I’ve heard a crazy rumor for years… Legend has it that church ministry slows down to a sabbath-y pace in the summer. My husband and I have been part of a handful of churches, in both volunteer and paid-staff roles. In all that time, we’ve experienced the alleged slow-down with just one of these churches. It was like seeing Bigfoot in the back row.
At our current church, our midweek children’s ministry (following the city’s school schedule) breaks for the summer, and our youth ministry pauses for about five weeks. But other areas of our thriving Midwest church ramp up with multiple events during the summer months—mission trips, camps, a citywide serving week for youth, our annual celebration of life change called Summer Splash, not to mention prep-work for Fall Family Kickoff that involves numerous departments. All of our fall schedule is typically planned six to nine months ahead of time. So, summers for most of our staff, while fruitful and measured, are anything but undemanding.
Pastoral Covering
If you’re a lead pastor, your staffers are your “first sheep.” Here are some of the measures our pastoral lead team has taken to help guard our staff against burnout.
- In our weekly staff huddles, we foster an environment of intimate worship without interruptions.Each of us has the opportunity to connect with the Lord in our own way, recognizing that God’s presence is not limited to Sundays. During the message segment of these huddles, any one of our pastoral staff regularly addresses health from a different angle—spiritual, emotional, relational, mental, and occupational. We look to Scripture to see models of what is healthy and unhealthy, so we can learn and unlearn practices that impact us.
- Our lead pastor engages a third-party organization to survey directors and associate pastors anonymously. The questions delve into staff health, motivation, and growth opportunities—reflecting our commitment to open and honest feedback.
- Our executive pastor implements a time-off option on Thursday afternoons for those who work on the weekend. In addition to our regular day off, weekend staffers can take Thursday afternoon for rest and restoration.
- Our staffers receive eight hours a month of paid time off to serve at a local ministry. We’re also given paid time off annually to serve with a regional or global mission trip if we choose. While these two serving options may seem counterintuitive – I’m being paid to work more, just someplace else? – the benefit of getting outside of our church to partner with what God is doing elsewhere is refreshing precisely because it’s elsewhere. Most often, we return spiritually and emotionally invigorated.
Personal Practices
Here are some practical ways I try to keep my mindset, heart, and health… well, healthy.
- In my personal devotional time, I maintain a couple of longstanding practices that are the bread-and-butter of my life with God. At the same time, I mix it up with different locations, devotionals, and even times of day, just so the bread stays fresh.
- The Spirit helps me to “expose it to dispose of it,” as my pastor often says. For laughs, support, and prayer, I keep good friends in my emotional loop. I reach out to one of them when I feel myself growing frustrated, church-anxious, or dangerously bored (there’s a healthy boredom, but I’ll save that for another time).
- I like to balance music with words. If my morning is meeting-heavy (words galore), I play music only on my drive to lunch or a hospital visit. If I’ve had a chunk of focused time in my office where I can play music in the background, my next drive will probably include a podcast or audiobook.
- My office environment matters to me. Besides the background music, I turn on an essential oils diffuser or lightly scented candle, a second screen to play nature videos with running water and birdsong, and have intentionally chosen my seating. Even my cubicled coworkers have their areas set up to match their work and personal styles.
- I try to take an outside walk around the church at least once a day during the workday. If it’s nice out, a meeting with someone might start with a few laps around the building. That’s just neuroscience in action.
- I practice sabbath as best as I can. Sometimes, it’s more like what John Mark Comer calls “sabbath-ish,” but the more purposeful I am about it, the more reset I feel going into the next week.
If you have your own self-health practices, please share them in the comments below. And if you’re working in 5th gear and would like help to (literally) slow your roll, consider enlisting one of our ICF-trained ministry leadership coaches at Vibrant Faith. Just click HERE to connect.
Danette Matty is a trained coach in Vibrant Faith’s International Coaching Federation-certified program. She has earned her ACC Level and is currently working toward the PCC Level. Her coaching experience has been honed through full-time vocational ministry at a thriving church in the Midwest. Danette’s coaching and leadership development specialties revolve around volunteer team members, youth leaders, team leaders, and ministry leaders who want to grow. Danette has earned a Bachelors in Biblical Counseling and a Masters in Leadership.