How One Pastor Prioritizes Well-Being for Long-Term Leadership

“Rest isn’t just not working—it’s about doing what fuels you.”

As lead pastor of Renewal Church of Chicago and president of The Chicago Partnership, Derrick Puckett has been navigating the unique challenges of leading an urban church and a church planting network. Puckett shares with Barna how he intentionally tends to his emotional, mental and spiritual health to counterbalance the stresses of ministry, marriage and family life—and how those rhythms shape his leadership and his church.

Q: In what ways does leading an urban church bring added or unique pressures?

Derrick Puckett: Chicago is a transient city—people come for school or a job, stay a couple of years and move on. That alone creates pressure because you’re constantly rebuilding community. 

Our church sits in a pocket of the city where multiple neighborhoods and cultures intersect. From day one, we’ve positioned Renewal as a regional church, not just a neighborhood church. We want to bring people together across lines that usually divide. I always say—if the United Center can bring 20,000 people together for a Bulls game or Disney on Ice, and no one cares who’s sitting next to them, why can’t the Church of Jesus Christ do the same? 

To do that, we have to keep the vision high-level and the teaching deeply practical and biblically rooted. We want people to leave knowing the gospel—and they can carry it with them wherever they go.

Q: Let’s talk about your well-being. How would you describe your current state of mental and emotional health?

Puckett: I’m in a good headspace, but I’m tired. That’s normal for me around June. It’s the end of a long run from January through budget season, conferences, travel. I’ve learned to expect this rhythm and prepare for it. But now, I’m coming up on the one-year anniversary of losing both my biological father and a man who raised me and was a father figure in my life, as well as navigating some deep ministry transitions. I’m still grieving in some ways. 

Q: Do you have people walking alongside you in this season?

Puckett: Definitely. I’ve had a counselor and a coach since I was 19. I meet with both monthly, sometimes more. My coach isn’t just helping me succeed—he pushes me to go below the waterline and work on what’s going on in my heart. I also have mentors and a solid group of friends who ask me the hard questions, like: Are you resting? Are you caring for your family?

Q: You take July off every year. What does that look like?

Puckett: I don’t preach. I spend time with close friends and family. The first two weeks are fully off; the second two weeks I start planning out the fall—sermon series, staff strategy, vision. I ask, “What do our people need in this season? What does the staff need from me?” Rest isn’t just not working—it’s about doing what fuels you.

Q: You mentioned basketball. That’s part of your rhythm, too?

Puckett: I play two or three times a week. It’s not because I think I’m Michael Jordan; it’s always been something that brings me joy. I think God gives us gifts like that. Hobbies that refuel us. I also love music. Not everything has to feel spiritual to be spiritual. Enjoying what brings you joy is part of how we stay healthy.

Q: How did you come to value these rhythms of rest and care?

Puckett: From watching Jesus. In Matthew 4, after he’s baptized, he goes into the wilderness. He wasn’t led there to be tempted. He was there to be fueled and fed by the spirit of God. The temptation just happened there. All through the Gospels, you see Jesus withdrawing—to pray, to rest, to be with his Father. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel. I need what Jesus needed: solitude, silence, relationships, rest.

Q: Is there a certain kind of temptation that shows up when leaders try to retreat in solitude?

Puckett: There’s a vulnerability that comes in those in-between spaces—what I call the valleys between mountaintops. We can go from powerful moments to deep lows quickly, and that’s often where temptation creeps in. We let our guard down. We start depending on our own strength instead of God’s. What strikes me about Jesus in Matthew 4, where he retreats after being baptized, is that even though he’s physically weak, he doesn’t rely on his own power—he responds with scripture. He stays rooted in his dependency on the Father. As pastors, we can be tempted to lean on our gifting—“I know how to preach, how to lead”—but the call is always to dependency. That’s where our strength really comes from.

Q: How do you prepare to return after a season of rest?

Puckett: I ease back in. In August, I usually teach a contemplative series—something around spiritual rhythms, prayer, fasting or solitude—so our people enter the Fall grounded, not rushed. September is our anniversary month, so we do a Vision Sunday and celebration. Then, we launch our main teaching series in October. That rhythm gives both me and the church space to transition well.

Q: How do you pass on your rhythms of rest and renewal to your leadership team?

Puckett: It’s something I’ve had to grow into. One of my coaches told me, “You’re like a Ferrari—most people are Model Ts.” I can move at 250 miles per hour, but I’ve learned that most people can’t—and shouldn’t have to. They can’t speed up to match me, but I can slow down to meet them. If I don’t, I risk burning them out.

Earlier in ministry, I didn’t get that. I’d wonder, “Why can’t they just keep up?” Now I realize everyone has their own pace, and I have to honor that. I involve them in what’s coming. If I’m planning a series or coming back from a sabbatical, they know about it ahead of time. I don’t want to drop things on them and expect them to run.

I’ve also created a structure where my administrators help bridge between vision and execution. I stay in the vision lane, and they help communicate the “how” to the rest of the team. That keeps me from overextending the doers on staff. It’s about clear communication and giving people ownership, not just tasks.

Q: What have you learned about setting healthy rhythms for ministry and family life?

Puckett: I’m still learning. I’m young, and I try not to act like I’ve figured it all out—but one thing a mentor told me early on stuck: you have to learn your rhythms. Everyone’s rhythms look different, and they shift over time. My wife and our five kids need me more now than they did when they were babies. How I pace myself has changed.

For me, June is always packed and exhausting, and everyone—my wife, my kids, my staff—knows it. I take July to rest, reflect and plan. August to Thanksgiving is a sprint. December is a recalibration window, and in January, I cast vision for the new year. I also take shorter breaks each spring and fall, and Friday is our weekly Sabbath. I put my phone down by 5:30 p.m., and if I’m in town, I’m home for dinner.

Those rhythms have become non-negotiables. Without them, I’d burn out. And I’ve seen too many leaders do just that—burn themselves out and burn out their families. The church can’t be in charge of your schedule. Your first ministry is your family.

Q: How do you lead your church while staying present at home?

Puckett: From day one, I’ve built this into the culture of our church. … People will ask me, “How do you do all this?” And I tell them—I don’t do it all. I stick to strict rhythms, and I say no to things. I still mess up. Right now, I’m coaching basketball on top of everything else, and I’ve asked myself, “Why did I take this on?” But I know this is a season with my kids I won’t get back. That helps keep me grounded in what really matters.

This is an excerpt from a full-length profile in this month’s State of the Church release, which can be found exclusively in Barna Access Plus.