This week, I'm doing something a little different.
A while back, my long-time pastor friend, Gary Miller, asked me to create a couple of teaching sessions for a retreat with a group of pastors he leads. The assignment was essentially this:
How do you stay in ministry for the long haul without burning out, blowing up, or slowly losing the things that matter most?
So I recorded two sessions and created some supporting notes, worksheets, and reflection questions for the guys to work through.
After the retreat, Gary sent me this:
"It was really amazing. The response was off the charts. You're a blessing, brother."
He's told me since that he's continued to hear comments about the material.
So I thought: Why am I not sharing this with you?
Because the more I think about it, these two sessions explain much of the philosophy underneath Optimized Pastor.
We talk here about productivity. Health. Energy. Focus. Exercise. Nutrition. Decision-making. Systems. Rest.
But none of those things are the foundation.
Jesus is.
Optimization is not an attempt to become a more impressive version of yourself. And it certainly isn't learning how to squeeze more ministry out of an already exhausted pastor.
The Christian life isn't ultimately about discovering how much you can do for Christ.
It's discovering what Christ intends to do through you.
That's the foundation of the first session.
I use an illustration with a glove. A glove can't pick up a book regardless of how much you motivate it, educate it, discipline it... or make it feel guilty.
But put a hand inside it, and suddenly the glove can do whatever the hand can do.
That's Galatians 2:20:
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me..."
But here's where Optimized Pastor enters the picture:
The glove still needs to be taken care of.
God is the source, but we're still stewards.
You preach in a body.
You make decisions with a brain.
You absorb criticism emotionally.
You lead through relationships.
You need sleep.
You need movement.
You need truth.
You need other people.
And above everything else, you need an ongoing, dependent relationship with Christ.
So the second session gets very practical about stewarding the whole person—spirit, soul, and body—so that you can remain healthy, useful, and faithful over decades of ministry.
Maybe this is the simplest way I know to explain the heartbeat behind Optimized Pastor:
Optimization isn't about becoming a better source. It's about becoming a better steward.
So instead of sending you another article this week, I'm giving you the material I originally created for Gary and those pastors.
Don't just let these play in the background while you're answering email.
Give yourself some space.
Grab the accompanying resources.
Think through the questions.
And watch the sessions in order.
PART 1 — THE FOUNDATION
How to Stay in Ministry Without Burning Out — Part 1
Why tactics, disciplines, and strategies won't sustain a ministry that has become disconnected from its Source.
WATCH PART 1
Study Guide and Reflection Sheet (Part 1)
PART 2 — THE PRACTICE
How to Stay in Ministry Without Burning Out — Part 2
How to steward your spirit, soul, and body so that you can remain healthy, useful, and faithful for the long haul.
WATCH PART 2
Study Guide and Refelction Sheet (Part 2)
THE SUPPORTING RESOURCES
I've also included the notes, worksheets, and reflection material that went with the original sessions.
(See those at the links above.)
Work through them yourself, or use them with your staff, another pastor, or a group of ministry leaders.
There are plenty of resources available to help us build bigger ministries.
I'm increasingly interested in a different question:
How do we become pastors who are still healthy, faithful, tender toward people, deeply connected to Christ—and glad we're in ministry—20 or 30 years from now?
That's optimization worth pursuing.
I hope this blesses you.
I would love to hear your thoughts.