The wholeness of Christ is promised upon those who serve Him. Many pastors tend to forget that God doesn't desire workers who are stressed out, tired, unhealthy and failing. God likes warriors who thrive in ministry work.
Ministry work can bring stress and health woes. According to a LifeWay Research article on Sept. 1, 2015, 84 percent of pastors in the U.S. say they're on call 24 hours a day, with 54 percent of them finding their work frequently overwhelming, and 48 percent often feeling that the demands of ministry work are more than they can handle. Pastors can indeed get into a lot of pressure, which should prompt them to take better care of themselves.
1 Peter 5:7 says, "Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." This promise is just as true for any pastor or church leader who serves the ministry on a full-time basis. God doesn't call any pastor to sacrifice his or her health and wholeness for the sake of the call of ministry.
Titus 1:7-8 tells us about some of the qualifications of pastors. They must be above reproach, not quick-tempered or drunkard, self-controlled and disciplined just to name a few.
Looking deeper into these qualifications, it's obvious that God calls for pastors to be healthy.
It would be a bad testimony for a pastor to preach God's goodness and desire for healing and full restoration when His health is failing due to stress, lack of proper exercise, bad diet and lack of rest. Even pastors need to observe and keep the Sabbath holy (Exodus 20:8).
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 tells us, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."
Just as God wants us to stay away from immorality and sin, He wants us also to take care of our physical bodies and physical health.
Many pastors today fail in their health because of plenty of anxiety issues, thinking that the weight of the whole church is on their shoulders.
That is an all too dangerous lie. The church does not rest on our shoulders, but on the shoulders of Jesus. As pastors love and serve church members as well as they should love and serve themselves when it is called for, Jesus reminds us that He will build and take care of the church for us.
