The Complexity of Burnout in Ministry

I may look calm on the outside. But on the inside I’m frantically trying to digest ridiculous amounts of complex carbs without storing any more cellulite.

Time to up the metabolism, I’m thinking. Seems the logical fix would be coffee. That’s why I figure I’m helping things along if I drive through and pick myself up a grande mocha latte with extra whip.

Someone told me that the average person drinks 22 gallons of coffee a year. I’ve also heard it said that the average person walks about 8,000 miles a year just going about the regular routine of everyday life. That’s got to at least work off the extra whip, wouldn’t you think? 

In addition, I’m not one to try out the math, but still, it looks to me like we’re getting about 363 miles to the gallon. Talk about sustainability. Suddenly that four-dollar mocha is a responsible purchase, right?

Burning carbs in one thing. But burning out is another. In the busyness and stresses of going about the not-always-so-regular routing of Kingdom work, it’s easy to become not just over-whipped, but over-worked, over-tired, and overwhelmed. 

Some of the warning signs of burnout? A soul-weariness—a tiredness that rarely goes away. There’s also that “spinning your wheels” frustration, feeling that even though you’re running yourself ragged, you’re not really making a difference. Resentment builds and starts to replace the joy you once found in working for Jesus. It’s difficult to love Him well and even harder to love His people. You find yourself fighting against a strong desire to isolate yourself. Loneliness, negativity, cynicism, and hopelessness start to creep in. 

What do you do when we you feel “whipped”—in the non-creamiest way? First, we look up. We run to the only One who can heal a heart and refresh a spirit. You’re probably thinking that’s nothing new. Absolutely true. In fact, we need to do those very things – those spirit-building things – that are the most comfortably, reassuringly familiar. If there’s sin in the way, we get rid of it. Spending time on our faces in prayer, getting truly honest with the Father, starts the process of reinvigorating an exhausted heart.

We immerse ourselves in His Word. It’s there we find direction, strength, wisdom, and restoration. We determine we’re going to stay plugged into people and we find a godly confidante. We need to regularly remind ourselves of that deep need we have for a strong connection to people. The need is God-given and the connection is vital.

It’s also good to take a look at the schedule and get rid of the clutter everywhere we can. The truth is, God never calls us to do anything He won’t equip us to do. In essence, He won’t give you more miles to walk than He gives coffee to get you there. If there’s more on the schedule than we have the time and energy to accomplish, that means we’ve added to the to-do list ourselves.

As we pray through our schedule asking for direction, He is faithful to give wisdom in knowing where to back off and where to press on. It’s good to encourage our husbands to do the same thing. Would it surprise you to find out that some say almost half of pastors have experienced burnout to the extent that they had to take a sabbatical from the ministry?

There are times when stepping back a bit is the best way to move forward. These bodies and minds have limitations. If we continually ignore them, we can end up burned out, depressed. Getting nowhere.

Stepping back doesn’t mean we stop loving Jesus. It doesn’t even mean we stop serving Him. We never give up on those things. It just means our service may look a bit different while our minds and bodies and spirits heal. God’s Word is great solace and an integral part of that  healing process.

Know this: He can heal your tired heart. He’ll give you the strength you need to do all He’s calling you to do. “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it,” (1 Thess. 5:24, ESV). There’s such blessing in fulfilling that calling. Talk about deliciously invigorating. It’s more energizing than the strongest mocha. With nary a carb left over!

Because obviously some carbs are more complex than others.

~ By Rhonda Rhea