3 Spiritual Vitality Warning Signs for Pastors

Discipleship is core to what we do as a church.

(Helping others grow in their faith.)

However, discipleship represents something much more than a program. Discipleship is something bigger than an institution that “organizes” a process for spiritual growth.

We are the church, and we are disciples!    

Discipleship is inherently organic but requires organization to reach more than just a few people. It also requires intentionality to move it from merely a human program to a supernatural process.

That represents a significant challenge — how to organize something in the natural realm that inherently belongs in the supernatural realm.

This is a huge subject, too large for one article. So, I’d like to focus on a specific slice of the discipleship arena, centering on these three questions:

• How do you live and lead above the warning signs?
• How do you fit into a process of discipleship?
• How do you as a pastor, church staff member, or spiritual leader develop your own spiritual vitality?

One solution is to participate in a small group, of which there is a wide variety of helpful options. That’s good, and can work well, but it usually ends up with the pastor (or staff member) leading the group. So now the pastor is back to leading and organizing which can lessen the personal spiritual impact.

This reality can leave the pastor, staff, or any spiritual leader without an intentional environment for spiritual growth.

It’s difficult to discern the level of your spiritual growth when you are professionally immersed in spiritually oriented church work.

The following are three warning signs concerning your personal spiritual vitality.

3 warning signs to pay attention to:

1) Past training becomes a substitute for current freshness.

Great training and experience are truly invaluable.
But there is also a risk.

The theological training and ministry experience you have as a spiritual leader may place you ahead of many in the congregation. Similar to a doctor knowing more about medicine than the patient or a lawyer who has studied the law.

However, if the doctor or lawyer relies solely on what they learned years ago, they will lack the necessary connection to what is new in the field. That results in a lack of current knowledge and skill that dramatically reduces their effectiveness.

It’s true that scripture doesn’t change like medicine or law. But we change, culture changes, and we engage every person right where they are in the moment. In fact, scripture says about itself, “. . . the word of God is alive and active.” Hebrews 4:12

There is a certain “freshness” about what God is doing today that matters. Including in your personal spiritual life as a pastor and leader.

We can’t lead well from last year’s spiritual fuel. We need a fresh touch from God today.

What is your current practice to sustain a fresh sense of God’s presence in your life and the ability to sense where He is leading?

2) Increasing leadership responsibility can stifle the growth of your faith.

The ideal experience is that the larger our leadership responsibility grows, the greater our dependence upon God becomes. In this way, increasing pressure can lead to greater faith.

However, it is all too common that the beauty of the church seems more like the beast. But I assure you, the church is an organized community of amazing beauty when functioning as designed. So, when it looks or feels like the beast, it’s time to discern why.

Part of the reason is that you are intricately involved in a never-ending process of helping people grow in their faith. It’s a messy process. Yes, it is rewarding, but it’s also exhausting. The irony is that as a spiritual leader, you can end up spiritually dry.

Is the good squeezing out the great? It’s good to shepherd and lead. But it’s great to pursue spiritual intimacy (the presence of God) and cultivate greater faith for your own soul. 

Galatians 6:9 reminds us to “not become weary in doing good.” But that can be twisted to mean “never stop.” That is not the intent.

Be careful not to overlook yourself in the very thing you help others experience. The principle of the “starving baker” describes this well. The baker bakes bread every day for everyone but himself, and over time he starves.

Taking regular time to focus on your personal spiritual growth is essential to keep going as a spiritually healthy leader.

What is your plan for cultivating your personal spiritual vitality? Is it?

• Consistent
• Doable
• Meaningful

3) The miraculous starts to become mundane.

When profound life change such as someone says yes to Jesus, a marriage is restored, or someone breaks free from an addiction — becomes business as usual, that’s a warning sign.

When life change seems more like an organizational success rather than a heart-stirring, moving, eternity-changing moment, that’s a warning sign.

I’ve experienced it personally. It’s not a good place to be as a spiritual leader. If it’s short-lived, it’s a normal experience, but if allowed to persist it will slowly derail you spiritually.  

There is a certain awe and wonder in the moment of baptism that is directly connected to the mystery of the gospel. Skill and systems are necessary, but we can never let them overtake the majesty and power of God.

What miracle are you believing God for in this season?

---

All three of these warning signs are part of the deeper process and the larger context of personal spiritual growth for the pastor.

The impact of these three realities is not limited to pastors, all spiritual leaders need to heed these signs, but pastors especially.  

5 practical questions to help keep your personal spiritual vitality alive and well:

1. What was the last thing God said to you and when?
2. Are you quick to follow the everyday prompts of the Holy Spirit?
3. What “spiritual life” book you are currently reading that is not part of your teaching preparation?
4. Are you in community with a few believers where you are known intimately, and you can be challenged and encouraged in your faith?
5. Is your prayer life all that you want it to be right now? If not, what is preventing it from becoming all that you want it to be?

I pray this post is of great encouragement to you.