The below excerpt is from my book The Renegade Pastor’s Guide to Managing the Stress of Ministry.

Taking mini-breaks is a great way to reduce your stress level and get more done at work at the same time. In fact, a recent study done by a group of researchers from Baylor University found a number of surprising benefits that happened when workers took mini-breaks throughout the day.

1. Higher levels of job satisfaction. People who take breaks during the day typically enjoy their job more than those who don’t. Think how important that can be when you are dealing with challenging people and circumstances. When you enjoy what you do, it makes the hard times easier to bear. When you enjoy your job, it is easier to remember that it’s more than a job —it’s a calling from God.
2. Reduced emotional exhaustion. Every pastor, even a Renegade Pastor, knows the occupation wears you down. But when you take mini-breaks, you have the opportunity to recharge during the day. You never get overly-depleted or emotionally exhausted. This keeps you moving forward on tough days.
3. More willingness to take on difficult projects. When you take mini-breaks, you take the opportunity to recharge emotionally and physically, as we said earlier. When you are refreshed, you have more energy, and your outlook is more positive. Those facts feed your faith, and you will find that you are more willing to take on those tasks that you may be procrastinating on.

As you can see, this study suggests that you will see a number of positive results from taking strategic mini-breaks. To make time for mini-breaks, you may need to rearrange your schedule a bit. But that work will be worth it when you are more relaxed, have more clarity and focus, experience more energy, and enjoy a positive outlook on your ministry.

We find that many pastors resist the idea of taking breaks — even once they understand how they could benefit from adopting the practice. After all, it’s something new. It means that you will need to do something differently, which can be scary and uncomfortable. And it goes against what we have heard from our earliest days. That kind of resistance may provide an acceptable excuse for average pastors to shy away from trying it. But you, as a Renegade, know that anything that cuts our stress level is worth pursuing — even if it means going against the grain.

– Nelson Searcy and Richard Jarman

The above excerpt is from p. 73-74 of The Renegade Pastor’s Guide to Managing the Stress of Ministry.

Pastors Nelson Searcy and Richard Jarman share their secrets to effective stress management with practical steps and insights that you can start implementing immediately! God wants you to be a fruitful, faithful minister of the gospel. He wants you, as a Renegade Pastor, to rise above average as you pursue God’s best for you, your family, and your ministry.

P.S. – Click here to grab your copy from Amazon today!

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.