For any Christian leader, having a trusted personal mentor, professional supervisor or coach is necessary. Even the most experienced leaders need another person’s insight for support and to ensure that they are developing and following proper practices. No matter how wise a person is, how much integrity or empathy they have, situations will always require a new perspective. A mentor/supervisor or coach is a comfort in difficult times and lets leaders rest knowing they are not alone in their struggles. There are three significant ways that a great mentor, coach or supervisor can help you: by upholding professional standards and by providing professional support and development…

Years ago my mentor asked me, “How would the devil stop you from doing what God is asking you to do?” I wasn’t sure. He began asking this question every time we had our monthly session, and after pondering it for three months, I finally knew the answer! It was emotional depletion. This was a bit of a “duh” moment for me. My emotional depletion had stopped me several times in my years in ministry, once leading to a full burnout where I lost six months of time at work to rest and to get back on my feet. However, during this time of recovery, I discovered how important self-care is for my work. Engaging routinely in self-care practices is an essential competency for all leaders…

As leaders in the spiritual community, often our first (and sometimes only) priority is our own spiritual well-being. Because the foundation of our work revolves around relationships with God and each other, and the transformation of our own souls, it’s only natural that our spiritual health is at the forefront of our minds. However, this can lead to neglecting other aspects of our lives, like our emotional and physical wellness…

What’s a recent occasion where you have applied the word of God in your life?  As Christian leaders, we understand that God’s word is a gift and meant to be used to find wisdom and hope, but it can be easy to forget we have this tool at the tips of our fingers at all times. The Word of God is always accessible and there is always a verse or a story that can be applied to life. Anytime we are seeking advice, a moment of peace or a reminder of Jesus’s love, we can turn to scripture. There are many verses that have been life-changing for me. I remember reading “The Lord is my shepherd, he lets me rest,” during a period of burnout. Even though I had read this same verse many times, it was the perfect moment to rediscover it. It shifted something in me, and once I applied it to my life, I could finally begin to recover…

God designed this world perfectly with natural laws. Consider a basic example: fruit, which Britannica describes as “the fleshy or dry ripened ovary of a flowering plant, enclosing the seed or seeds.” How perfect and beautiful fruit was made, to carry its own species’ means of survival inside itself. This seed will go on to ensure the fruit continues to replicate…

Just because a leader is a Christian, just because they go to church and pray, doesn’t always mean they are hearing what the Holy Spirit is telling them. The Holy Spirit speaks to us in many ways throughout our day, but it can take intentional practice to understand what God is saying. God is working in the world at all times, and we are at our most effective as leaders when we understand the work and take the actions that the Spirit is guiding us to take…

The life and work of a mentor, coach or professional supervisor, really any career in Christian leadership, comes with many different seasons. There will be beautiful warm springs full of hope and productivity, and long hot stretches of summer full of life and passion for the calling. However, there will also be chilly autumns full of uncertainty and doubts, as well as cold and harsh winters that may give in to depression, stress and burnout. Of course, the seasons of a Christian leader’s life rarely line up with the annual changes of weather, but the awareness of the good times following the bad, the difficult seasons following a happy and hopeful one, is an ongoing pattern. This is a truth that all leaders need to accept and anticipate…

It seems natural to contemplate what makes a seasoned Christian leader during this season. Easter Sunday was an excellent reminder that our leadership should always come from a humble imitation of Christ. Christ calls us to take our cross and follow him as His disciples. The seasoned Christian leader participates in understanding the wonders that God brings us and the comfort that we receive in Jesus’s ministry, in His grace, and by welcoming and including others into our community…

Being a mature disciple comes down to two primary commitments: the commitment to the Great Commandment – loving others and loving God and the Great Commission – spreading the good news of Jesus. Of course, these two commitments are linked because if you genuinely love others, you want them to experience the same blessings that you experience. If you are having a great meal, you want to share your food with them. If you read an excellent book, you want to pass that book onto them, and if you love Jesus, you want to introduce them to Him, too. However, if you try to follow the commission of spreading the news without loving the people you want to reach, you come across as arrogant, manipulative or judgmental. These two commitments should always be lived out together…