ECFA's Excellence in Leader Care standard takes effect January 1, 2027. Here's what it asks of ministry leaders, plus a 10-question readiness check.
By Mindy Caliguire, Founder & President of Soul Care
I have spent most of my adult life walking alongside leaders who are tired in ways a long weekend can't fix. Pastors. Executive directors. Ministry founders. Good people carrying a lot.
So I'll say it plainly: ECFA's Excellence in Leader Care standard is one of the most hopeful developments I've seen in Christian leadership.
It takes effect January 1, 2027, and every one of the more than 2,700 ECFA-accredited churches and ministries will confirm it on their 2027 accreditation renewal. Some executive leaders already have a plan underway. Many others are still wondering what it actually asks of them.
So let me ask you directly, as someone who cares about your soul and your ministry: Are you aware of it? And are you ready?
Here is the standard in ECFA's own words:
“Every organization’s board and senior leader shall work together to develop a care plan for the senior leader. The plan shall be approved annually by the board to demonstrate the organization’s commitment to caring proactively for the leader’s well-being and integrity.”
ECFA, Excellence in Leader Care
In plain terms, that means three things:
ECFA is intentionally flexible about what goes in the plan. It can be a formal document, a board resolution, or directives written into your policies. ECFA is also clear that the plan has to be lived. In their words, a plan that exists as a document without follow-through “would serve no useful purpose.” You can read the full standard and commentary here.
I had the privilege of consulting with ECFA's leadership as they shaped this standard, and I've seen their heart for leaders up close. (Michael Martin and I talked about it on ECFA’s Behind the Seal podcast.)
ECFA names the problem honestly: “Burnout. Flameout. Dropout. This is not what God intends when he calls people to lead, but this is the result far too many times.” Their own surveys found that 94 percent of their members say leader integrity failures hurt community and giver trust, and they describe the fall of a leader as “one of the most significant financial and reputational risks for a church or ministry.”
I know this from the inside. I hit the wall of burnout years ago, before I knew the signs. My soul was dry and brittle, but the work and demands continued. Most depleted leaders can stay face for a while, but cracks begin to show. And there are big implications behind burned out leaders. That's exactly why care has to start before the crisis.
ECFA anchors the standard in a beautiful picture from Exodus 17. When Moses grew weary, Aaron and Hur stood beside him and held up his arms until the battle was won. Leadership was never meant to be carried alone. A God-honoring board can lift its leader's arms, and a wise leader lets them.
Leaders across the Church have welcomed the standard. Here are a few of their words, shared on ECFA’s Leader Care page:
“The health of any ministry is directly tied to the health and vitality of its leaders, from founders to those who come after. Spiritually vibrant leaders create spiritually vibrant ministries.”
Ted Esler, President and CEO, Missio Nexus
“I believe this new leadership standard will usher in an era where spiritual, relational, and mental health are no longer the exception, but are the expected norm in our churches and Christian organizations.”
Dave Ferguson, CEO, Exponential
“We pray that it sparks a cascade of care in which ministries care for leaders, leaders care for their teams, and their teams bring greater care to a world in desperate need.”
Cameron Doolittle, Executive Director, Practicing the Way
Sit down with your board chair or your senior leader and answer these honestly. Every “not yet” simply shows you where to begin.
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2027 Leader Care Readiness Check ☐ Our senior leader and board know the standard takes effect January 1, 2027. ☐ Leader care is on an upcoming board agenda. ☐ Our senior leader has had space to reflect honestly on their own health: spiritual, relational, mental and physical, financial and vocational. ☐ The leader and the board (or a board-approved committee) are building the plan together. ☐ Our board has a regular pattern of praying for our leader and their family. ☐ The plan includes consistent time in the Word, with prayer and reflection. ☐ Our leader has a trusted spiritual relationship outside the organization. ☐ The plan builds in real rest: weekly time off, vacation and, at the right intervals, retreat or sabbatical. ☐ We've scheduled the annual approval and know where it will be recorded in our minutes. ☐ We've talked about how care can reach the rest of our staff. |
If you checked only a few, you're in good company, and you have time. I'd start with number three. Soul Care and ECFA created a free tool for exactly this moment: Creating Your Leader Care Plan. In about 60 minutes, it walks a leader through five areas of health and helps them name their current reality, the flourishing they desire, and one practical next step in each.
Put leader care on your next board agenda. ECFA's resources, like “7 Questions a Board Can Ask the Senior Leader,” are a gracious way to open it up. For more on the board's role, see 5 Ways Boards Can Support a Leader Through Burnout.
A good plan starts with honesty. Set aside an hour with the free Leader Care Plan and bring what you discover into the conversation with your board.
ECFA asks for practices that are “substantive, observable, and proactive.” Choose a few that fit this season of your life and that someone could see happening.
Bring the plan to the board for approval, document it in the minutes, and put next year's review on the calendar.
Your needs will change from year to year. ECFA expects the plan to change with them.
ECFA offers examples of plan elements and is clear that they're suggestions. Some belong to you and your board alone: weekly time off, regular vacation, a sustainable schedule, annual physicals, and a proactive relationship with healthcare providers, including counselors when appropriate.
Others are where an outside partner can help, and where we at Soul Care have spent our lives:
Together, these make up Soul Care Rhythms: year-round practices that give a leader care plan something real to stand on. Rhythms can be one part of your plan. The prayer, the honest conversations and the plan itself are yours and your board's to build.
When ECFA was asked whether leader care should extend beyond the senior leader, their answer was one word: “Absolutely!” They've heard from organizations that extended this kind of care to their entire staff, and the impact on both staff and ministry was significant.
I've seen the same thing. Healthy leaders shape healthy teams, a theme I've written about in how soul-aware leadership is the future of leadership. If you'd like to know how your staff are really doing, a free team Soul Health Assessment is a simple place to start, and Rhythms is available for whole teams.
January 1, 2027. ECFA expects full compliance during the 2027 accreditation renewal cycle, and members confirm compliance on their annual renewal form.
Every ECFA-accredited church and ministry, more than 2,700 organizations. The required plan centers on the senior leader: the CEO, lead pastor or equivalent.
ECFA doesn't prescribe the contents. It encourages regular board prayer and substantive, observable, proactive practices that help the leader rest, recover and grow, and it expects the plan to be followed.
Begin with a conversation between your senior leader and board. ECFA offers resources at ECFA.org, and the free Leader Care Plan from Soul Care and ECFA can help a leader reflect before that conversation.
When I first wrote about this standard, I called it a culture shift. It still is. And January will be here sooner than any of us expect.
So, leaders: let your board lift your arms. Board members: lift them well. Start the conversation this month. Your leader's soul matters, and so does the ministry God has entrusted to you both.
Download the plan, set aside an hour, and take the first step together.
Learn more about the standard on ECFA’s Leader Care page.
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