Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More

Thanks so much for stopping in for another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we have Tyler Reagin joining us again. Tyler is the president of Catalyst, which works to serve and equip church leaders through conferences and one day events across the country.

We’re chatting with Tyler about the interior life of leaders and how to keep healthy as you serve in ministry.

• Burnout is not an option. // A common challenge among ministry leaders is maintaining wholeness, health, and avoiding burnout among the many demands of serving the church. Day in and day out leaders can be tempted to deal with stress in addictive outlets or unhealthy ways. Recently Tyler had two friends who left ministry because of burnout, so he knew that burnout needed to be something that Catalyst had to address in its conferences. As Tyler says: burnout’s not an option. You don’t have to be unhealthy to get help, and you don’t always have to turn to a counselor. One way to avoid burnout is through healthy friendships as a leader. Surround yourself with people whom you trust and who will hold you accountable. Being held accountable by a close friend who cares about you may hurt, but you can be certain it’s coming from a place of love. They care about you and want you to be healthy, so allow these relationships into your life.
• Learn self-awareness. // The best leaders lead from their true self. Remember Psalm 139: God knit us together, so we need to trust that our callings match perfectly with the way we were created. Some leaders aren’t okay with their own wiring, personality and giftedness, and instead spend their time chasing other people’s unique callings. Be honest with yourself and know who you were created to be.
• Choose to relieve stress in a healthy way. // Stress will always come out in one way or another. Choose the option of relieving it in a healthy way, rather than allowing it to build up and find a damaging outlet. As Tyler shares, he likes to relieve his stress with a few hours of golf. Golfing allows him to have time to think about something else instead of work and return to the office with new perspective.
• Build friendships. // Working hard shouldn’t negate time for friendships. “If you want to see what a healthy leader looks like, look at their circle of friends,” Tyler says. “If they don’t have meaningful relationships with friends, that’s an issue.” Don’t allow yourself to become isolated and alone in your work. At the end of your career, be known not just as a pastor, but as a great friend too.
• Outcomes are in God’s hands. // Go out and work with all your heart, but sleep knowing that it all depends on God. Most of all, remember you don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. Do your best, and do what God leads you to do. Do your work, but be home for your family. Trust God to provide and leave the outcomes in His hands as you take care of your inner life.

Learn more about Catalyst at their website at www.catalystleader.com or visit Tyler Reagin at his website at www.tylerreagin.com.

Thank You for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally!

Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! 

Lightning Round

Helpful Tech Tools // Slack, Animoji

Ministries Following // Hillsong

Influential Book // The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown and Wonder by R. J. Palacio

Inspiring Leader // Jack Nicklaus

What does he do for fun // Hanging with kids, wife and friends

Contact // catalystleader.com or www.tylerreagin.com