The ECFA Leader Care Standard:
Everything You Need to Know

The Excellence in Leader Care standard is a new accreditation requirement adopted by the ECFA Board in October 2025. Here is the standard in full:

"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."

It is grounded in the biblical account of Aaron and Hur supporting the arms of Moses at Rephidim (Exodus 17:8-16). ECFA believes a God-honoring board can lift the arms of its senior leader and be a catalyst for the daily and long-term flourishing of the entire organization.

The standard is effective for all ECFA-accredited members beginning January 1, 2027. This means organizations must demonstrate compliance starting with their 2027 renewal cycle. ECFA is providing resources and support throughout 2026 to help members prepare.

If your renewal falls early in 2027, now is the time to begin developing your care plan — not next quarter.

The standard requires three specific things:

• Partner together: The board (or board-approved committee) and the senior leader must collaborate to create a holistic care plan
• Annual board approval: The plan must be reviewed and approved by the board each year
• Documentation: Approval must be recorded in board or committee minutes

Critically, the standard is intentionally non-prescriptive. ECFA gives organizations significant latitude to design a care process that's best suited for their context. There is no one-size-fits-all template mandated by ECFA.

The data is sobering. In ECFA member surveys, 94% of senior leaders and board chairs reported that leadership integrity failures negatively impact community and giver trust. ECFA also observed a notable rise in burnout, leaders leaving the ministry, and tragic integrity failures.

During a period of broad member outreach and listening sessions in 2024, many ECFA organizations said they lack resources to provide leader care and are looking to ECFA for help.

The commentary on the standard puts it plainly: leaders who face pressure without adequate support "may be more susceptible to abuse authority, create unreasonable expectations of self or others, sidestep appropriate accountability, or engage in other unbiblical conduct." Isolation is the common thread — and this standard is designed to address it.

It is effectively new. The Excellence in Leader Care standard was approved in October 2025 alongside a merger of ECFA's existing Standards 3 and 5. While ECFA has always emphasized governance and accountability, this is the first time they have created a dedicated accreditation requirement specifically for the proactive care and holistic well-being of senior leaders.

The standard has strong support across ECFA's diverse membership — local churches, large international ministries, pregnancy centers, rescue missions, media ministries, educational institutions, and more.

The standard places genuine responsibility on the leader — not just the board. According to ECFA's commentary, the senior leader must:

• Discern areas needing care: Identify the dimensions of their life that need additional attention
• Communicate truthfully: Share honestly with the board in a way that allows them to develop an effective plan
• Submit in humility: Endeavor to receive the board's care and support in a spirit of love and humility (1 Peter 5:1-6)
• Guard their own heart: Take personal responsibility for investing in their relationship with Jesus and guarding their heart (Proverbs 4:23)

This isn't a one-way street. The most effective care plans emerge when the leader is honest about where they're struggling, not just where they're thriving.

If your board isn't aware of the new standard yet, you have a natural opening. Here's a straightforward approach:

• Share ECFA's Executive Summary with your board chair ahead of the next meeting
• Frame it as an opportunity, not a burden: "ECFA is asking us to do something we should already be doing"
• Come with a draft care plan — boards respond better to a starting point than a blank page
• Suggest reviewing it during a regular board meeting or annual planning retreat

You shouldn't have to advocate for your own care. But in many organizations, the leader is the one who surfaces this conversation. The standard gives you permission — and now, a mandate — to do so.

Lead with the data: 94% of ECFA leaders and board chairs already agree that integrity failures harm trust. The question isn't whether leader care matters — it's whether your organization is proactive about it or reactive.

For boards that view this as bureaucratic, frame the care plan as risk mitigation for the mission. Every high-profile ministry failure in recent years traces back, at least in part, to a leader who was isolated, overextended, or unsupported. The cost of a burnout, a breakdown, or a moral failure dwarfs the cost of a care plan.

And practically: this is now an ECFA accreditation requirement. Compliance isn't optional if you want to maintain your accredited status.

Absolutely — and it should. ECFA's commentary directly names burnout as one of the consequences of inadequate care. A strong care plan doesn't just check a compliance box; it builds the structures that keep a leader healthy over the long haul.

Burnout-prevention elements might include protected Sabbath rest, annual retreat time, manageable travel expectations, access to counseling, and — critically — peer relationships with other leaders who understand the weight you carry.

The most dangerous form of burnout is the kind no one sees coming. A care plan with real accountability structures helps surface warning signs before they become crises.

Peer groups directly address several of ECFA's suggested care plan elements:

• "The senior leader builds relationships with pastors or similarly trusted spiritual leaders outside the organization" — a peer group provides exactly this: trusted leaders outside your org who know you, challenge you, and care for you
• "The senior leader maintains healthy, supportive personal relationships outside of the organization" — peer community combats the isolation ECFA identifies as the root of burnout and failure
• Accountability and mutual encouragement — the standard is built on the conviction that leaders need community, not just policies

A peer group membership is one of the most specific, measurable, and meaningful components you can include in an annual care plan. It's not a checkbox — it's a lifeline.

In Good Company is a curated peer learning community for senior leaders in nonprofit, ministry, and marketplace organizations. Members meet monthly in small cohorts of 10–12 leaders for honest conversation, shared wisdom, and mutual accountability.

Facilitated by Liz Johnson — a certified life coach, former COO/Integrator at Seed Effect, and Watermark Church staff alumni — In Good Company is purpose-built for the kind of leader care ECFA's standard envisions. Every gathering is grounded in the conviction that wisdom grows when leaders are honest with one another, that accountability is an act of love, and that the leader who is cared for well will lead others well.

Learn more about In Good Company →

Yes. While no single program fully satisfies the standard (it's intentionally holistic), an In Good Company membership is a documented, structured way to address the relational and accountability dimensions of a leader care plan.

When your board asks, "How are we caring for our leader's relational and peer-support needs?" — participation in a peer group is a clear, specific answer. It can be written directly into the care plan, documented in board minutes, and renewed annually alongside the plan itself.

Many organizations already cover peer group membership as a professional development investment for their senior leader. Under the new standard, it's not just development — it's care.

$300 per month ($3,240 annually with annual billing). For context, most executive peer groups charge $10,000–18,000+ per year. We intentionally set an accessible price because the leaders who need this community most — many of whom serve in organizations where every dollar is stewarded carefully — shouldn't be priced out of it.

Membership includes 12 monthly half-day sessions, curated cohort placement, access to Liz between sessions for brief consults, and frameworks and resources throughout the year.

Two ways to take a next step:

• Download the free Leader Care Plan Template below — a practical starting point for your board conversation, with space to document peer group participation as a care plan element
• Email Liz directly at liz@johnsonstrategypartners.com to ask questions about In Good Company or schedule a conversation