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Soul care is a very popular subject among pastors and their advocates, but what does it actually mean? The soul is often used as a synonym for the individual person and commonly translated as “life” (104 times) and “person” (38 times) in the Christian Standard Bible. Basically, soul care is self-care. So why should pastors and church leaders should take soul care seriously?
1. Soul care is a scriptural issue
The most important reason to take soul care seriously is because God told us to. In Acts 20:28, Paul says, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.”
In 1 Timothy 4:16, Paul tells Timothy, “Pay close attention to your life and your teaching; persevere in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
Pastors who pay attention to their teaching and flock while neglecting their own lives (souls) are ignoring God’s plainspoken Word. It was Jesus who told us the most important things we will do today and for the rest of our lives is love Him, our neighbors, and ourselves (Mark 12:30-31).
2. Soul care is a stewardship issue
A minister’s job description found in 1 Timothy 3–4 compels us to lead our lives, homes, and ministries intentionally. Scriptural soul care is stewarding our limited time and energy instead of always reacting to others’ emergencies and priorities. We are stewards, not saviors, of our churches. Unless Jesus is the true hero of your church, you may be neglecting yourself by over-reaching ministerially.
For example, if you consistently skip the Sabbath because you are afraid your church will fall apart without you, you have become an enabler instead of an equipper. Instead, deputize your deacons to lead in the care of senior adults. Help the dads in your church embrace their role in discipling their own kids.
Since Jesus is our king, we need to make sure He alone is the hero of His local church and our homes. At the height of his popularity, John the Baptist made it crystal clear to the crowd: “I am not the Christ” (John 1:20). Is that the message you are giving your church?
3. Soul care is a strategic issue
You are likely familiar with the following instructions offered by flight attendants before a plane takes off: “Should the cabin lose pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead area. Please place the mask over your own mouth and nose before assisting others.” Those instructions are important because you cannot help anyone on an airplane if you have passed out in your seat. Pastor, you can’t help anyone from the pulpit if you are passed out in the parsonage.
It is crucial for us as pastors to discern the difference between denying ourselves (biblical) and neglecting ourselves (unbiblical). Neglecting ourselves to help others is short-sighted. Pay better attention to your soul so you can pay better attention to your family, ministry, and self.
We practice soul care when we recapture the rhythm of work and rest God strategically put into place on the first day of creation. We practice soul care when we stop stress-pastoring through ministry week after week. We practice soul care by leading our families and ministries as though we are not the hero of either.
