Executive pastors Zac Ashley (Bay Area Church), Jeff Young (Champion Forest Baptist Church), and Stephen Trammell (Houston's First Baptist Church) sit down with UBA’s Executive Director Josh Ellis to talk about the challenges and rewards of being an executive pastor. They also talk about how they balance their work and family life.
Stephen Trammell notes the pressure that comes with the job of executive pastor. To do it well, leaders must learn to balance ministry, marriage, and family. He tries to deal with this pressure by having a waffle/pancake analogy for transitioning between work and family time. Work might be compartmentalized from one meeting to the next, but when he’s home, his attention and energy are completely focused there.
Jeff Young notes how different life stages will come with different work-life balances. As an empty nester, his work can bleed more into family time without bothering his wife. Ultimately, you have to find a natural way to disengage from work through hobbies and phone-free dinners. Resist the temptation to be constantly on call.
Zac Ashley agrees that rhythms are essential. He has also learned to let go of perfectionism and is now more comfortable delegating tasks and responsibilities. If a leader is prone to perfectionism, they need to learn their “good enough” is “good enough.”
He also says that leaders also need to discern what a real emergency is and what can wait for later—which the other two agree about.
Trammell adds that leaders have to delegate not only tasks but also the emotional weight of tasks and leadership. He cites Managing Leadership Anxiety and The Body Keeps the Score as good sources for learning to manage leadership stress.
Overall, the video is a candid and insightful conversation about the challenges and rewards of being an executive pastor. It is a valuable resource for anyone who is considering a career in ministry or who is interested in learning more about the role of an executive pastor.
This video is part of a 4-part series on the role of the executive pastor. You can watch the rest of these three videos below.
Let’s put aside time and convenience to embrace a desperation for God.