Over the years, MinistryWatch has reported on pastoral burnout and the ministries that have stepped in to meet that need. For many leaders, the strain not only comes from long hours—it is the work that follows them home. As one minister told MinistryWatch, even a week off does not necessarily quiet the mind: ”You never really stop.”
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Many ministry leaders are “wired to serve, to sacrifice, to say ‘yes,'” Citygate Network told MinistryWatch. But when leaders neglect their spiritual, mental, relational, or physical health, the ripple effects are significant: “Families feel it. Staff feel it. Boards feel it. Stakeholders feel it. And ultimately, the ministry feels it.”
Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) President Jedd Medefind told MinistryWatch the people and teams they serve need to encounter the love of God—not only in the abstract, but embodied. “I struggle to reflect that kind of love when I’m exhausted and spiritually dry.”
This is the backdrop for the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability’s (ECFA) newest accreditation requirement: an eighth standard, Excellence in Leader Care, added alongside the Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship, which require boards to proactively support senior leaders. ECFA wrote the standard intentionally simply: the board and senior leader develop a care plan for the senior leader, and the board approves it annually to maintain consistent attention to the leader’s holistic well-being and integrity.
In its commentary on the Eighth Standard, ECFA clarifies the senior leader’s responsibilities, defines the board’s supportive oversight role, and requires an annually approved leader care plan. It also provides examples of “substantive, observable, and proactive” practices ministries can tailor to demonstrate compliance.
ECFA told MinistryWatch many ministries and donors recognize the need for leader care—the biggest gap is that many organizations don’t know where to start.
The listicle below translates the new standard into practical, board-level steps—drawing on ECFA’s guidance and on-the-ground insight from two of the standard’s 63 public endorsers, Citygate and CAFO—about common gaps, early wins, and what changes after a year of intentional practice.
1) Begin by understanding the standard’s requirements
ECFA’s commentary clarifies the responsibilities of both the senior leader and the board, calls for prompt action, and gives ministries significant flexibility to apply the standard in their own context.
Core compliance elements:
- Care plan: The senior leader and the board (or a board-approved committee) collaboratively develop a care plan for the leader.
- Annual approval + minutes: The board approves the plan annually and documents that approval in board or committee minutes.
- Timing: Effective January 1, 2027, ECFA expects compliance during the 2027 renewal cycle.
Additional Resources:
Raising the Standard of Care for Leaders
ECFA’s New Leadership Standard Q&A (recorded webinar)
2) Treat Leader Care as an extension of stewardship
The Leader Care Executive Summary points to rising burnout, leader departures, and integrity failures—and reports that 94% of senior leaders and board chairs believe these failures erode community and donor trust.
The standard takes the same posture, framing leader health as a stewardship issue: leadership failures erode trust and can force program cuts, so boards should treat leader care with the seriousness they bring to financial oversight.
When the load increases but the support structure does not, a leader’s health is put at risk, and long-term sustainability can suffer,” Citygate told MinistryWatch. “Leaders need more than resilience and tenacity,” Citygate said: “They need to be cared for, seen, strengthened, protected, and poured into. That is what faithful human stewardship looks like.”
Additional Resources:
7 Essentials for Excellence in Leader Care
Called to Serve: The Error of Leadership Indifference
Leader Care IS Good Governance (free recorded webinar for ECFA members)
3) Commission a Leader Care team—and make follow-through part of board life
ECFA’s Sample Leader Care Board Policy calls boards to commission a small senior leader care team, led by the board chair, to collaborate with the senior leader on a plan with “substantive, observable, and proactive goals,” revisit it annually, and oversee follow-through. The policy also sets the tone: engagement should be “spiritually-led, supportive, informal, friendly, and enjoyable”—regular touchpoints that reinforce expectations.
Possible starting points:
- Commission a 2–3 person LeaderCare team (board chair + 1–2 members).
- Set a simple rhythm: annual plan approval (Q4/Q1) and a mid-year check-in (“Are the plan elements happening?”).
- Receive a brief annual report with any recommendations for additional support.
Possible documentation:
- Minutes note documenting annual plan adoption/renewal.
- Minutes line recording the team’s commissioning.
Additional Resources:
Boards 101: Sample Board Minutes
4) Start with prayer, then move to conversation
ECFA places board prayer at the center of leader care, urging boards to establish a consistent practice of praying for the senior leader and their family.
On the Leader Care page, ECFA takes an additional step, noting that when prayer moves to conversation, boards learn how to support leaders under spiritual pressure.
Possible starting points:
- Make prayer for the senior leader a standing agenda item.
- Build a leader care rhythm by regularly asking your senior leader about prayer needs, spiritual health, vacations, and supportive relationships outside the organization.
- Use structured prompts for clarity and carefully-intentioned delivery.
Additional Resources:
7 Leader Care Questions Boards Can Ask
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5) Structure the plan around the whole leader, not just the workload.
Leader burnout is not always visible. A leader can keep delivering publicly while privately feeling depleted. ECFA’s Standard Commentary calls for “substantive, observable, and proactive” practices—citing examples such as weekly time off, sustainable travel, vacation with minimal interruptions, annual physicals, supportive relationships outside the organization, and mentoring relationships outside the organization.
A simple structure from ECFA’s suggestions:
- Spiritual life: weekly worship participation, retreat/extended solitude rhythm (annual, if feasible)
- Physical health: annual physical exam, sustainable sleep, and travel practices
- Mental and emotional support: counseling, coaching, spiritual direction, or another safe outlet
- Relational and family health: clear boundaries that honor the leader’s home life
- Vocational integrity and sustainability: workload limits, decision-load management, protection from isolation
“An organization’s integrity isn’t visible only in fiscal controls and governance, but also in whether its leaders embody the values and mission it claims to advance. Exhausted leaders rarely do that well,” Medefind (CAFO) told MinistryWatch. “When a leader runs dry, everyone loses—the leader, the organization, the people served, and sometimes the reputation of the entire field, too.
“Conversely, when a leader is truly flourishing in mind, body, spiritual life, and relationships, the organization most always will flourish as well.”
Additional Resources:
Strategic Plan for Thriving Souls (CAFO)
6) Define expectations and boundaries
MinistryWatch reported last year on Lifeway Research that points to a surprisingly powerful driver of pastoral longevity: If a board defines expectations clearly and keeps them realistic, pastors are more likely to stay.
Scott McConnell, Lifeway’s executive director, told MinistryWatch that one of the most important and loving things a congregation can do is to “honestly and realistically define the work of the pastor—meaning the rest of the church’s work is done by others.”
ECFA does not mandate a written “job expectations” document for the senior leader. However, the Leader Care framework still encourages boards and leaders to clarify expectations, especially regarding biblical character, healthy boundaries, and a reasonable, sustainable workload.
Options to consider in your plan:
- A clear role description or expectations document.
- A short list of “non-negotiables” the board will protect (e.g., day off, vacation boundaries, counseling/coaching).
- If necessary, spell out what you will not put in this role.
Additional Resources:
TOOL #18: Job Descriptions for the Top Leader and Board Chair
7) Write rest into policy: time off that allows leaders to disconnect
Disconnection is where plans most often collapse. Citygate told MinistryWatch that a common, unintentional pattern is “undefined or inconsistently practiced” sabbaticals, PTO, and “rhythms of renewal.” Lifeway’s research suggests this isn’t minor: pastors who said their church had a sabbatical plan were 1.7 times more likely to remain in ministry.
Instead of more vacation days, leaders need permission and structure to clock out fully, with confidence that the ministry will operate normally in their absence. ECFA’s suggested plan elements align with that approach, urging regular weekly time off, reasonable and sustainable travel demands, and vacation time protected from work-related interruptions to the greatest extent possible.
Possible starting point:
- Assign who holds decision rights while the leader is away, define what qualifies as an emergency, and set explicit limits on calls, texts, and email during weekly time off and vacation. Then enforce it like any other governance policy.
Additional Resources:
5 Ways to Support a Successful Sabbatical
7 Pitfalls to Avoid When Planning a Sabbatical
8) Lessen loneliness at the top—because leaders need care, too.
ECFA’s suggested plan elements explicitly emphasize relationships: senior leaders should maintain “healthy, supportive personal relationships outside of the organization” where they can decompress safely, and they should also cultivate relationships with pastors or other trusted spiritual leaders outside the organization who can serve as mentors or counselors.
Options to consider in your plan:
- A peer relationship or cohort that the senior leader meets with monthly.
- An outside mentor/spiritual advisor relationship with a defined cadence.
- One “protected relationship” who is neither a staff member nor a board member.
Additional Resources:
Who’s Caring for Your Leadership Health?
9) Fund what you value
ECFA’s sample policy flags an easily overlooked step: authorize the leader care team to steward an annual sum for “special visits, retreats, or other opportunities” that support the senior leader’s spiritual growth and rest. Setting aside a budget, no matter how conservative, aligns with the commentary’s encouragement of proactive care, such as relationships with healthcare providers and extended-rest opportunities like retreats or sabbaticals.
Possible starting points:
Create a budget line for—
- retreat/solitude time
- counseling or coaching
- marriage/family support in high-stress seasons
- ongoing formation tools (books, guided retreats, spiritual direction)
Additional Resources:
5 Ways Boards Can Shepherd a Leader Through Burnout—Before It’s Too Late
5 Warning Signs a Leader’s Spirit is Troubled
10) Be realistic about what boards can (and cannot) do
Funding leader care makes the plan feasible, but it also raises a final, necessary question: what can a board do responsibly to support a leader without overly shepherding?
A board cannot force a leader into new habits, but it can encourage honest reflection on what’s healthy and what’s not, then support choices that cultivate long-term vitality, CAFO told MinistryWatch.
ECFA draws a similar boundary: the board “is not meant to be a personal accountability group” or the leader’s pastor or spiritual director. Instead, the board’s role is prayerful, humble oversight—ensure a proactive LeaderCare plan exists, approve it annually, and help remove the practical barriers that keep it from being followed.
Additional Resources:
Called to Serve: Goal No. 1—Keep Your CEO Alive!
What “good” can look like after one year
ECFA said the new standard has drawn strong support from across its diverse membership of ministries. It hopes to begin hearing “stories of change” within a year and will encourage ministries to start with simple steps. “We believe diligence in this journey will help Christ-centered organizations enhance trust among givers, congregations, constituents, and a watching world,” ECFA says.
Citygate told MinistryWatch that they expect outcomes to vary by organization and by leader. “But we hope for more open communication among boards and leadership, leaders being able to rest without guilt, proactive planning and resourcing, greater long-term sustainability for the leader and the organization,” they said. “And leaders modeling healthy rhythms from the top!”
As the January 1, 2027, effective date approaches, ECFA said it will continue providing resources to help accredited members translate the standard into real, context-specific practices—so leader care becomes a cohesive part of how ministries steward integrity for the long haul.