• Protect your energy by prioritizing time with God, taking weekly Sabbaths, and surrounding yourself with people who replenish you
• Focus on finishing well through resilience—your best ministry years could still be ahead
If you're feeling stuck or want to share how you're staying strong in ministry, reach out to us at podcast@chemistrystaffing.com or leave a comment on our YouTube channel. If you or your church need help building a healthy staff culture, don't hesitate to contact our team at Chemistry Staffing.
Have questions or comments? Send to podcast@chemistrystaffing.com
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I've ever felt like quitting ministry. You're not alone. Even the strongest leaders face seasons of discouragement and doubt and exhaustion. But here's the good news God isn't finished with you yet and in this video we're going to unpack how to stay strong in your leadership, how to navigate tough seasons, how to finish well, no matter what the challenges you feel like you're going through right now. So stick around to the end, because I'm going to share the most important habit every leader needs to avoid burnout. All right, my name is Todd Rhodes. I'm one of the co-founders over at chemistrystaffingcom and I'm so glad that you have joined us on today's edition of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. All right, let's talk about the reality of leadership fatigue. I'm having trouble saying the word leadership, I'm going to get myself in trouble.
Speaker 1:The reality of leadership fatigue. Ministry's hard. There's criticism, there's spiritual battles, the constant weight of responsibility. Everybody's looking to you. You can't goof up. Even leaders of thriving churches have moments of exhaustion and, matter of fact, this is absolutely nothing new.
Speaker 1:Paul, the Apostle Paul, himself admitted in the New Testament, 2 Corinthians 1.8,. He said we're all under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. If Paul felt that way, if the Apostle Paul felt that way. It's okay sometimes if you do too. But here's the key Strength isn't about never feeling weak, it's about knowing where to go when you do. Your strength comes from God. You know that Leaders who endure don't rely on their own energy, but on God's renewing and on God's strength. So many times we forget about that. Okay. So who's strengthening you? No leader, looking you right, straight in the eye. If you're watching on YouTube, if you're listening on the podcast, I am talking specifically to you in your ear. I'm whispering this in your ear. No leader is meant to walk alone.
Speaker 1:Isolation and ministry a lot of times you feel isolated in ministry, but isolation, let me tell you, leader, it's a silent killer in ministry. Jesus sent disciples out, two by two. Paul had Barnabas, timothy had Silas. Even Moses needed Aaron and her to hold up his arms during the battle back in Exodus. So the question is who's holding up your arms If you don't have a circle of encouragement? If you don't have one, you need one, and you need one right now. Okay.
Speaker 1:So here's something you can do today. If you're feeling like you're out there on your own, find a ministry partner, find an accountability group. Find someone who can pray for you, find someone who can encourage you or to challenge you to keep going. Is there someone in your life other than your spouse or a family member? Is there somebody in your life that you can just reach out to and say, hey, can you help me along here? Can you pray for me? Can we encourage one another? Is there somebody like that? If not, maybe seek out a mentor or a counselor or a ministry coach may be able to help you in this area, but you just can't do it. You can't do it on your own. Okay, and then another thing I'd love for you to do if you're feeling like this today discourage. And I say this often, and when I get discouraged, this is my go-to. So I'm sharing with you my personal go-to, and that's remember your calling.
Speaker 1:It's easy to forget because you're so busy and you've got so many problems, so many fires you're trying to put out. It's easy to forget why you started doing what you're doing. Every leader needs to go back often to the place and the moment where God called them. One leader I know revisits the exact spot where he first felt called to ministry whenever he's feeling discouraged and it just anchors him. So here's something you can try If you're feeling really weary, really tired, take some time today, maybe even right now, maybe even shut this off right now, and just take some time to reflect on when God first called you, write it down, reignite your passion, because there was a time, there was a point in your life where you made a decision that said I'm gonna do this with my life. God has called me to do this. And you need to go back and revisit that, because that flame, hopefully, is still burning and you can reignite that and reignite that passion.
Speaker 1:Philippians one of my favorite books of the Bible Philippians 1.6, reminds us that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. So just because you're weary doesn't mean that God's not there. He is still working in you and he will carry on that good work in you into completion. All right, and lastly, here's one thing that I think you can do is protect your energy.
Speaker 1:Leadership is we've said it often it's a marathon, it's not a sprint. Okay, it takes endurance and the problem many pastors, many church leaders, many church staff pour out constantly, but they rarely refill. Think about a runner who drinks water, who never drinks any water. Rather, eventually they're going to collapse, and ministry is no different. Jesus himself stepped away to rest, and if the Son of God took time to recharge, you should too. So how do you do that? How do you stay energized in ministry? Prioritize time with God. Schedule some of that intentional rest. Take those weekly Sabbaths. We have some podcasts that we've shared about taking your Sabbath. Look those up here on the podcast, on YouTube as well.
Speaker 1:And here's another thing Just surround yourself with people that replenish you. Just surround yourself with people that replenish you, not just problem solvers, but people that will really replenish you and make you feel not weary, people that give you life. Surround yourself with those kind of people. Chances are, if you're really weary right now, you're surrounding yourselves, either by intention or just because of everything that's going on. You're surrounding yourself with people that are taking more than they're giving to you. So the goal here really the end goal is to end well, and that comes through resilience.
Speaker 1:What separates leaders who last from those who burn out? It's resilience. Right. Ministry isn't about starting strong, it's about finishing strong, and I love what it says in Psalm 92. It says they will still bear fruit in their old age, they will still stay fresh and green. So, no matter your age, no matter your season of life, god isn't done with you I was in a church service recently isn't done with you. I was in a church service recently and one of the prayers that was prayed was God. I thank you for this next breath I'm about to breathe because it means that you're not done with me. God's not done with you. Your best ministry years could still be ahead. So let me ask you who's keeping you strong in leadership? I would love to hear how you maintain this resilience or how you. Maybe you were weary, but you got back on the rails and you got your resilience and ministry back. I would love to hear. You can reach out to me anytime. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. If you're watching this on YouTube, you can also just leave a comment. I would love for you to drop a comment and share how you're staying strong in ministry and if you're feeling stuck, I'd love to hear from you. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom.
Speaker 1:We're here every day, monday through Friday, on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. We only talk about things honestly. Can I tell you a secret? We only talk about things on here that I'm interested in and the reason I do that is because I figure that if I'm interested in something, maybe somebody else is too. So we talk about things that I'm interested in and that has to do with staffing. It has to do with healthy church staffs, building healthy culture, and if there's any way that I or anybody on my team at Chemistry Staffing can help you or your church, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. I would love to partner and work with you. All right, thanks so much for joining us. We'll be back here tomorrow on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. You.
