Lance Witt - Replenish: Leading from a Healthy Soul

Copyright 2011 by Lance Witt

Published by Baker Books

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49516-6287

www.bakerbooks.com

E-book edition created 2011

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2010 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture marked NLT is taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked KJV is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture marked ISV is taken from the Holy Bible: International Standard Version Release 2.0. Copyright 1996-2010 by the ISV Foundation. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC. All rights reserved internationally.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-3221-2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Lance Witt understands both the dynamics of church ministry and the interior landscape of the soul.... In Replenish, he has written wise counsel, in highly readable chunks, that addresses directly and transparently those parasites that will seek to feed on a church leaders spirit.

John Ortberg, author of The Me I Want to Be

Like many in ministry, Ive found myself drowning in techniques and tools to the neglect of my soul. It doesnt matter how you got there; it matters how you get out. Now Lance Witt has thrown you a life preserver with a perfect toss. Grab on and let him pull you back to Jesus, the only one who can replenish your soul and power your ministry.

Will Mancini, author of Church Unique; founder of Auxano

Replenish is a must-read for everyone serving in ministry. Lance not only challenges the reader to lead from a spiritually healthy place but also gives tangible steps to cultivating the healthy soul we all long for. I found myself reading through the chapters slowly, allowing the words to both minister to and challenge me. I will be taking our entire church staff through this book.

In ministry its easy to work so hard for God that we miss the work God wants to do in us. Lances book is a call back to the spiritual health and order that we know weve been created for.

Todd Mullins, executive pastor, Christ Fellowship,
West Palm Beach, Florida

Lance does a tremendous job of reminding us what is most important in life and ministry and calling us back to practices that restore our souls. Only from a full life and heart can we make our greatest impact for God and others. Im thankful for Lance, who shows the way.

Jud Wilhite, senior pastor, Central Christian Church, Las Vegas; author, Eyes Wide Open

This book is written by a wise and seasoned fellow traveler who speaks with authority, insight, and compassion about our greatest need as leaders... a healthy soul. I have been privileged to watch, listen, and learn from Lance Witt as he has helped me replenish my soul. I think every leader should read this book at least once a year to recalibrate what we do with how and why we do it. For what does it profit a pastor if he grows a big ministry and loses his soul?

Chip Ingram, senior pastor, Venture Christian Church;
president, Living on the Edge Ministries

Unfortunately, its possible to grow your ministry and poison your soul at the same time. Lance Witt has spent more than twenty-five years in the local church and understands the dangers of ministry. Replenish not only identifies soul toxins but also offers a prescription for health. This is a must-read for those who want to be well, not just do well.

Tony Morgan, pastor, author, consultant

I trust Lance Witt with all my heart. Why? Because he knows how to reach into the heart of a leader and guide him/her to spiritual health. He has done that for me. Lance knows Jesus, understands people, and has unusual insight into the issues facing ministry leaders. Replenish should be mandatory reading for all leaders; its a book that will care for your soul and lead you to a place of greater health.

Doug Fields, speaker, author, pastor, founder of Simply Youth Ministry

There is no place more lonely in the world than in leadership. It brings great rewards but also great challenges to the heart of a leader. Lance Witt has written a pivotal book for the spiritual, social, and mental health of a leader. Being replenished is such an important issue in todays church. I encourage you to read this book, pray over this book, and apply its principles in your life to ensure that you are the leader God intended you to be.

Jonathan Falwell, pastor, Thomas Road Baptist Church,
Lynchburg, Virginia

Lance Witt is a pastor to pastors. Ive personally benefited from his wisdom and so have those pastors in my coaching networks. Now he has made that wisdom available to us all in this highly anticipated book. If you are a pastor, get this book and let it feed your soul. If you know a pastor, honor him with the gift of this book.

Nelson Searcy, lead pastor, The Journey Church of the City; founder, www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com

Replenish challenges church leaders not only to lead others well but also to take a hard look at their own spiritual health. With practical steps for detoxing your soul, sustaining a lifetime of spiritual health, and leading your ministry team, Lance Witt has provided leaders with a useful tool to use both individually and within their team.

Ed Stetzer, coauthor of Transformational Church

To Connie

Because of your...

Fun-loving personality,

Infectious laugh,

Unpretentious spirit,

Life-giving belief, and

Unshakable love,

... I am a better person... a better Christ follower.

You have been my best friend in ministry and in life.

I cant imagine my life without you.

Contents

by John Ortberg

Foreword

Because of our tendency to romanticize Bible characters, its a good thing periodically to look at the actual account of their lives. Eli was a colossal failure and conflict-avoider as a father. Samson was a walking impulse-control disorder. Moses was a fugitive. Elijah went through depression, suicidal ideation, exhaustion, and burnout. John the Baptist had followers disappointed that his congregation was shrinking. Paul ended up in prison.

All of which is to say Im not sure ministry has ever been easy.

But I know for sure that people doing ministry in our day face massive challenges. And its not just on the leadership, skill development, and missional effectiveness fronts.

We are facing soul challenges.

This past summer I went on the first sabbatical Ive had in thirty years of church ministry. I was instructed by our elders to do nothing for seven weeksno writing, no speaking, no traveling to study best-practice churches... nothing. I had never done so much nothing in my life, and was surprised how good I was at it.

And the greatest gift was the realization that I could be loved and free and full of life without constantly being in production mode.