How To Avoid Burnout In Ministry

What Is Burnout

What is Burnout and how do you avoid Burnout In Ministry?

I believe this is a very important question and as a Believer in Christ when you get yourself involved in the Work of the Ministry, you can find yourself Burning out.

I was listening to a Pastor and he was sharing his experience with Burnout.

He said

“As some of you know, I had a bad burn-out 3½ years ago, and was on a sick-leave from my pastoral job for half a year. Had no energy for anything. Went to a psychologist regularly (highly recommended!). With time and patience, I got my mojo back.

But I decided from then to keep a better watch on my energy and my time management skills.”

Pastor Vetne

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and dealing with stress for quite a long time.

If this continues you will soon find yourself losing interest in the thing or things that you were working on in the first place.

10 Signs Of Burnout In Ministry

1. Your devotional life is suffering.

2. Your family life is being adversely affected.

3. You have a nagging sense of ever being behind.

4. You find yourself with a low threshold for inconvenience.

5. Sabbath rest is the exception rather than the norm.

6. You experience a sense of overall weariness.

7. Physical exercise is sporadic or nonexistent.

8. Physical ailments are increasing.

9. The sense of serving God with gladness is gone.

10. You fight periodic thoughts of fleeing from the will of God.

If any of the conditions listed above are consistently present in your life, you need help. Talk to a friend or a trusted associate.

 Campbell, B. (1998). Toolbox for [Busy] Pastors. LifeWay Christian Resources.

What Causes Burnout In Ministry

We can experience Burnout when we begin to idolise business.

A lot of Christians today idolise being busy. Just because you are busy doesn’t mean you are productive.

BUSY stands for Being Under Satan’s Yoke.

He wants us to be busybodies and when we become busy we can crash if we are not careful.

We can allow too much demands to be put on our lives and this can cause a lot of us to burnout by trying to do too much things at once.

Let me share something very important that you ought to know by now.

YOU ARE NOT SUPERMAN!

Yes, you heard me correctly.

Stop trying to play you are a superhero.

The only hero is Jesus Christ.

When we try to do too much we can find ourselves like Moses who needed his Father in Law to impart Wisdom to Him because he was trying to do too many things.

Follow the Advice Below to Learn how to Avoid Burnout In Ministry.

What Does the Bible Say About Mental Health and Burnout?

The biblical perspective on depression emphasizes the importance of seeking help and finding solace in faith. The Bible recognizes the struggle of mental health issues and offers comfort and guidance for those experiencing burnout. It encourages seeking support from loved ones and turning to prayer for strength and healing.

How To Prevent Burnout In Ministry

Follow Jesus’s Example

Jesus had a lot to do but he made time for God

Jesus would give up time to just be with God in the morning. He would withdraw from the noise. 

He freed up time each day to just be alone with God.

Sometimes our lives can be so full that we run out of fuel quickly.

Same way as a car needs to refuel so we need to refuel ourselves as well.

Failure to Do this can lead to burnout in Ministry.

Learn To Say No and Set Boundaries

For many of us, we find it hard to tell people no.

One of the most spiritual things you can do is learn how to say no and to set boundaries in your life.

God will not throw you out of his Kingdom if you say no.

You don’t have to keep performing for him in order to be loved by him.

A lot of people in the church will ask you to do things for them and if you do it out of guilt you are not being true to yourself.

If you do this long enough you may suffer from Mental Issues like anxiety and depression.

Stop doing everyone’s job.

Let God be God and you be you. Point everyone back to God. Teach people to depend on God, not on you. Take off days, and set boundaries. Give all the glory to God and remember the results are up to him.

Make sure you look after yourself! If you’ve got burn out then it takes a long long time to recover. Make sure you have days off, and holidays, learn to set Boundaries, always drink plenty of water, have rest breaks, and get enough sleep.

You are not superman! And you will never ever please everybody no matter how hard you try. Don’t be an approval addict or a people pleaser, so learn to say No! People do not like No! And everyone has their opinion about the role, or what ‘they’ want the minister to be. No way can any minister be what everyone expects or wants them to be. Be you, offer the best you that you can.

IF you don’t learn to take days off, quarter days, holidays, and sabbaticals, you will never ever sustain long-term ministry. 

Look after you so you can look after your flock.

This is key if you want to avoid burnout in Ministry.

Obey The Sabbath To Avoid Burnout In Ministry

Everything God created needs to rest and restore.

Some people say “I will rest when I get to Heaven”

Here’s the thing. If you don’t take a Sabbath, the Sabbath will take you.

Same way as your car needs a gas pedal and a brake so does your life.

If you just keep going and going like the Energizer Bunny you will eventually crash.

Was listening to a sermon from Pastor Todd Mullins of Christ Fellowship who shared a lot of wonderful advice concerning the Sabbath.

Sabbath is a day about rest not rules like the Jews had created.

Sabbath means to STOP

There seems to be a sense of pride taken in the fast pace of our lives. We brag about the number of calls, texts, and emails we receive. We casually refer to the fact that our whole lives are wrapped up in our phones. They are never far from our fingertips.

What we might not share so easily is how anxious we feel. And stressed.

We need to give ourselves permission to stop.

Does your philosophy of life allow you to create space in your schedule? Or do you feel as if you’re doing something wrong when you slow down? Do you find it awkward and uncomfortable to be silent and still?

Sabbath means to REST 

We are sleep-deprived creatures and one of the most beneficial things we can do right now is to rest.

Take a nap!

The World won’t fall apart if you are sleeping but your world can fall apart if you never sleep.

Do things to fill your tank back up during a Sabbath-like reading, taking a walk by the beach.

Sabbath time is about enjoying life. 

Pastor Todd shared that before light bulbs were invented people slept an average of eleven hours a night. It is probably safe to say that is no longer a typical night of rest for most of us. He said the most spiritual thing a few of us can do is go take a nap!

Sometimes rest might not come in the form of sleeping but in doing something that feeds your soul and makes you feel renewed.

Do you make rest a priority? If not, what do you need to shift to do so?

Sabbath is about WORSHIP.

It is easy to think of church as an item on a checklist. And once we have attended, we have completed our worship for the week. But true worship isn’t contained within four walls of a building on Sunday morning. It is a spirit we carry within ourselves as we continue throughout the day. It is when we make things personal that they will become truly effective in our lives.

Do you take time to ponder the teaching we hear at church? Do you make the songs we sing private declarations?

Sit down and relax to some wonderful Worship Music.  

This is key if you want to avoid burnout in Ministry.

Delegate Authority And Assignments

Exodus 18:17-23

¹⁷ Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. ¹⁸ You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. ¹⁹ Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. ²⁰ Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. ²¹ But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. ²² Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. ²³ If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

NIV

If you are leading a Department in Church one thing you will soon realise is that you can’t do everything yourself.

You have to learn to delegate assignments to other people as well.

This will be a way to help them to grow as well and it frees you up for things that only you can do.

There are some Leaders who hate to delegate because they always like to be in charge of everything and some just like to micro-manage.

If that is you, you will soon be burnt out.

Speak To Your Pastor About Burnout In Ministry

If you are being asked to do too many things and it is beginning to take a toll you need to talk to the Head of the Church which is your Pastor.

Let him know that the load is too much for you and you need others to lighten the load.

You cannot do everything by yourself.

You have to set boundaries even if it is not in the best liking of the Pastors and Elders of your church.

Talk to them and let them know how you feel and see what is the best way forward.

If you don’t say anything nobody else will, because the work will be getting done and they will be happy.

So have this uncomfortable conversation with them and get a solution.

This is key if you want to avoid burnout in Ministry.

Get A Therapist To Avoid Burnout In Ministry

Most Christians hate this last piece of advice but it is so needed in the church today.

There are times when we need an outside person to speak to us and give us an outside perspective.

They are trained in counselling and giving advice and know how to prevent and fix burnout.

I am not a professional in this area and if you think you need professional advice then you should go and get a therapist and hear what they have to say.

It will benefit you in the Long Run.

Follow these tips that I shared and it will surely help you to avoid burnout in Ministry.

Too much people are being burnt out in Ministry because they won’t follow these simple guidelines.

God doesn’t want you to burn out.

He wants you full of Energy to Do The Work He has called you to do.

Which one of these strategies would you be using today in order to avoid burnout in Ministry?