Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, opened Day 2 of the 2010 InnovateChurch conference with a call to spiritual balance in the life of a pastor. “If you’re going to last in what God has called you to do, you are going to need to seek balance,” he advised. Noting that most men think they have the endurance and capacity of Jack Bauer of “24” fame. We think we are “incredibly awesome,” he said. But the fact is pastors must find balance in order to be good leaders. Graham utilized the wise words of Oswald Chambers, who stated, “We ought to be supernaturally natural, and naturally supernatural.”

Referencing I Peter 5:1-4, Graham advised pastors to “keep a close watch on yourself and your teachings.” All pastors, he said, need to be: (1) spiritual leaders; (2) servant-leaders and (3) senior leaders, overseeing the church. As such, he noted four priorities that pastors need to be incorporating in their lives and ministries. They are:

1. “Your character is more important than your reputation.” Pastors must be living Spirit-filled lives, he said, living blamelessly and serving as sterling examples to their flocks. To pastors who are trying to live a lie, he noted, “You can only fake it for so long.”

2. “Praying is more important than preaching.” Graham took note that the Disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, not how to preach. He said this is because they saw Jesus taking time away from His ministry to pray. “I have a definite time for prayer,” Graham said, “but praying always is the goal.” He added, “How dare we stand in the pulpit if we are spiritually unprepared?”

3. “A message is more important than a sermon.” With the digital resources of the day, Graham said, “most anyone can prepare a sermon.” But to have a message, he said, “you must have a vision from God.” “When we feel disconnected from our people, that is when we’ve got to ask God to refuel us,” he counseled. “It is impossible to be used of God without a genuine love for people. You must keep your heart warm with the love of God and the love of your people.”

4. “Faithfulness is more important than success.” Graham reminded attendees that people all over the world are dying without Jesus Christ “and we need to be diligent in taking the Gospel to them.”