Managing Ministry Tensions

By Kent Fillinger

Load management in the NBA started in the early 2010s, with the San Antonio Spurs leading the way by resting stars, even if they were healthy, to preserve them for the playoffs. It gained attention when the league fined the Spurs in 2012. 

Recent research doesn’t prove any connection between load management and reducing the prevalence of sports injuries, but there’s still a case to be made that this practice improves the long-term health of a player by reducing the cumulative load on players’ bodies and thus prolonging their careers while helping them to maintain their peak performance. 

Load management is unheard of in the pastoral world, but long-term health is essential for ministry effectiveness and longevity. According to a 2025 LifeWay Research report, 57 percent of ministers say their role is frequently overwhelming, up slightly from 54 percent in 2015 but down from 63 percent in 2021. 

A 2021 LifeWay Research report found that when it came to self-care, more than half of the ministers said they find consistently exercising (59%) and avoiding over-commitment and overwork (55%) to be challenging in their ministry. Slightly less than half said they struggle with eating right (49%), and 45 percent said consistently resting was a challenge. 

Additionally, half (51%) of ministers said time management is an aspect that needs attention in their lives. Forty-three percent of ministers said they need to give more attention to developing a balance between work and home. Younger ministers, those between 18 and 44, were among those most likely to say they needed to give attention to time management (58%) and their work/home balance (52%). 

The Myth of Balance  

The reality is there is not balance or equilibrium in life or in ministry. We need to change the narrative and stop thinking that a perfect work-life balance can be achieved.  

A 2016 research report from The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations showed that strict separation between work and life may create more stress, not less. The study identified two types of people: “segmenters,” who tried to keep work and life separate, and “integrators,” who saw work and life as interconnected and switched between them fluidly. 

Surprisingly, integrators felt less stressed and were more productive. They were better at handling interruptions, adapting to shifting priorities, and maintaining energy levels throughout the day. The reason? Switching between work and personal life is like a muscle. The more you practice it, the easier it gets. And when you get better at shifting modes, you spend less time fighting against reality and more time getting things done. 

Organizational consultant David Burkus suggests “instead of trying to separate work and life, think of them like ingredients in a recipe. The goal isn’t to keep them apart—it’s to blend them together in a way that works for you. The goal isn’t to be available 24/7. It’s to be flexible enough to get things done without burning yourself out. And that flexibility looks different for everyone.” 

Tensions to Be Managed 

While work-life balance is a myth, dealing with various tensions is a reality in ministry. And experiencing tension often leads to stress and fatigue. Andy Stanley said, “A certain amount of tension is a natural part of life and business. Tension, managed properly gets things done.” He also noted that we need to learn to discern between a problem that needs to be solved and a tension that must be managed in ministry. 

Some common ministry tensions that must be managed include the following:  

Tradition vs. Innovation: Carey Nieuwhof said, “The past has a nostalgia to it that the future never does. The challenge for the leader is to cast a vision that is clear enough and compelling enough to pull people from the familiar past into a brighter future.”  

Empowering New Leaders vs. Pursuing Excellence: Giving young or new volunteer leaders enough ministry “reps” instead of relying on paid staff to do most everything is the only way to develop and grow your leadership pipeline, but that process is messy and often results in some mishaps and mistakes. 

One Big Family vs. Multiple Groups: Again, I appreciate the insight of Carey Nieuwhof who said, “The goal is not to create church where everyone knows everyone but to create a church where everyone is known.” 

Evangelism vs. Discipleship (Reaching People/Edifying Believers): Most churches tend to naturally gravitate toward one or the other based on the gifting of the leaders; but emphasizing both are essential to the health and growth of the church. 

Doing For vs. Being With: The “Martha and Mary Paradox” is real. Doing ministry for Jesus is often easier than spending time with Jesus. But staying spiritually healthy is essential for immediate and long-term ministry effectiveness. Giving attention to our soul care is critical. Jenni Hoag describes soul care as “thoughtful and careful attention to the inner being of the individual.” In many cases, soul care does not make it on our schedule until a crisis happens. Remember God created you to be a human being, not a human doing; therefore, God values you as a person, not as a producer. 

Work vs. Rest: God is a worker. From the beginning of the Bible, we are faced with the inescapable fact that work is part of God’s character and nature. Work in different forms is mentioned over 800 times in the Bible. The Hebrew word avodah is used 289 times in the Old Testament and is translated variously as “worship,” “serve,” and “work.” In some verses, avodah means to work, as in to cultivate a field or to do common labor. In other verses it means to worship, as in worshipping the Lord.  

But God also set an example for us to rest from the beginning. Have you ever wondered why God didn’t create the world in one day? I’m confident he could have spoken everything into existence in one day had he wanted, but instead he chose to give us a pattern for the oscillating nature of work and rest, and he declared the Sabbath day to be holy.  

Jesus taught us that the Sabbath is a gift God gives us and not a list of rules to follow (Mark 2:27-28). Wayne Muller in his book Sabbath said, “The busier we are, the more important we seem to ourselves and, we imagine, to others.” This sense of self-importance that’s often a byproduct of ministry is a tension we must fight to experience the intended benefits of Sabbath rest. Our capacity to be fully engaged depends on our ability to periodically disengage. A. W. Tozer said, “Rest is not something we do; it is what comes to us when we cease to do.” 

Tim Arnold, who wrote the book, The Power of Healthy Tension, said tensions are unsolvable and unavoidable, but the good news is these tensions can be managed and even leveraged. 

Who Are Your Aaron’s and Hur’s? 

Just as Aaron and Hur supported the arms of Moses to enable Joshua and the Israelites to carry out their mission at Rephidim (Exodus 17:8-16), so church elders and boards need to lift the arms of their church’s ministers to be a catalyst for the daily and long-term health of the entire church.  

Here are some great questions from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability that a church eldership or board can ask their church staff throughout the year to encourage their personal and pastoral health:  

• What are your biggest prayers right now, and how can we join in praying for you? 
• What has God been teaching you during your worship or devotional times?  
• How can we help you have margin in your schedule for health check-ups? 
• How are we doing honoring your time at home? (Bonus question, if applicable: What do your spouse and kids think?)  
• What did you do with your vacation days this year?  
• What is your favorite “third place”?  
• If we were to help make a way for you to experience a spiritual retreat (or similar experience) this year, what would be a few of your top choices?  

Elders should also encourage their pastoral staff to make time daily for Bible reading and prayer, to take a Sabbath day off each week, and to use their allotted vacation days each year.