Most pastors never say the words, but they live the logic: “I don’t really need to optimize. I’m fine.”
Because here’s the truth they keep forgetting:
The Lord doesn’t give churches to pastors. He gives pastors to churches.
Which means you’re a gift, not a convenience.
A steward, not an extra.
And God expects you to take care of what He gave.
Do you want your church to have the best of what God gave them in you?
Maybe you do.
Maybe you don't.
Maybe you're like most pastors...
They skip workouts because “my body isn’t that important.”
They abandon healthy eating because “I’ve got bigger things to worry about.”
They avoid time-blocking because “my schedule doesn’t matter as much as the needs around me.”
They blow off rest because “I’m not worth that kind of priority.”
It’s never spoken out loud, but the message underneath every excuse is the same:
“My health, my energy, and my effectiveness aren’t valuable enough to invest in.”
But that’s a lie.
And if that's you, your ministry is paying the price for believing it.
Let’s walk through why you’re worth it...
And why optimization isn’t self-indulgent... it’s obedience.
You’re on Assignment, Not on Accident
Adam wasn’t given a finished garden.
He was given raw materials and told to cultivate them.
Potential everywhere.
Nothing optimized.
God said "I'll make the tree, but you gotta make the table."
Sound familiar?
God did the same with you.
He gave you a body, a mind, a calendar, and an assignment... and handed you a world full of unrealized potential.
The goal was never just survival.
The goal was cultivation.
And when Adam worked what God gave him, it grew.
When he neglected it, it didn’t.
Same principle.
Different century.
The Parable We Pretend Isn’t About Us
In the parable of the talents, Jesus gives us two options:
- Be the servant who invested, multiplied, and heard, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
- Or be the servant who panicked, buried what he had, did the bare-minimum maintenance, and got rebuked by the Master.
One multiplies.
One maintains.
One hears, "Well done."
The other heard, "Well... You're done."
One expands potential.
One protects comfort.
Pastor, most of us are dangerously close to being the second guy...
Burying our energy, health, clarity, and calling in the backyard because “we’re too busy” to optimize.
Optimization is the opposite of burying...
It’s multiplying what God gave you so the return matches the assignment.
God Didn’t Create You To Be Exhausted
Walk through the creation sequence:
Creation → creatures → creators.
God made a world.
Then He made living non-image-bearing beings.
Then He made you... an image-bearer who produces output like Him.
He created people who create stuff.
He made people who make stuff.
You are one.
You're designed to build, shape, organize, innovate, shepherd, preach, solve, and create.
You aren’t a creature who merely survives.
You’re a creator (of sorts) who produces and adds ministry-value to the world.
But creators who don't optimize eventually break down.
Just ask any pastor running a full-time ministry on part-time energy.
Your exhaustion isn’t Christlike.
Your clarity is.
Your burnout isn’t ministry.
Your strength is.
A Tired Shepherd Misses Wolves
This is the part nobody wants to say, so let’s say it plainly:
A tired pastor mis-discerns.
A fatigued pastor mis-leads.
A chronically depleted pastor misfires.
Your people don’t just need a present shepherd.
Bro, they need a sharp one.
Wolves don’t wait for you to finish your second cappuccino.
Spiritual warfare doesn’t pause because you haven’t slept well since 2017.
Optimizing yourself is not about looking good in your pastor headshot.
It’s about being alert, aware, and ready.
Your Body Is Part of Your Calling
Lots of pastors I meet drive the old beat-up car so their wife can drive the nice one.
It's almost a running joke.
(Pun intended.)
They also treat their body like they do their choice of transportation:
“As long as it gets me from Sunday to Sunday, who cares what shape it’s in?”
But it is a purposeful vehicle—on loan from God—and He expects it to be kept in good condition, not “barely functional but technically drivable.”
Your body, mind, and energy are ministry tools.
Sharper tools do better work.
Dull tools require more force, more pain, and more regret.
You don’t get credit for working harder than necessary.
You get fruit for working wisely.
You’re Not Optimizing for You. You’re Optimizing for Them.
Your congregation doesn’t need a martyr.
They need a multiplier.
Your family doesn’t need a pastor who can preach a flawless funeral.
They need a husband or father who will live long enough not to need one too soon.
Your calling doesn’t need another year of barely scraping by.
It needs decades of stability, clarity, strength, and spiritual potency.
When you optimize your:
• health
• fitness
• productivity
• focus
• longevity
…you’re not saying, “Look at me.”
You’re saying, “Look what God can do through me when the vessel is strong.”
The Heart of It
Most pastors excuse away optimization because, deep down, they believe they don’t deserve the investment.
But if God didn’t think you were worth it... He wouldn’t have entrusted people, influence, and a calling to you.
You matter because your calling matters.
And when you invest in the vessel, you honor the One who sent the assignment.
Optimization isn’t vanity.
It’s stewardship.
It’s obedience.
It’s worship.
You’re worth it...
Not because you’re impressive, but because He is.
More Resources To Help You Optimize
🥤Momentum Shake: The Complete Longevity Shake for Optimal Health
💊 My (Scott's) full supplement regimen