How to Have a Life Outside of Ministry

If there is a place of employment that can seem like an always-on workplace, it might just be the place of your chosen calling or occupation – the church. Have you ever served in caring for someone in the church by taking a call at 3 am? Then you know just how an always-on workplace can feel. But you do get an occasional day off. Ironically, some pastors feel lost if they are not doing ministry or church work. And you may worry that your church cannot function without you.

God has called you to lead. You can sense His leading in your ministry. But He has also designed you to make a life outside of ministry. In this session, we discuss why it is essential not to over-emphasize your importance. We also present you can more effectively use your time inside and outside of church. According to Parkinson’s Law, work amplifies to consume the time allowed for its completion. If you leave time open until the end of the day to write a sermon, guess what? It will probably take you exactly that long to finish it.

The ideas offered in this segment are designed to help you be more well-rounded. They will aid you in diversifying your life without suffering a loss of effectiveness. If you follow the advice contained in this video, you may find that you are more fun and interesting to be around. When is the last time that you read a book that was not oriented toward ministry or theology?

In this video, we present six ways to show you how to have a life outside of ministry. Rather than causing you to fall short of your expectations as a leader, making time for living outside of the ministry bubble may improve your capacity for relational, life-changing leadership.