Building a Thriving Church Health Ecosystem Part 13: Spiritual Development of Pastors and Church Leaders

Spiritual Development of Pastors and Church Leaders

Spiritual Development of Pastors and Church Leaders

Dr Ian Duncum

Church Health Ecosystem Series | Post 13

A church can have a clear vision, capable staff, sound governance and a full calendar—and still be neglecting something foundational: the spiritual development of the people leading it.

We expect pastors to preach faithfully, care compassionately, lead wisely and help others grow in Christ. We expect elders and ministry leaders to exercise discernment, handle conflict graciously and serve without becoming possessive of their roles.

But where are these leaders themselves being formed?

Not simply trained for the next responsibility. Not merely encouraged to work harder at their personal devotions. Where are they becoming more attentive to God, more self-aware, more receptive to correction and more able to love people who make leadership difficult?

In a church health ecosystem, spiritual formation cannot be left to chance. It belongs alongside governance, leadership development, supervision, local mission and the other practices that sustain healthy churches.

The central question is not only, “What are our leaders accomplishing?” It is also, “Who are they passionately becoming?”

Of course these are connected: we rightly expect that a life intimately connected with God will overflow into leadership and service:

Romans 12:11 – "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." (NIV)

Ministry Can Crowd Out the Life That Sustains It

There is a particular difficulty in pastoral ministry: the activities that express our faith can gradually displace the practices that nourish it.

Reading Scripture becomes preparing a sermon. Prayer becomes opening a meeting or responding to someone else’s crisis. Worship becomes assessing how the service is going. Christian community becomes another setting in which we carry responsibility.

None of these activities is wrong. The problem arises when virtually every encounter with God becomes connected to delivering something for someone else.

Barna’s research illustrates the concern. Among US pastors who had considered leaving full-time ministry, 24% strongly agreed that their own spiritual formation had taken a back seat to pastoral duties, compared with 8% of pastors who had not considered leaving. They were also less likely to prioritise personal Bible reading or time to worship each week. These findings show an association, rather than a causality. Nevertheless, they deserve attention.[production.barna]

Australian research provides a complementary perspective. NCLS identifies nurturing, regular private spiritual practice as one of six personal foundations for ministry resilience. Its framework connects spiritual foundations with identity, dependence on God and an ongoing relationship with God.[https://www.ncls.org.au/categories/leadership/resilient-leadership/]

The implication is not that struggling pastors should simply pray more. It is that churches need to examine whether their expectations make the spiritual renewal of pastors and other leaders possible.

Formation Is More Than Maintaining Religious Habits

Spiritual development includes prayer, Scripture, worship and other disciplines. But it is not adequately measured by how many religious activities someone completes.

A leader can maintain devotional habits while becoming increasingly defensive, controlling or unavailable to the people closest to them.

I would describe spiritual development as the continuing work of becoming more responsive to God and more Christlike in the way we live and lead. Spiritual development in leadership is the continuous process of nurturing a leader's inner life, character, and core values—such as compassion, integrity, humility, and service—so that their influence flows from who they are rather than ego or surface-level authority.

That includes:

• Receiving our identity as people loved by God, rather than earning it through ministry success.

• Learning to listen before responding.

• Becoming honest about ambition, insecurity, disappointment and resentment.

• Exercising authority without needing to dominate.

• Recognising our limits and accepting help.

• Remaining teachable when challenged.

• Making room for repentance, forgiveness and repair.

These are not separate from leadership effectiveness. They shape how a leader uses power, responds to criticism and treats people when plans are under pressure.

The fruit of formation should become visible in relationships, not merely in a leader’s vocabulary.

The Church’s Culture Is Already Forming Its Leaders

Formation is happening whether or not we have a spiritual-development program.

Our meetings, budgets, appointment processes and responses to failure teach leaders what matters.

Consider the messages communicated when:

• The person who is always available is praised as the most committed.

• A leader who raises concerns is labelled negative.

• Financial generosity purchases disproportionate influence.

• Public gifting excuses private harshness.

• Holidays are repeatedly interrupted.

• Church growth makes difficult questions unwelcome.

These practices form people too.

They can teach leaders to hide weakness, avoid challenge and attach their identity to maintaining momentum.

The alternative is not a culture without expectations. It is a culture where responsibility is accompanied by care, truthfulness and appropriate limits.

NCLS’s sustainable-leadership guidance explicitly includes reflection on power and spiritual authority, constructive feedback, whole-person care, Sabbath, retreats and ongoing spiritual formation. That is a broader agenda than keeping leaders cheerful enough to continue working.[https://www.ncls.org.au/categories/leadership/resilient-leadership/]

Build Rhythms, Not Another Burden

The answer is not to add an exhausting spiritual-development schedule to an already overloaded life.

Instead, help leaders establish a few sustainable rhythms suited to their circumstances and Christian tradition.

For some, this will include unhurried Scripture reading, journalling and silence. Others may connect deeply with God through walking, music, shared prayer or reflective conversation.

I have found it valuable in my own life and in my work with pastors and denominational leaders to discern spiritual practices that are suited to the growth of each individual. The point is not to make everyone adopt the same practices. It is to make space for genuine attention to God.

A practical pattern might include:

• A regular time of prayer and Scripture that is not sermon preparation.

• A weekly rhythm of ceasing ordinary ministry work.

• Occasional time away for reflection and renewal.

• A trusted relationship in which the leader can speak honestly.

• Periodic review of what is nourishing faith and what has become mechanical.

NCLS recommends Sabbath practice, retreats and ongoing spiritual formation as part of sustainable leadership, while emphasising individually appropriate care and supportive relationships.[https://www.ncls.org.au/categories/leadership/resilient-leadership/]

Start with what is realistic. A modest rhythm that becomes embedded is more useful than an impressive plan abandoned after three weeks.

Supervision, Mentoring and Spiritual Direction Have Different Contributions

Leaders need places where they are not required to be the strongest person in the room.

However, it helps to distinguish the kinds of support we are offering.

Professional supervision provides structured reflection on ministry practice, including the leader’s responses, relationships, responsibilities and use of authority.

Mentoring can bring encouragement, challenge and wisdom through a developmental relationship.

Spiritual direction gives particular attention to the person’s relationship with God and their experience of God’s presence and activity.

These relationships can overlap, but they should not be treated as interchangeable. Nor should any of them automatically be expected to provide counselling or clinical treatment.

NCLS includes supervision, mentoring, coaching and spiritual direction among important professional support networks for church leaders. It also encourages relationships outside ministry, where people are known as themselves rather than primarily as “the pastor.”

My encouragement is to ask not simply, “Does this leader have support?” but, “Is it the right support, and can they use it honestly?”

A leader may have many contacts yet no safe place to acknowledge doubt, grief or exhaustion.

Do Not Confuse Spiritual Struggle with Spiritual Failure

We need to be careful about how we interpret a leader’s distress.

Someone who is exhausted, depressed, grieving or experiencing conflict may find prayer and worship difficult. That does not justify concluding that they have become spiritually careless.

Nor should we assume that renewed devotional discipline will resolve every problem.

A church may need to address excessive demands, unresolved conflict, harmful behaviour, inadequate staffing or unrealistic role expectations. A leader may also need professional healthcare.

NCLS’s whole-person approach includes physical wellbeing, mental and emotional health, relationships and personal spirituality. Spiritual development belongs within that wider picture, not in competition with it.

A healthier response begins with curiosity: What is happening? What support is needed? What needs to change in the environment?

Prayer should accompany these questions, not replace them.

Include Elders, Boards and Volunteer Leaders

Spiritual development is not only a pastoral-staff issue.

Elders make decisions affecting people’s lives. Board members exercise authority over budgets, employment and organisational direction. Ministry leaders influence team culture and model what Christian service and the apprpriate use of power looks like.

They need formation too.

A leadership team’s spiritual life should involve more than a brief devotional before moving to the “real business.”

Make room to consider:

• How are we exercising power?

• Whose voice do we find difficult to hear?

• Are our decisions consistent with our stated values?

• Where have fear or personal preference shaped our judgement?

• Is there a relationship we need to repair?

• What are we learning about serving together?

These questions connect formation to governance.

What Churches Can Do

Local churches do not need an elaborate program to begin. They need clear commitments that become normal practice.

First, protect time. If formation matters, leaders need permission to spend time in it without feeling that they are neglecting legitimate work.

Second, provide resources. Include appropriate supervision, retreats, mentoring or spiritual direction in ministry-development budgets where possible.

Third, review the role. A pastor cannot sustain healthy rhythms if the position assumes permanent availability and unlimited responsibility.

Fourth, ask better questions. Alongside ministry reports, ask what is sustaining the leader, where the pressure is greatest and what support would help.

The aim is supported responsibility: leaders remain accountable, while having space to grow.

What Denominations Can Do

Denominations help establish what is normal, legitimate and valued.

They can make spiritual development part of the leadership journey—from initial formation and placement through transitions, senior leadership and retirement.

Practical steps include:

1. Providing accessible information about supervision, mentoring and spiritual direction. and like every other people helping discipline, mandating such support.

2. Supporting regional and online peer relationships.

3. Helping churches plan and fund formation opportunities.

4. Training leaders to recognise unhealthy expectations and misuse of authority.

5. Including spiritual development in continuing education.

6. Reviewing whether denominational demands support or undermine sustainable ministry.

Listen to different circumstances. A sole pastor in a regional church, a bivocational leader and an executive pastor in a large church will need different arrangements.

The standard should be meaningful access, not identical provision.

A Starting Point for the Next Three Months

Here is a manageable exercise for your church leadership team.

Invite each person to reflect privately on four questions:

• What is helping me remain attentive to God?

• What is crowding out that attention?

• Where can I speak honestly about my life and leadership?

• What one change would make my leadership more spiritually sustainable?

Then discuss what the team can change together.

Choose one personal commitment and one organisational commitment.

The personal commitment might be rebuilding a neglected rhythm or seeking appropriate support. The organisational commitment might be changing meeting patterns, clarifying availability or funding a support relationship.

Set a review date. Ask what was helpful, what proved unrealistic and what needs adjusting.

Do not turn this into another compliance exercise. Keep the conversation grounded in grace, honesty and learning.

The Foundation We Cannot Outsource

Healthy churches need good structures, clear direction and capable leadership. But these do not remove the need for leaders who are themselves being formed.

Spiritual development is not an optional addition once the ministry is running smoothly. It belongs within the everyday life of the church health ecosystem.

The responsibility is shared. Leaders need to engage honestly with their own growth. Churches need to create supportive conditions. Denominations need to provide pathways and reinforce healthy expectations.

We cannot manufacture spiritual maturity through policy. But we can stop building systems that make it unnecessarily difficult.

Let us care about the people our leaders are becoming—not only the ministries they are producing.

Bring This Back to the Church Health Ecosystem

This is where spiritual development connects with the other parts of the ecosystem.

A vision process invites discernment about what matters. Governance clarifies how authority will be exercised. Supervision provides space to examine ministry practice. Mentoring helps leaders learn through relationship. Reviews create opportunities for feedback and adjustment.

None of these automatically produces spiritual maturity. But each can become a setting in which leaders practise attentiveness, humility, courage and love.

(This post is part of the Church Health Ecosystem blog series, designed for denominational leaders, clergy, trainers, and researchers interested in evidence-based ministry and organisational health.)

© 2026 Ian Duncum. All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission.

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Rev Dr Ian Duncum is a trained and accredited church consultant with over 20 years of experience with non-profit enterprises and churches across several denominations. This includes denominational leadership in church health, church planting, consultancy training, and adjunct lecturing & research in the tertiary education sector. An accredited minister with a track record of growing churches, Ian trains church consultants, facilitates training for ministers and leaders, and supervises pastors and other leaders. Ian can be contacted at ian@ianduncum.com.au.