Like many pastors, I assumed that when my chest tightened and my to-do list felt like it had teeth, I was somehow doing it wrong—living outside God’s best, missing some secret formula for “peace that surpasses understanding.” Stress, I believed, was a neon sign flashing Failure! over my life.
But recently, I learned something that turned that assumption upside down.
I stumbled across the difference between distress and eustress—two words that describe two very different stories that stress can tell. It was Hans Selye, a scientist in the 1970s, who first named them. Distress is the story most of us know: the grinding, overwhelming kind of stress that erodes hope and health. But eustress (from the Greek word for “good”) is a different tale altogether—it’s the energizing, growth-stretching kind of stress that actually strengthens you.
It hit me hard:
Stress isn’t always the enemy. Misinterpreted stress is.
A Different Kind of Fight
As I dug deeper, I learned that the key difference between distress and eustress isn’t the size of the problem. It’s the way our hearts appraise it.
When a challenge feels bigger than our resources, it mutates into distress. But when a challenge feels just within reach, it sparks eustress—fueling learning, resilience, even joy. In God’s kindness, our bodies are wired to handle both—but they thrive when we name the story rightly.
And here’s where it got personal.
I thought about the new ministry initiatives we were launching—the way excitement had so quickly soured into sleepless nights, tangled in what-ifs and worst-case scenarios. Distress had been gnawing at me, not because the task was inherently bad, but because somewhere along the way, I had lost the perspective that God equips those He calls. I had stopped seeing the opportunity and only saw the threat.
Choosing to Reframe
One small but profound practice I’ve started since is learning to reframe stressful situations intentionally—right there in the moment. When a heavy meeting or a tight sermon deadline looms, I now ask myself:
“Is this a threat—or a stretch?”
“Is God exposing my weakness to shame me—or inviting me to trust Him for more?”
It’s startling how often my gut response changes. What once felt like distress now feels more like holy eustress—a chance to lean harder on the Spirit and discover new muscles I didn’t know I had.
I also started building small recovery rhythms into my days: pausing for prayer after long meetings, taking five-minute walks between writing sprints, practicing actual Sabbath instead of “crash-and-binge” days off. Those tiny margins aren’t indulgences. They are what allow eustress to sharpen me without tipping into burnout.
A Takeaway for the Weary Leader
If you’re reading this, weighed down under the demands of ministry, let me remind you:
Stress is not a sign you’re failing. It may be the sign you’re growing.
The enemy would love to convince you that every heavy moment is a sentence of doom. But Scripture reminds us:
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair…” (2 Corinthians 4:8)
In Christ, even our pressure points become places of renewal.
The challenge is not to eliminate stress (an impossible goal) but to rightly interpret it—to ask what kind of story it’s telling, and who’s holding the pen.
So the next time your heart races before you step into a hard conversation, or your mind spins with deadlines and sermons and counseling appointments, pause. Take a breath. Name the moment:
“This isn’t a threat. It’s an invitation.”
And walk forward with hope.
God is not just the God of peace in our stillness.
He is the God of strength in our striving.
And remarkably, He uses even the pressures of ministry—not to crush us—but to carve us more fully into the likeness of Christ.
May we be those who see God’s hand even in the weight, and who trust that in every pressure, He is making us more like His Son.
“Let all things be done decently and in order.” —1 Corinthians 14:40
There is beauty in order. There is fruit in clarity. And in the work of leadership—especially the holy work of discipling others into leadership—clarity is not optional. It is essential.
L.E.A.D. With Clarity is a practical framework for cultivating confident, capable leaders through progressive delegation. It’s not merely a to-do list for managers, but a pathway for stewardship. A way of passing on responsibility with wisdom, discernment, and trust.
Why Clarity in Delegation Matters
Confusion is costly. When leaders are vague, teams become hesitant. But when expectations are made plain—when words are chosen carefully and roles are clearly defined—something powerful happens: confidence grows, collaboration flourishes, and leadership multiplies.
This model is rooted in classic theories like the Situational Leadership® Model and echoes voices like Gavin Adams, yet it offers fresh language and deeply practical cues. It is meant not for ivory towers but for living, breathing teams. It is designed for churches, ministries, and organizations committed to seeing their people flourish.
The Four Empowerment Levels at a Glance
Each level pairs authority with ability, and freedom with faithfulness:
L.E.A.D. With Clarity: A Pathway to Confident, Capable Leadership 2
Let’s walk through each level together—not as rungs to climb quickly, but as stages to walk prayerfully.
Level 1: Learn
At this first level, the leader must speak plainly and specifically. There is no room for ambiguity here. It is not micromanagement—it is mercy. You are not burdening someone with decisions they’re not ready to make. You are offering them the gift of clarity.
What to say:
“Here’s what I need you to do. Please follow my instructions exactly as given. I’ve already explored the options and know the exact steps I want taken.”
This level is best when the goal is execution, not exploration. It works beautifully with:
New team members
Contractors and virtual assistants
Tasks requiring precision, not interpretation
Clarity here is not restrictive; it is instructive. It builds confidence and sets a foundation for what comes next.
Level 2: Explore
“The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.” —Proverbs 18:15
Level 2 is an invitation. You’re no longer handing over just a task—you’re offering an opportunity to think, reason, and grow. The leader still holds the final authority, but the team member begins to stretch their wings.
What to say:
“Here’s what I need you to do. Research the topic, outline the options, and then make a recommendation. Provide the pros and cons of each, and tell me what you think we should do. If I agree with your decision, I’ll authorize you to move forward.”
Use this level when:
You’re mentoring future leaders
The task has options, but requires oversight
You want to delegate thinking, but retain approval
This stage slows you down at first, but speeds up your team’s maturity. You are teaching others to weigh options and present reasoned recommendations—a gift that will multiply in time.
Level 3: Act
At Level 3, the leader shifts from instructor to encourager. The work of discernment now belongs to the team member. Your job is to equip and release. To trust and watch.
What to say:
“Here’s what I need you to do. Make the best decision you can. Take action. Then tell me what you did.” (Optional: “Keep me updated on your progress.”)
This level is best for:
Trusted contributors
Projects that don’t need constant check-ins
Leaders ready for more freedom
You are still informed, but no longer the bottleneck. It is both freeing and stretching—for you and for them.
Level 4: Decide
“The one who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much.” —Luke 16:10
Level 4 is the final step in the delegation journey. It is the place where you, the leader, step fully aside. It is not abandonment—it is an act of full trust. Of saying: “You have shown yourself faithful. Now lead.”
What to say:
“Here’s what I need you to do. Make whatever decision you think is best. There’s no need to report back or tell me what you did.”
Use this level when:
Trust has been earned through consistency
The scope is clear and the risks are acceptable
You’re ready to fully release ownership
This is where leaders multiply. Where capacity expands. Where you no longer have to touch every decision—and that is a very good thing.
A Final Word: Stewarding Responsibility with Wisdom
In ministry and leadership alike, delegation is not about getting things off your plate. It is about discipleship. It is about calling others to walk in wisdom, to grow in responsibility, and to flourish in faithfulness.
The L.E.A.D. With Clarity model helps you do just that. Not hastily, but intentionally. Not recklessly, but prayerfully. And always with the end in mind—not simply tasks completed, but leaders developed.
“Clarity and trust are not opposing forces—they are partners in leadership.”
So lead with both. Speak clearly. Delegate intentionally. And as you do, you may just find that you are building not just a team—but a legacy.
As a pastor, I often find myself reflecting on how to better connect with and guide my congregation. The cultural tides are shifting rapidly, and as leaders of faith communities, we must stay attuned to these changes if we hope to shepherd well into the future.
This past week, I spent time engaging with two significant research efforts from the Barna Group: their State of the Church 2025 initiative and the newly released Gen Z Volume 3. What I discovered was both enlightening and challenging—offering timely insights into the evolving landscape of church life and the spiritual hunger of the next generation.
A Glimpse into the Future Church
Barna’s State of the Church 2025 offers a compelling forecast of where the church is headed. At first, I met the data with some skepticism—wondering how charts, graphs, and statistics could fully capture the spiritual heartbeat of a congregation.
Yet as I read deeper, I was surprised by how closely the report echoed what I’ve observed in my own ministry. It spoke of:
A continued shift toward digital engagement
A growing hunger for authentic community
An urgent need for spiritual transparency and depth
These aren’t just distant trends—they’re realities we are already experiencing. The data validated the undercurrents I’ve sensed among those in the pews.
The Call for Spiritual Authenticity
What struck me most was the emphasis on spiritual authenticity. Time and again, I see people—young and old alike—longing for a faith that’s real, raw, and deeply personal. Barna’s research confirmed that this desire is not isolated; it’s widespread.
This insight challenged me to ask: How are we creating spaces for authenticity in our churches? Are we giving people permission to wrestle, ask questions, express criticisms and doubt without fear?
For our ministry, this means moving beyond surface-level engagement and building a culture that nurtures honest faith journeys.
Understanding Gen Z: A Generation of Opportunity
Next, I turned to Gen Z Volume 3. My initial feeling was a mix of curiosity and caution. Gen Z is often described as complex, digital-first, and emotionally attuned. Could we really meet them where they are?
Barna’s report made it clear: this generation is seeking emotional health, meaningful connection, and spiritual authenticity. They are not disengaged—they’re searching. But they want to engage on relational, truthful terms through formats that reflect their world.
Rethinking Ministry for a New Generation
This realization led to some practical thoughts. What if we started piloting scripture-saturated small group sessions focused on storytelling, vulnerability, and the real-life application of faith. These aren’t programs designed to entertain; they’re meant to build trust and make space for real conversations.
Young people want to talk—they just need to know we’re listening.
Insights as Tools, Not Templates
Both Barna reports offered more than statistics—they offered a roadmap for ministry. They reminded me that effective leadership today requires more than tradition; it requires curiosity, adaptability, and a willingness to learn.
As pastors and ministry leaders, we must approach cultural shifts not as threats but as Good News opportunities. Invitations to rethink, relearn, and reimagine how we disciple others in a rapidly evolving world.
Moving Forward with Courage and Grace
In the busyness of weekly sermons and pastoral responsibilities, it’s easy to overlook broader trends. But if we hope to shape churches that endure and flourish, we must take time to reflect, learn, and adapt.
So, what’s the takeaway?
Let’s not fear change—let’s engage with it. Let’s use insights like those from the Barna Group as tools to better understand the people we serve. And above all, let’s lead with love.
In writing this, I’ve found renewed inspiration. I’m reminded that we are not just caretakers of tradition—we are co-creators of the church’s future. May we step into that calling with open hands, willing hearts, and the courage to lead well.
We don’t often speak about pastoral succession in our churches — not in the way we need to.
We might allude to it in elder meetings or crack a nervous joke about “preaching until we drop,” but rarely do we treat it as the serious, spiritual responsibility that it is. And yet, leadership transitions are not an if but a when. We will all, eventually, step aside.
Recently, I read a doctoral thesis that offered a gentle but urgent nudge. It wasn’t loud or dramatic. It was thoughtful and quietly convicting — the kind of writing that does what God’s Word so often does: lays us bare and builds us up.
Among its many insights, one rose to the surface like a truth I already knew but hadn’t dared say out loud: to lead well is to prepare others to lead after you.
Leadership Isn’t a Lifetime Appointment
There’s a sacredness to pastoral leadership — and with that comes a temptation to treat the role as something permanent. But biblically speaking, leadership is a season, not a possession.
The research I reviewed pointed to a compelling statistic: 84% of churches in America lack a written succession plan for their senior pastor (Vanderbloemen & Bird, Next: Pastoral Succession That Works). Let that sit with you for a moment.
Eighty-four percent.
That means most churches are unprepared for the inevitable — be it retirement, illness, moral failure, or the quiet nudge of the Holy Spirit calling a pastor to a new season. The absence of a plan is rarely out of apathy. More often, it’s out of discomfort. But faithfulness invites us into discomfort when it’s required for the flourishing of God’s people.
The “Moses Effect” — And the Cost of Delay
The thesis described a leadership pattern called the “Moses Effect.” It refers to faithful pastors who lead well for decades but remain in their role long past the season of fruitfulness — often without training a successor.
The image is compelling: Moses led the people out of Egypt, but Joshua led them into the Promised Land. God’s purposes required both. And for the transition to work, the baton had to be passed intentionally.
We are not Moses forever. We are stewards for a time. The question is: will we raise up Joshua while we still can?
Succession Planning Is Spiritual Formation
Succession is not just a leadership issue — it is a discipleship issue. It is the natural extension of what Jesus modeled.
Jesus didn’t just preach the kingdom. He prepared people to preach after Him.
He empowered His disciples. He equipped them. And — maybe most counterintuitively — He left. He did not cling to His earthly ministry. He completed it, and in doing so, gave it away.
To prepare a successor is to say with our lives what we preach with our lips: This ministry was never mine to begin with. It belongs to God, and He will raise up the next shepherd, just as He raised up me.
Why We Delay (and Why We Can’t)
So why don’t churches plan?
The research uncovered familiar obstacles: fear of financial insecurity, emotional attachment to the role, fear of irrelevance, and, perhaps most deeply, the absence of a vision for what comes next.
As a consultant, I’ve seen this up close. Churches hope the conversation will wait until a better time — after Easter, after the budget is settled, after this next hire. But succession planning is never urgent until it’s too urgent.
The longer we wait, the more we risk:
Leadership confusion
Loss of trust
Congregational division
Ministry decline
Planning doesn’t weaken your leadership. It strengthens your legacy.
A Better Way Forward
You don’t need a retirement date on the calendar to begin thinking about succession.
Here’s what you do need:
The humility to admit your season has limits.
The courage to ask who God might be raising up.
The wisdom to involve others in the process.
The love to leave well — not for your sake, but for theirs.
Because a leader who loves their people prepares them not just for this season, but for the next.
One Takeaway for All of Us
Successions are not about endings, but about endurance.
It is the quiet, courageous work of ensuring the Church continues — not on your shoulders, but on the shoulders of those you’ve discipled, mentored, prayed for, and released.
We are not called to be the cornerstone. We are called to build faithfully upon it.
So whether you’re a lead pastor, a board member, or someone serving behind the scenes, consider this an invitation: to begin the conversation, to trust the Spirit’s timing, and to believe that what God started through you, He will continue — through someone else.
Because the true measure of leadership is not what we keep. It’s what we leave.
The sands of culture shift as swiftly as the desert winds. As ministry leaders, we can either lament the changing landscape or engage with it—wisely, strategically, and with unwavering faith.
These trends ask for our attention—not just as passive observers but as shepherds called to guide our flocks through an era of transformation.
1. The Reshaping of Faith: Is the Church Ready?
One of the most striking trends in Barna’s findings is the growing shift away from a biblical characterization of God. Many Americans are redefining God into a less demanding, more accommodating figure—one that fits neatly within their worldview.
Coupled with this is the rise of syncretism, where people blend elements of Christianity with various philosophical and spiritual beliefs. The result? A dilution of the biblical worldview, where absolute truth is replaced with personal preference.
This should stop us in our tracks. If discipleship is already struggling, as the study suggests, then our task is even clearer: we must reclaim a culture of deep, transformative discipleship. Sermons alone won’t suffice. The next generation needs robust mentorship, biblical literacy, and a faith that isn’t easily swayed by cultural currents.
Are we equipping believers to defend and live out their faith, or are we simply maintaining traditions?
2. The Church Beyond the Building: A Decentralized Future
Another growing trend is the decentralization of worship. Traditional church models face new challenges as more believers explore home-based gatherings, digital discipleship, and alternative faith communities.
This isn’t just a logistical shift—it’s a theological one. If people are moving away from traditional Sunday gatherings, are we still discipling them effectively? Are we preparing leaders who can shepherd in homes, coffee shops, and workplaces?
Jesus built His church not on a location but on people—people who made disciples wherever they went. If the structures are shifting, perhaps our mindset needs to shift as well.
Instead of resisting change, we should ask: How can we innovate while staying rooted in biblical truth?
3. The Call to Justice: Is the Church Leading or Lagging?
For years, the church has wrestled with its role in social justice. Some fear that engagement in justice issues means embracing secular activism. Others believe that if the church doesn’t step in, it will lose credibility with an emerging generation that deeply values justice and advocacy.
Barna’s research confirms that the expectation for churches to be active in justice work isn’t fading—it’s intensifying. And if we take Micah 6:8 seriously—“To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God”—then we must ask:
Are we teaching our congregations how to live justice, not just talk about it?
Does our orthodoxy inform our orthopraxy?
Justice is not a trend; it’s a biblical mandate. It’s time for the church to lead with both truth and compassion.
4. The Mental Health Crisis: A Silent Epidemic in Our Pews
One of the most alarming cultural shifts highlighted in the report is the rising tide of mental health issues—especially anxiety and depression. This is not just a societal issue; it’s a church issue.
How many in our congregations suffer in silence because they fear judgment instead of support? How many are turning elsewhere for help because the church hasn’t made space for their struggles?
The gospel speaks to the whole person—body, mind, and soul. The church must become a sanctuary for healing, where biblical truth and compassionate care meet. This means equipping pastors and ministry leaders to engage with mental health in meaningful, informed ways.
5. The Future of Discipleship: From Consumers to Participants
At the heart of all these trends is a common thread: a shift from institutional faith to personalized, lived-out belief. More than ever, people want a faith that feels real—not just something they consume on Sundays.
This challenges us to ask: Are we making disciples or just creating churchgoers?
Discipleship in 2025 won’t be about attracting crowds—it will be about engaging hearts and minds. It will require relational investment, intentional mentorship, and a willingness to adapt how we disciple without compromising what we teach.
A Challenge to Ministry Leaders
The church is not dying. But it is changing. And the leaders who will thrive in this new era are the ones who see these shifts not as threats, but as opportunities.
We are called to disciple people, not just maintain institutions.
We are called to shepherd—not simply preserve the status quo.
So as we step into 2025 and beyond, let’s ask ourselves:
Are we preparing our people to navigate a world where truth is contested?
Are we equipping them to live out justice, not just debate it?
Are we cultivating communities that foster mental, spiritual, and relational health?
Are we discipling in ways that go beyond Sunday services?
These are not easy questions—but they are necessary ones.
The future of faith in America is being written right now. The only question is: Will we, as ministry leaders, rise to the occasion?
What are your thoughts? How is your church preparing for these shifts?
