Release Date: April 15th, 2026Paying Attention to What Matters
- by Stephen Cox
I don’t know about you, but it’s pretty rare that I find myself worshiping alongside 10,000 pastors and church leaders.
But that’s exactly what happened recently at the Exponential Conference in Orlando, Florida. It was, in many ways, a fish-out-of-water experience for me. Big, loud, high energy. Very different from the quieter, grounded rhythms many of us are used to in our Mennonite context.
And yet, in the midst of all that, there was a simple message that permeated the conference and has remained with me long after the lights came up and the sessions ended.
Healthy ministry begins with healthy leaders.
That may sound obvious, but it is surprisingly easy to overlook.
At the conference, this idea was framed through four “gauges” that shape our lives and leadership: spiritual, relational, mental, and physical. Conference founder Dave Ferguson introduced this framework, and then each session explored one of these areas more deeply. Like the dashboard of a vehicle, each gauge matters. And if one begins to run low, it eventually affects the others.
Healthy ministry begins with healthy leaders.
The challenge is that drift rarely feels dramatic. It is often subtle.
One speaker used the image of a plane leaving Toronto for Orlando that is just one degree off course. At first, everything appears fine. But over time, that small deviation leads somewhere entirely different.
Leadership can work the same way.
We can keep showing up, keep functioning, even keep producing, while slowly drifting in areas that matter most. Over time, that quiet drift can take a real toll on our lives, our relationships and our ministries.
Our spiritual, relational, mental and physical lives all matter to God.
One voice that stood out to me, and a welcome piece of Canadian content south of the border, was Carey Nieuwhof, who said: “Live in a way today that will help you thrive tomorrow.” He shared a very raw story of how, in one season of his life, outwardly his ministry was growing by 30% a year, while inwardly he was dying and ready to end it.
In a season where many leaders are carrying heavy responsibilities, navigating remarkable cultural challenges and complexity, and feeling the weight of expectations, this feels especially important.
We are not meant to carry leadership alone.
Scripture reminds us that our lives are not divided into compartments but held together in Christ. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit…? Therefore honour God with your bodies.” Our spiritual, relational, mental and physical lives all matter to God.
For those of us shaped by Anabaptist theology, this invitation carries a familiar resonance. We believe in community, shared discernment and the priesthood of all believers. We are not meant to carry leadership alone. Nor are we meant to ignore the condition of our own lives while tending to others. Holding healthy boundaries in ministry, paying attention to the patterns shaping our lives, and inviting trusted voices to ask us honest questions are not self-indulgent. They are acts of faithfulness.
They help us remain rooted in Christ, present to one another, and attentive to the Spirit’s leading.
The invitation I carry with me is not to add more programs or structures, but to pay closer attention to my own life in ministry.
To pause and ask:
Where might I be drifting?
Which area of my life needs attention right now?
And what is one step I can take today… so that I can thrive tomorrow?
Spirit of God, help us to notice what matters, and give us the courage to take one faithful step today so that we can thrive in the days ahead.
- Stephen Cox is a pastor at Floradale Mennonite Church