Voices: Pastors, exercise isn’t self-care; it’s survival-care

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As the COVID-19 crisis has waned and churches continue to emerge from this chaotic season, there has been a steady stream of articles about pastors burning out, leaving pastoral ministry or retiring earlier than they intended.

The challenges associated with pastoral ministry are not new, of course, but they were amplified during this past season.

In many of the articles and books focused on preventing burnout and developing longevity in pastoral ministry, one of the prescriptions given to pastors is to make sure to take time for self-care. Pastors, often serving others at the expense of their own health, need to take time to ensure their physical, emotional and spiritual health.

Speaking for myself, the focus on self-care has been a great help and correction in my life as a pastor. Nevertheless, I have struggled with the term “self-care,” because I often and wrongly associate it with the notion it is an optional luxury or puts too much focus on self. For me, it has been helpful to change the term from “self-care” to “survival-care.”

When I think about survival-care, I no longer am thinking of an optional luxury. I am thinking about what needs to happen so I can survive and persevere in pastoral ministry for the glory of God.

Exercise prolongs my ministry

Since I became a pastor in June 2004, I have found exercise is one of the foundational habits of survival-care in pastoral ministry. To put it more bluntly, one of the top three reasons I am still a pastor is because of exercise. The other two and most important reasons are the personal disciplines and means of grace of taking in God’s word and prayer.

Exercise did not come easily to me, and it still doesn’t. As I became an older child, I preferred to watch TV and eat junk food. By the time I entered junior high, I was a tall, overweight teenager. When I entered seventh grade, I chose football as my extracurricular activity. Due to my height and size at the time, I found success as an offensive lineman.

As I continued in junior high and high school, I focused exercise on finding ways to “bulk up.” By the time I reached my senior year of high school, I weighed 250 pounds, had a 40-inch waist and could not complete a one-mile run. This was fine for playing offensive line, but it was not a good strategy for long-term physical health.

When my time of playing football ended and I entered college, I continued exercising by developing the disciplines of jogging and weightlifting. Practicing these disciplines not only caused me to lose 60 to 70 pounds, they have carried me through to today.


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Exercise requires discipline

Even though I have developed these disciplines, this exercise regimen does not come easily to me. Exercise is not my hobby or something I enjoy, and I do not always “feel the pleasure of God” when I run, as did Eric Liddell.

Author and retired Navy SEAL Jocko Willink said during an interview on The Tim Ferris Show: “Accomplishing your goals is not about motivation; it’s about discipline. … Don’t count on motivation. Count on discipline.”

In a similar vein, I have learned to rely on discipline, not motivation.

What exercise has done for my ministry

What I did not realize at the time I started the discipline of exercising was how crucial exercise would be in sustaining me in pastoral ministry. Exercise has:

• been an outlet to deal with stress in a healthy way,
• helped sustain my mental and physical health,
• taught me about endurance, and
• maintained my physical health and strength so I am available for however God decides to work in and through me.

Exercise became more than just a way to care for myself in pastoral ministry; it became a way of survival.

This is my story about the crucial role exercise has played in my life as a pastor, and I want to encourage and challenge other pastors to exercise. In recommending this, I am assuming someone who is able-bodied to a certain degree and has consulted with a doctor before beginning an exercise regimen. This is also focused on American pastors who often are more sedentary.

By doing a simple Google search of “pastors, exercise,” you will find lots of helpful articles and tools to help you learn why exercise is important and how to start exercising. These are helpful, but at some point, you have to find something that works for you and start.

The key is to do it. Do not make excuses. Do not be discouraged by a day or two of missing; start back up. Keep at it. Remember, when it comes to pastoral ministry, it is not just about self-care; it is about survival-care.

Ross Shelton is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Brenham. The views expressed are those of the author.


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