Every pastor I know wants to be effective—have an impact for God's kingdom, and at the end of the day, hear "Well done" from the Lord.
By "effective," I don't necessarily mean "have the biggest church" or ministry. I mean something much more profound.
We all know pastors we highly respect (regardless of the size of their ministry). They are people of integrity and wisdom, and they are also often highly productive. They just seem to get a lot done, but they don't live stressed out, constantly busy, overwhelmed lives.
I've known quite a few of those men and women over the 30 years I've been pastoring. It's led me to ask—how do they do it? What's their secret? Is it just the anointing of God? Or is there something they are doing that I can learn from?
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While anointing is certainly important—(who can argue with that?)—I've noticed that there are also common elements in many of their lives. These are things that almost every highly effective pastor does regularly that set them apart, things that set them up for success.
It's almost ironic—the things that set us up for long-term success are often small things done daily, or at least regularly, that shape the kind of people we are, and prepare us to both take advantage of opportunities and overcome setbacks and disappointments.
What are those habits? I've picked seven. All of them are possible for all of us. None of them are out of reach. The key thing to understand is that these are habits—they aren't occasional activities. They are done diligently, regularly. And over time, they shape you and prepare you for what is to come.
What are those seven key habits highly effective leaders do? Here you go, in no particular order:
They maintain a consistent, vibrant devotional life. This is so much more than just having a daily time with God, although that is almost always part of the picture. Highly effective men and women have learned to truly put Jesus first in their lives and to let their ministry be the overflow of that relationship. There is nothing more common in the church than pastors who put the ministry first (although none of us would ever say that).
They make their physical health a priority. That doesn't mean they spend hours in the gym every day, but usually do some kind of physical activity, pay attention to their diets and make sure to get enough sleep. There are always seasons when that is difficult to impossible, but overall, they maintain good health. No one is effective when they are exhausted. Making health a priority is one of those things that help us stay in the game for the long run.
They invest in themselves. Effective pastors are learners. They know that when they stop learning and growing, the organization they lead will stop growing as well. Almost always, that investment includes reading. They are always looking to learn from others—it's a lot easier than having to reinvent the wheel constantly. Some read books, some prefer Kindle, and increasing numbers are reading summaries or condensed books, in order to maximize their reading time. But all are committed to their own growth.
They plan their time. Either before they go to bed, or first thing in the morning, they plan out what they are going to do each day. They don't waste time wondering what they should do—they plan their work and work their plan. It's been estimated that every minute spent in planning saves 10 in execution. Effective pastors know that and live accordingly.
They are clear on their priorities. They know what things are most important and make sure those things get the proper attention. They aren't afraid to say no to good ideas in order to make sure the best things are focused on. That is true for the various ministry responsibilities they carry, and also for life in general. They give appropriate attention to their spouses and families; they take breaks and vacations; they stay on top of their finances. They may not get everything done they'd like to, but the most important things are taken care of.
They develop habits. Our habits, for better or worse, are some of the most powerful things in our lives. The more activities you can turn into habits, the better. Once something is a habit, whether it is exercise, devotions or flossing, it takes less emotional energy to do it, and that emotional energy is then available to invest in other high-demand activities. Habits are done without thinking, but they are done regularly. Focus on developing habits and over time you will get more done with less stress than ever before.
They work hard. At a pastor's conference a number of years ago, the speaker shared that he only worked 40 hours per week, ever. Seeing the disbelief on many of the faces, he said, "The key thing is, I work those 40 hours." You could have heard a pin drop as people recognized the implication—many pastors just don't really work hard. That doesn't mean we aren't busy—it just means we are busy with the wrong things. We are often our own bosses; the ministry is actually a great place to hide poor work habits. But highly effective pastors work hard when they work. That allows them to play hard and rest hard as well.
None of these are rocket science. In fact, I bet you could have guessed most of them. The key is to understand that the power isn't in knowing the list, it's in living the list. Those seven items are habits—daily disciplines. It's worth asking—are those true for me? If you'll invest in developing those habits, I can't guarantee you'll suddenly have a larger church. But I can guarantee that you will become more effective in what you're doing—and probably happier and more satisfied as well.
Want to learn more about investing in your personal development? Check out Leaders Book Summaries, where you can get condensed versions of the top leadership books out there. Developed by pastors for pastors, it's one of the most powerful ways you can increase your effectiveness. Click here and you can get a free sample issue.
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