November 8, 2025
My first real job growing up — apart from farmwork — was as a dock worker at a marina on Lake Barkley in western Kentucky. The job responsibilities included pumping gas for boats, dipping minnows for fishermen, taking out garbage, and preparing fishing and sailboats for rental customers.
When it came to preparing the rental boats, one necessary checklist item was to ensure the boat had an anchor, along with a rope to attach the anchor to the boat. The purpose of an anchor is to hold the boat in a fixed position in the water so it doesn’t drift by the forces of wind, waves or current.
Leaders also face forces that lead to drift. Whether a pastor, elder, or ministry leader, there will always be pushes and pulls, both internal and external, that can cause a leader to drift away from their God-ordained calling and mission.
What are some “Leadership Anchors” that can help a pastor or ministry leader guard against drift?
1. Regular time in God’s word: The Bible reminds us of who we are and whose we are — as well as what we are called to do. A daily reading from the Old and New Testaments of Scripture reminds leaders that we answer to God and serve people. Our time in God’s word reminds us that we have one mission, the Great Commission, and that we are responsible to lead a church or organization to fulfill that singular mission in the power and provision that comes from the Lord.
2. Regular review of directional statements: While the Great Commission is our singular mission, the way and context that the mission is carried out in each church or ministry will differ. One church I pastored was in a military context, and the mission of that church was “to reach soldiers and their families with the gospel.” Ministry effectiveness in that context required that I kept the church focused on its mission and the necessary steps to carry it out.
3. Iron sharpening iron relationships: Sometimes being around other faithful ministry leaders can have a focusing effect on our own ministry and calling. That happens to me when I am knocking on doors with pastors, something that I try to do one afternoon per week. When doing so, I am reminded that part of my purpose in life is to share Jesus with people who do not know Him and urge them to trust in Christ for the gift of eternal life.
4. Seasons of prayer and reflection: While prayer and reflection should be daily disciplines for pastors and ministry leaders, there will be times throughout the year when more focused prayer and reflection are needed. In Mark 1:35, Jesus is observed getting up early and going to a place of prayer. The verse reads, “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” The next thing that happens is instructive to busy leaders. In verses 36-37, the disciples come searching for Jesus and say that everyone is looking for Him. He ignores the implication that He should respond to their urgency, and in verse 38 we read, “And he said to them, ‘Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.’” Jesus met with the Father and then engaged in the next steps in the mission, and we must do the same.
5. A reminder of your “why”: I recently read a suggestion that instead of seeing Wednesdays as “Hump-Days,” we could see them as “Why Days.” The author’s idea was that we need reminders of why we do what we do to continue to keep us motivated and inspired. In her book, Lead the Way in Five Minutes a Day, Jo Anne Preston wrote,
“Remember your ‘why.’ Author Jon Gordon wrote, ‘We don’t get burned out because of what we do; we get burned out because we forget WHY we do it.’ (Gordon 2017). Why do you do what you do? What parts of your work do you enjoy? Where do you get to put your unique talents to good use? Ask these questions of your team as well as yourself.”
My “why” is the mission and the people. I love the work the Lord has assigned to me, and I love the people I get to do it with and do it for. We all need regular reminders of our “why.”
6. Helpful feedback: Ken Blanchard is attributed as saying, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” And at the same time, the further you go in a leadership role, the more difficult it becomes to receive helpful, actionable feedback. Find a way in your place of ministry to learn how your leadership is being perceived by those you are tasked with leading.
7. An annual performance review: No matter your position in leadership, someone needs to evaluate your performance annually. The evaluation must not be a simple, “You’re great!” or “You are killing it!” but instead a comparison of your work to your job description. Are you doing what you were asked to do, and what are two or three clear ways you can improve?
There are other anchors, but these can help leaders faithfully carry out the work God has assigned to them and not drift away from His calling and purpose.
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Todd Gray is executive director-treasurer of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. This commentary first appeared in Kentucky Today.
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