I think burn out is caused when we lose passion and interest. What was once new and exciting becomes mundane and boring. The solution is to recognize the burn out feeling and find ways to re-invigorate yourself. If you’re burned out about your job, maybe it’s time to work in a different department or change careers altogether. If you’re feeling burned out about your marriage, it might be time to learn an ew skill together (like salsa dancing) or go on vacation to a location neither you nor your spouse has previously visited.
I think God built burn out in us because it causes us to constantly want more out of life, especially when it comes to our relationship with Him. Unfortunately, many of us want the Costco model of knowing God where we go once and get everything we need for months. However, I think God works on the 7-Eleven model of relationship where we get just enough to get by and have to return often for more “supplies”. Burn out helps keep us in that mode.
1. Taking on more than your ‘talent’ level (capacity) can handle
2. Lack of appropriate breaks/holidays/personal time/down time (maybe due to lack of self awareness or 1,3,4 etc?)
3. Not enough support (emotional, ministry, family, spiritual etc).
4. Lack of appropriate and open accountability.
5. Screwed priorities
6. Getting so caught up in ‘ministry’ and meeting with people/counselling etc that you don’t spend time with God for yourself (that was my wife Beck’s addition :))
7. Not setting appropriate boundaries.
I just realized that I did not answer your specific question, but I hope my answer applies. If you’re feeling burned out in ministry, then it may be time to find a new creative way to express your ministry. If you lead a youth group, maybe come up with a “church exchange program” where your youth go to a trusted church for a few Sunday mornings and their youth come to your church. If you are in charge of marketing, maybe put together a weekly podcast. I think the key is to go to God for fresh insight into His will for you and be open to doing something completely different from what you’re good at.
I think one piece of the puzzle is unrealistic expectations that lead to discouragement. If I begin a work for God believing that somehow he is now obligated to do X – and X doesnt happen – I quickly become defeated and discouraged. As I try and force X to happen in my own power I eventually burn out.
I you are in ministry for God then it becomes easier. If you are doing it for your own reasons, it becomes impossible.
The hard part is determining when you’ve crossed that line. I’ve done things before that God called me to. Before too long, though, it became more about me than about God. That’s when burnout started creeping in because I was working like crazy on it, but my motivation was messed up so God wasn’t letting it go anywhere.
Not sure who is the originator of the quote but my pastor doesn’t let us forget that “When your output exceeds your input, your upkeep becomes your downfall.” Ministry isn’t how we feed ourselves. Time serving others cannot replace time spent with God. Our time with God, however that may work in your life, should never exceed your service.
A good friend of mine wrote an article about that very thing. While geared toward Pastors, I think it easily relates to anyone and everyone who’s “busy busy busy.”
Being tired – trying to juggle to many things, always trying to be their for others, and one that isn’t mentioned to much – being in the wrong position or ministry that doesn’t allow you to succeed will burn you out faster than anything.
I’m sure I’m repeating what a lot of others I have said, but this is just from my own experience…
1. Not being faithful to the Lord and to spiritual disciplines first and foremost.
2. Not having sufficient belief in the fact that what you are doing is extremely important (be it big or small).
3. Going for too long without a break.
4. Failing to plan regular times of rest and relaxation into one’s life, so you can be utilizing rest instead of only resting when you’re procrastinating, which is really an awful way to go.
5. Having your quality of work and/or who you are as a person constantly questioned or belitted.
6. Not having enough time for your family and others closest to you.
7. If you’re an extrovert, not having enough people time.
8. If you’re an introvert, not having enough alone time.
I could go on… I reached a place of mild burnout near the end of spring 2007 semester, and it continued halfway through the fall semester. I’ve gotten through a lot of it, but it was not a fun place to be.
What Hilary said is right. A wise man once told me . . that if we want to effectively care for others, then it is absolutely imperative that we care for ourselves. Can I get an ‘amen’ on that?
-for me it has been not treating my sabbath as just that….i have booked it so busy and i dont take the time to rest. i create instead of letting God recreate me.
-feeling like if you are not there that things wont happen
-feeling like if you are not working the hardest you will be called a slacker
-not drawing the line between work and worship…at some point you will not be able to attend any church if you cant distinctly draw the line.
candyce
trying to do too much with too little (time, resources, support, etc).
(on a similar note) unrealistic expectations (internal, external). basically trying to live up to a human standard rather than focusing on what God wants.
competition/comparing oneself to others doing the same sorts of stuff.
getting so much into a routine to get stuff done, to ‘produce’, that you’re out of touch with your heart and health, out of touch with God and others.
feeling like you have to be the perfect leader, not feeling safe to acknowledge that you’re not superhuman (ie–making sure you get rest, having a safe place to let your guard down when you’re struggling, etc).
running into the same pitfalls over and over and not being able to break through that. at the willow creek leadership summit, hybels was talking about motivation and said that this sort of scenario will cause even very dependable people to want to quit if unresolved over a long enough period of time.
ditto on a couple of comments above about ignoring the spiritual dimension of things. kingdom stuff doesn’t come by just flesh and blood, and we’re up against more than flesh and blood.
ditto on a lot of the comments above, actually…
oh, and too many danged meetings. who invented those, anyway? :)
Echoing what other have said: getting your priorities out of wack.
1. God
2. Spouse
3. Kids
4. Job
Just because your job is in ministry doesn’t give you the right of slotting it in the number one priority spot with God. You have been called to be a loving spouse and to raise your family. You never leave them on the altar for God to take care of.
in the midst of my web surfing tonight i came across this article on burnout and thought you might find it interesting: http://nymag.com/news/features/24757/.
Mike
I think the main thing, the number one thing beyond a doubt is not having Christ at the center of your ministry… When it becomes about people and not about Christ it will ruin it faster than anything… Especially in denominations (especially in the seeker sensitive movement) that focus on numbers or on making people feel “comfortable” in church…
I can only speak from my own personal experience, a year ago I was burned out and had made pans to walk away from ministry. I was planning to take a secular job and just relax and find a church that I could be a part of and hopefully the Lord would give me a pass on my calling. My plans fell through, God didn’t give me a pass, just a renewed passion to serve Him.
Burnout is like a cake it requires different ingredients to come out right. For me there is the place of ministry, some places are just tough to minister, the place I’m at is one of them. The church has a very colorful past and that has resulted in a leadership structure that is out of whack and demands that are unreasonable. This causes stress and as we all know stress is a killer. I had the stresses of my ministry situation, and I was a new father to twin girls and 16 months later my son was born, great blessings but a lot of work, stress in ministry, stress at home, those together mean no real place of rest, lack of sleep, poor diet, financial pressures, a staffing nightmare which result in a termination that had fallout, which resulted in my name being slandered, which made for more stress, and even though I was praying the whole time it was not enough to overcome the tidal wave crashing down on me. At the age of 33 I ended up in the ER with a mild heart attack, they wanted to admit me. It happened to be on a Saturday night, I asked the doctor if I could come back in on Sunday afternoon after I had finished the morning service, he strongly advised against it and thankfully I listed, I almost didn’t. Shortly after that my part time staff decided to leave to plant a church, so I was flying solo again. It was two months later I resigned my church and told the congregation I was done, burned out, used up, completely spent. I was going to relocate to Dallas and take a job in a non-ministry field and try to live a normal life for a while. After 11 years in this church I had been cooked, but it was a slow boil over time.
So in short, too much life/stress/pressure and not enough rest/refreshing equals burnout.
Not having enough fun! Life is meant for living, to be enjoyed. Hearty meals with others. Random time for silliness. And this MUSTN’T all be scheduled fun. That just kills it!
It’s like scheduled date nights…planned romance…7-9pm on Wednesdays. Horrible.
I’m about 18 months into starting a community of faith from scratch. Everyone told me the first couple of years are horrible, hard work, will cause burnout, etc, etc. And the truth is I’ve never felt fresher.
And fun is a BIG part of that.
Also, making sure the 80% of my time goes plays to area of strengths and passion…and just 20% to the other stuff.
One thing I find challenging about a career in ministry is that there is a self-imposed feeling of guilt if you’re not doing something whole-heartedly. As opposed to a secular job where it is sometimes OK just to go through the motions. I think this is a false pretense, but it still comes up for me.
Operating outside of my strengths and spiritual gifts – I can’t do that long term. I lose my joy, passion, and heart for service and people.
Not taking time for rest, whatever that might look like. Jesus had to go to a quiet place and get some rest (mark 6:31), why shouldn’t we need to do the same?
Self-sufficiency.
chad
I think it is imperative to understand that we as individuals will not be able to fulfill all of our ministry goals (if we can…are they too small?). If we are truly called to go and make disciples of the world, the task in front of us is big. In my own life and observations, I have seen how imperative it is to set boundaries and know my priorities.
Essentially, vocational ministry doesn’t call us to keep “work hours”…I think it is lifestyle we are called to live. Though we should feel the weight of what Jesus has called us to do, we need to know that it is beyond us to achieve on our own. It is the Spirit that calls people…not man. We need to know (and find) boundaries that will keep us healthy so that we can effectively minister to others.
A sick doctor shouldn’t be taking care of patients…
I am about to begin work at a church for the first time, stepping out of 9 years in the workforce. I am so thankful to have all these comments to read through and reflect upon before I enter into this new world. Thank you for sharing your insights!!
I’m known as a PW who has tough love with women as I “mentor,” “coach,”, “counsel,” careful listening to what it is that makes them so mad. (The dance of anger)….and they leave, on their own, to commit to a better life with not only self, but to their husband, kids, and family. It causes burnout to me when they begin, instead of telling the truth, lie to self. I truly have to put up strong boundaries because I keep thinking of how much deprivation they are doing to their precious life. It seems it’s “full circle” — I am not a hole or rut differ. We all learn from our mistakes and have to live in the consequences, but to do a “mess” purposeful is beyond comprehension! Even the Bible calls one a fool! Border line burnout starts creeping in…..then I pull the reins and get some rest and carefully have the Lord pace my steps, etc. I thrive on having people around; so am blessed with not a loooonnnngggg burnout. Since I’m the Worship Leader also plus PW…Mondays are declared burnout day….that is my husband and my day!!! ……a day thatdawnsbright with joy and sunny with love! Thanks for caring, Anne.
For me… it was having a different scoreboard than God had. My scoreboard was attendance, quality of the creative program, short program transitions, money in the the collection?, leveraging as much as I could out of my leaders, and even… how many decisions were made for Christ? More than last year?
None of these things are bad or sinful, but they were, in reality, mostly about my own fame, accomplishment, and achievement.
What “burned me out” or disillusioned me was realizing that I wasn’t doing very well on God’s scoreboard… did I love someone today, did I care more about others than myself, did I love God today, and basically Matthew 25 – did I feed someone, take them in, visit the sick and imprisoned, etc.
It was a big disconnect. Doing God’s scoreboard didn’t really help me get my job done. And I grew tired of building my own reputation. For me – I decided that to leave full time ministry in order to start caring for the things that God cared about.
Others might disagree or call that a copout. I’m not preaching to packed 500 seat auditoriums anymore. I’m not putting together creative programs that entertain people and cause them to come up and pat me on the back anymore. All of what I do in ministry now is volunteer and on top of my fulltime job. But I’ve never felt closer to God. As I recently read somewhere, “It’s more fun being a small light in the darkness than a big light in the light.”
John Ireland
a misguided belief that God’s intent for us to be fully-formed disciples requires us to bow to the golden calf of non-stop ministry work, to the detriment of the things that truly do matter: our connection to the Holy Spirit, marital relationships, and our physical health.
we have lost our way when it comes to practicing genuine sabbath…
p.s. sorry i am just now commenting; i missed this post between cindy’s :)
1. When the main pastor’s focus is church growth instead of loving people.
2. Expecting everyone to buy into the church growth bandwagon.
3. Lack of appreciation for “volunteers.”
4. Calling people who do things around the church “volunteers.”
5. When the 20% that are doing all the work, keep getting asked to do MORE.
6. Putting more value on people who “serve” the most.
7. When the body is already tapped out, expecting them to all participate in a church growth campaign in the form of a “community carnival.”
8. Leaders knowing that people are overextending themselves, but allowing it, because they’re so desperate for workers.
9. Leaders claiming “volunteers” as “their people” and trying to discourage anyone from “stealing” them by asking them to serve in another ministry.
10. When the pastor seems to only be chummy with the more influential or wealthier people of the church, and doesn’t extend his friendship to anyone else.
11. When the pastor’s family and other staff families seem to want to hide from and avoid church people outside of Sundays.
thinking your time…is your time.
Your time is really God’s time!!
tony
jodi – i have to comment on your list. first -you are defintely sounding burned out.
About #11. pastor and staff absolutely cannot hide out from their church family outside of sundays. they nurture, train and recruit those ‘volunteers’ that keep the church actually running, they have to go to the hospital during the middle of the day – and work all night to get their reports done and letters mailed and cards sent out and attend a kid’s graduation, they take phone calls and e-mails from people all night long – then meet at 6:30 with their prayer partner/accountability group, and then go to thier small group.
I seriously do not think that hiding out is a sign of burnout – they do need to take a shower and clean their fingernails on occasion you know. It’s more of this type of thing – ministers do need time with family, friends, and loved ones – but really the only way to have dinner with the family is to turn off the cell phone and get to it later. That’s not hiding out, it’s simply have a very very few minutes without a church member actually being your whole life.
In incorrect perception of what defines us and gives us value. I think too often we lose focus on God in the midst of ministry. It is God who defines, and Him alone, not what we are doing for Him, or what big dreams we have, or how many people have benefited from our ministry. If we weren’t in ministry we would not be any less valuable. Ministry does not depend on us, or how much time, effort and energy we give to it. When we loose this perspective, and use ministry to define us, or think that God’s work is dependent on us, it is very easy to get off balance, and end up burned out.
if you keep doing what you’ve been doiing you’re going to get what you’ve got.
Not seeing results from all the efforts you put forth.
Doing much work with little truth worth and purpose.
Doing much work without taking time to rest, clear your mind doing something different.
Doing things in your own efforts thinking you can change the world without Gods hand.
Listening to critical people who don’t have vision.
Maybe simplicity not growth is the point. Was Jesus’ VISION complicated?? Jesus seems like a simple person when you read the word.
At the very bottom of it all: An incorrect view of Who God is and who we are in Christ will lead to choices and lifestyle patterns that easily drive a person to burnout.
Also, I’m not sure anyone’s mentioned yet, but not living in the awareness and power of the Holy Spirit (aka, reliance on self) can lead to burnout.
These are my two cents… I’m still on the journey of figuring out why.
(Anne, I heard about your upcoming book through a friend. Thanks for writing about this!)
1) Continued stress without true rest
2) Unhealthy conflict
3) Not asking for help and not caring for yourself. Most ministers are horrible at both of these. We went through a tragedy and I had to learn the very, very hard way.
4) Not setting boundaries
5) Not having an identity outside of “minister”
6) Never being with God for the sake of our own personal relationship with Him – ignoring our own spiritual growth and needs.
7) Feeling like no one really knows or cares what you do – I tended toward burn out when I thought that I was pouring myself into others and ministry and it really did not matter or make any difference.
Burn out for me (and I’m speaking for me, Kyle) comes from discouragement and my discouragement often comes from fighting with people who think that keeping the bathrooms clean is our main focus. I can really get excited about the day when we make loving God and loving people our main focus.
1. failing to put your family as a priority over your job.
2. drawing energy from your love of the work rather than from the passion for the fruit of your labor.
3. failing to tap into the army of co-ministers attending your church… doing instead of leading.
4. denying yourself a hobby or activity that is not in any way related to your line of work.
5. neglecting your physical body by eating poorly and not exercising.
+ not being called to the ministry – i think there are many people in ministry who need to get a real job, cuz they are not called to it.
+ serving in areas not your gifting – bad, bad, bad.
+ not content with just Jesus – somewhere along the line the gifts become more important to us than the giver.
+ unrealistic expectations – american christianity tends to be to result driven. when those results don’t come in our time frame we become frustrated. & frustration is a twin brother of burn-out.
+ a lost sense of privilege – when i forget that serving Jesus is a privilege not a right, i can easily become critical of everything from: compensation, desk size, insurance plan, vehicle i drive etc, etc. Paul’s job ministry included shipwrecks, scourgings, imprisonments and a whole host of things we usually only watch in movies or encounter in nightmares, and yet he was “JOYFUL” not burntout.
+ego-centered rather than God-centered – ah, this 4th of july firework seems eye-popping and profoundly moving, for a brief moment yet quickly fades away only to reveal the age old constellations which beautifully decorate the night sky. exalt self, and you will burn out! exalt God and out of tired old arms you will joyously render him praise, and others true help. see, heb. 11
two more…
6. failing to set goals.
7. failing to ask god to make his vision your vision.
Yonas
Too many good things from the comments here. I agree with many of them!
My question is this. Say God gave you a talent to serve in a particular ministry. Now,if you feel that you’ve lost interest in serving in that ministry, would you be ‘wasting’ God’s gift?? Would it be better to find a different outlet, rather than to uhm…serve half-heartedly?
tony
? for all – was Jesus burned out or complaining when he asked God to take the cup from him – or was He simply stating/praying what He felt and knowing that it must be painfully so to fulfill His ministry?
I hear your answer now – he was fulfilling His ministry so it must have been joy – do you really, really believe that he died with joy? or do you believe that He died in pain, suffering, burnout, and anguish?
my point is that burnout may not be caused by many of the items listed above. it may be caused becasue you are absolutely in God’s will at that moment in time – but it just is plain ol’ painful.
don’t mistake burnout for the path to getting to the joy of a Resurrection.
Mike
Tony that is a good question and it brings up the answer to the inevitable follow up question, how do you prevent burnout?
If the Garden was burnout (I am not comfortable saying so yet) then burnout must be the will of God, since even in the incarnation Christ’s will was perfectly that of Father God, since they are one (and three)…
But how can we prevent burnout? Well we do what Christ does! We keep our eyes on the prize! We know Christ endured suffering even unto death on the cross (a trial most of us will never have to endure). But why did he do it? For the reward that was set before him!! So, if we keep our eyes on the reward that is set before us, it will be enough to keep us going no matter what the ministry!
Great comment Tony and good question about Gesthemine (sp?), I will have to give that one more thought!
tony,
you said
“hear your answer now – he was fulfilling His ministry so it must have been joy – do you really, really believe that he died with joy? or do you believe that He died in pain, suffering, burnout, and anguish?”
yes, yes, yes, NA and yes
i too, would be uncomfortable using the term “Burnout” to describe his “joyous resignation” to the “ALL GLORIOUS WILL OF THE FATHER”. This is in no way to live under any illusions that what came next was painful….it was not just painful….it was horrific…!
Yet at the same time Jesus’ joy of resignation was not “chipper”.
..For the JOY, that was set before him…He endured the cross, despised the shame , and sat down at the right hand of the father. [Heb 12:2]
..in you presence IS Fullness of Joy! [ps 16:11]
summary is, that Jesus painfully and joyfully confronted gethsemane (the olive press) and the cross, because he knew that serving the Father would bring forth the greatest joy…intimate fellowship within the trinity.[hence the, having sat down at the right hand of god]
Not getting the expected feedback or response from your efforts, whether deserved or not. It’s hard to keep plugging away when it feels like no one notices.
Yonas-does God just stick to one thing? Nope. So, maybe we’re not supposed to either! Maybe God has gifted someone with a gift to be used in a variety of ways. Or, maybe what the person thinks is a gift, really isn’t. Or, maybe that person has more gifts God wants to tap into?
Anyway, I just gave you more questions as answer to your question, didn’t I? All in all, I think there is something to having fun and enjoying serving God with our gifts. There is always going to be suffering and sacrifice in being a follower of Christ – it’s not all a bed of roses. Darn it! :) But, maybe a way to pray about your question is to ask God to restore your passion, or give you a clear, new one.
It’s awesome that you are aware of at least one gift God has given you, and that you want to use it for Him. Maybe it’s as simple as: you have more gifts! :)
Dude-I’ve been burned out for 2 years. I’m a hair away from complete recovery. It’s been a sucky road, and I’m trying not to let a bitter root to grow. I covet anyone’s prayers out there—
I think what I probably meant about the pastor hiding out from church people (#11 on my list), was that I wanted to be the pastor’s wife’s friend, and the pastor’s friend, but they were so closed off to loving people and selective in whom they chose to be friends, it was hurtful to me.
I believe this particular pastor is in the beginning of burnout himself. Maybe if his focus was giving and receiving love from others, he wouldn’t be in that place…..
It sounds like the pastor you’re describing doesn’t have very many boundaries with all that “busywork.” Maybe that pastor would be better off if he focused on loving people, and set boundaries on all the “to-do’s.”
Yonas
Thanks Jodi. So at least I can tell them if they asked…”Well Jodi said so!”
but i also think one of the biggest causes of burnout is frustration from lack of willing people…and the problem surfaces when we think what we do and say can change people’s hearts, without realizing that is ultimately jesus’ work, not ours. i guess that can probably find it’s roots back in the comment i left earlier — that a lot of burnout leaders have placed more emphasis on care for others than themselves.
Yonus: I agree with Jodi…restoring passion is great; I would narrow it down to Plan A ministry and Plan B ministory….when Plan A is working…be fulfilled to do plan B and vice-versa. Nine times out of ten you will notice you are happiest when your new desire comes in and you feel refreshed with trying a new ministry. Sounds simple. It also sounds like you are a “doer” and would be happier with two roles to feel like you are positively fulfilled.. The Lord knows we need the excitement of something new to “recharge” us so we don’t feel stale. I’m a door looker…when it looks like a new door is opening; I move slowly and if the door doesn’t get shut, I continue on and say to myself …Ooooo this is giving me an added blessing to my life… It sure is a blessing to hear someone wants to venture out to new talents! Filling the void in your life from the lack of using your talent would be stifling to say the least. I’ll be praying for you on that one…could be a toughie.
Comments
71 responses to “What Causes Burnout?”
1. Not being able to say, “no.”
2. Putting church before family and God
3. Being a servaholic.
4. Not being a disciplined planner and not putting a place for family time in your planner.
5. Not enough time in prayer and God’s Word.
6. Losing focus of just what ministry is about – i.e. reaching people for Christ and discipling them.
7. Missing the forest for the trees and weeds.
Not taking a break to refresh yourself. @Charlie said a whole bunch that I agree whole heartedly with.
I think burn out is caused when we lose passion and interest. What was once new and exciting becomes mundane and boring. The solution is to recognize the burn out feeling and find ways to re-invigorate yourself. If you’re burned out about your job, maybe it’s time to work in a different department or change careers altogether. If you’re feeling burned out about your marriage, it might be time to learn an ew skill together (like salsa dancing) or go on vacation to a location neither you nor your spouse has previously visited.
I think God built burn out in us because it causes us to constantly want more out of life, especially when it comes to our relationship with Him. Unfortunately, many of us want the Costco model of knowing God where we go once and get everything we need for months. However, I think God works on the 7-Eleven model of relationship where we get just enough to get by and have to return often for more “supplies”. Burn out helps keep us in that mode.
1. Taking on more than your ‘talent’ level (capacity) can handle
2. Lack of appropriate breaks/holidays/personal time/down time (maybe due to lack of self awareness or 1,3,4 etc?)
3. Not enough support (emotional, ministry, family, spiritual etc).
4. Lack of appropriate and open accountability.
5. Screwed priorities
6. Getting so caught up in ‘ministry’ and meeting with people/counselling etc that you don’t spend time with God for yourself (that was my wife Beck’s addition :))
7. Not setting appropriate boundaries.
Hope that’s of use!
I just realized that I did not answer your specific question, but I hope my answer applies. If you’re feeling burned out in ministry, then it may be time to find a new creative way to express your ministry. If you lead a youth group, maybe come up with a “church exchange program” where your youth go to a trusted church for a few Sunday mornings and their youth come to your church. If you are in charge of marketing, maybe put together a weekly podcast. I think the key is to go to God for fresh insight into His will for you and be open to doing something completely different from what you’re good at.
I think one piece of the puzzle is unrealistic expectations that lead to discouragement. If I begin a work for God believing that somehow he is now obligated to do X – and X doesnt happen – I quickly become defeated and discouraged. As I try and force X to happen in my own power I eventually burn out.
Not taking time to unplug and relying on your talent.
Doing it for the wrong reasons.
I you are in ministry for God then it becomes easier. If you are doing it for your own reasons, it becomes impossible.
The hard part is determining when you’ve crossed that line. I’ve done things before that God called me to. Before too long, though, it became more about me than about God. That’s when burnout started creeping in because I was working like crazy on it, but my motivation was messed up so God wasn’t letting it go anywhere.
Not sure who is the originator of the quote but my pastor doesn’t let us forget that “When your output exceeds your input, your upkeep becomes your downfall.” Ministry isn’t how we feed ourselves. Time serving others cannot replace time spent with God. Our time with God, however that may work in your life, should never exceed your service.
Burnout to me is simply and spiritual bankruptcy.
A good friend of mine wrote an article about that very thing. While geared toward Pastors, I think it easily relates to anyone and everyone who’s “busy busy busy.”
http://reson8.org/2007/a-note-to-pastors-work-less/
a person’s inability to say no.
blurring the line of serving/working.
obsessive passion.
work-aholicism
putting God & family second.
bad health choices.
more. more. more.
Having to listen to people complain about what you are/are not doing.
Negativity from other staffers. (You know, that person who seems like someone pee’d in their wheaties everyday.)
Always having ides shot down when asked for them.
Unrealistic expectations placed on family by church members/leaders.
always pouring out and not refilling
Being tired – trying to juggle to many things, always trying to be their for others, and one that isn’t mentioned to much – being in the wrong position or ministry that doesn’t allow you to succeed will burn you out faster than anything.
Boredom
Creative restrictions from denominations.
The “This is the way we have always done it” attitude.
The fact that one person (i.e. the pastor) has to wear so many hats and juggle so many responsibilities.
I might get flambasted for saying this but .. lack of recognition.
Youth Pastors = lack of respect.
Feeling like you’re not getting anywhere for the effort you are putting in.
I start to burn out when I’m working outside of my strengths/ gifts.
I’m sure I’m repeating what a lot of others I have said, but this is just from my own experience…
1. Not being faithful to the Lord and to spiritual disciplines first and foremost.
2. Not having sufficient belief in the fact that what you are doing is extremely important (be it big or small).
3. Going for too long without a break.
4. Failing to plan regular times of rest and relaxation into one’s life, so you can be utilizing rest instead of only resting when you’re procrastinating, which is really an awful way to go.
5. Having your quality of work and/or who you are as a person constantly questioned or belitted.
6. Not having enough time for your family and others closest to you.
7. If you’re an extrovert, not having enough people time.
8. If you’re an introvert, not having enough alone time.
I could go on… I reached a place of mild burnout near the end of spring 2007 semester, and it continued halfway through the fall semester. I’ve gotten through a lot of it, but it was not a fun place to be.
-Doing things that are irrelevant
-Putting church before God
-Putting church before family
-Ignoring spiritual warfare
not caring for your own spiritual life as well as you care for others’
What Hilary said is right. A wise man once told me . . that if we want to effectively care for others, then it is absolutely imperative that we care for ourselves. Can I get an ‘amen’ on that?
Trying to do it sober.
Thinking too much and doing too little.
-working really hard and not getting encouragement/reinforcement.
-not resting
-doing a job you don’t like or isn’t in your field
-for me it has been not treating my sabbath as just that….i have booked it so busy and i dont take the time to rest. i create instead of letting God recreate me.
-feeling like if you are not there that things wont happen
-feeling like if you are not working the hardest you will be called a slacker
-not drawing the line between work and worship…at some point you will not be able to attend any church if you cant distinctly draw the line.
trying to do too much with too little (time, resources, support, etc).
(on a similar note) unrealistic expectations (internal, external). basically trying to live up to a human standard rather than focusing on what God wants.
competition/comparing oneself to others doing the same sorts of stuff.
getting so much into a routine to get stuff done, to ‘produce’, that you’re out of touch with your heart and health, out of touch with God and others.
feeling like you have to be the perfect leader, not feeling safe to acknowledge that you’re not superhuman (ie–making sure you get rest, having a safe place to let your guard down when you’re struggling, etc).
running into the same pitfalls over and over and not being able to break through that. at the willow creek leadership summit, hybels was talking about motivation and said that this sort of scenario will cause even very dependable people to want to quit if unresolved over a long enough period of time.
ditto on a couple of comments above about ignoring the spiritual dimension of things. kingdom stuff doesn’t come by just flesh and blood, and we’re up against more than flesh and blood.
ditto on a lot of the comments above, actually…
oh, and too many danged meetings. who invented those, anyway? :)
when you are always giving with no one really giving to you!
Echoing what other have said: getting your priorities out of wack.
1. God
2. Spouse
3. Kids
4. Job
Just because your job is in ministry doesn’t give you the right of slotting it in the number one priority spot with God. You have been called to be a loving spouse and to raise your family. You never leave them on the altar for God to take care of.
not having enough staff in your ministry to pull off all of the tasks you have to do, therefore putting too much on your plate.
not having clear boundaries between work/home…ministry/hanging out…coworkers/friends
not taking care of your body (bad eating habits, weird sleeping patterns….)
believing the lie that the responsibility lies on your shoulders and if you dont do it, it wont get done…
I see no one wanted to give me an ‘amen’. That’s ok. I understand. I’ll just amen myself.
AMEN!
-Not spending daily time with God. (specifically bypassing that time to get a “jump” on the work load.)
-Sacrificing our families on the altar of ministry.
-Not having someone to share frustrations and struggles with…or refusing to share those things in the first place.
-Lack of accountability.
-Letting staff struggles and tention go unresolved.
-Not investing in people who could eventually help carry the load.
-Hidden sin.
-Insisting on doing it all.
-Perfectionism.
I wish I could say I’ve never been hit by any of these…but I have. Thankfully God is gracious :)
Not re-fueling.
in the midst of my web surfing tonight i came across this article on burnout and thought you might find it interesting: http://nymag.com/news/features/24757/.
I think the main thing, the number one thing beyond a doubt is not having Christ at the center of your ministry… When it becomes about people and not about Christ it will ruin it faster than anything… Especially in denominations (especially in the seeker sensitive movement) that focus on numbers or on making people feel “comfortable” in church…
Mike
I can only speak from my own personal experience, a year ago I was burned out and had made pans to walk away from ministry. I was planning to take a secular job and just relax and find a church that I could be a part of and hopefully the Lord would give me a pass on my calling. My plans fell through, God didn’t give me a pass, just a renewed passion to serve Him.
Burnout is like a cake it requires different ingredients to come out right. For me there is the place of ministry, some places are just tough to minister, the place I’m at is one of them. The church has a very colorful past and that has resulted in a leadership structure that is out of whack and demands that are unreasonable. This causes stress and as we all know stress is a killer. I had the stresses of my ministry situation, and I was a new father to twin girls and 16 months later my son was born, great blessings but a lot of work, stress in ministry, stress at home, those together mean no real place of rest, lack of sleep, poor diet, financial pressures, a staffing nightmare which result in a termination that had fallout, which resulted in my name being slandered, which made for more stress, and even though I was praying the whole time it was not enough to overcome the tidal wave crashing down on me. At the age of 33 I ended up in the ER with a mild heart attack, they wanted to admit me. It happened to be on a Saturday night, I asked the doctor if I could come back in on Sunday afternoon after I had finished the morning service, he strongly advised against it and thankfully I listed, I almost didn’t. Shortly after that my part time staff decided to leave to plant a church, so I was flying solo again. It was two months later I resigned my church and told the congregation I was done, burned out, used up, completely spent. I was going to relocate to Dallas and take a job in a non-ministry field and try to live a normal life for a while. After 11 years in this church I had been cooked, but it was a slow boil over time.
So in short, too much life/stress/pressure and not enough rest/refreshing equals burnout.
Not having enough fun! Life is meant for living, to be enjoyed. Hearty meals with others. Random time for silliness. And this MUSTN’T all be scheduled fun. That just kills it!
It’s like scheduled date nights…planned romance…7-9pm on Wednesdays. Horrible.
I’m about 18 months into starting a community of faith from scratch. Everyone told me the first couple of years are horrible, hard work, will cause burnout, etc, etc. And the truth is I’ve never felt fresher.
And fun is a BIG part of that.
Also, making sure the 80% of my time goes plays to area of strengths and passion…and just 20% to the other stuff.
For me it’s being out of my sweet spot, or as Andy would say “your core competencies”
One thing I find challenging about a career in ministry is that there is a self-imposed feeling of guilt if you’re not doing something whole-heartedly. As opposed to a secular job where it is sometimes OK just to go through the motions. I think this is a false pretense, but it still comes up for me.
Operating outside of my strengths and spiritual gifts – I can’t do that long term. I lose my joy, passion, and heart for service and people.
Not taking time for rest, whatever that might look like. Jesus had to go to a quiet place and get some rest (mark 6:31), why shouldn’t we need to do the same?
Self-sufficiency.
I think it is imperative to understand that we as individuals will not be able to fulfill all of our ministry goals (if we can…are they too small?). If we are truly called to go and make disciples of the world, the task in front of us is big. In my own life and observations, I have seen how imperative it is to set boundaries and know my priorities.
Essentially, vocational ministry doesn’t call us to keep “work hours”…I think it is lifestyle we are called to live. Though we should feel the weight of what Jesus has called us to do, we need to know that it is beyond us to achieve on our own. It is the Spirit that calls people…not man. We need to know (and find) boundaries that will keep us healthy so that we can effectively minister to others.
A sick doctor shouldn’t be taking care of patients…
I am about to begin work at a church for the first time, stepping out of 9 years in the workforce. I am so thankful to have all these comments to read through and reflect upon before I enter into this new world. Thank you for sharing your insights!!
I’m known as a PW who has tough love with women as I “mentor,” “coach,”, “counsel,” careful listening to what it is that makes them so mad. (The dance of anger)….and they leave, on their own, to commit to a better life with not only self, but to their husband, kids, and family. It causes burnout to me when they begin, instead of telling the truth, lie to self. I truly have to put up strong boundaries because I keep thinking of how much deprivation they are doing to their precious life. It seems it’s “full circle” — I am not a hole or rut differ. We all learn from our mistakes and have to live in the consequences, but to do a “mess” purposeful is beyond comprehension! Even the Bible calls one a fool! Border line burnout starts creeping in…..then I pull the reins and get some rest and carefully have the Lord pace my steps, etc. I thrive on having people around; so am blessed with not a loooonnnngggg burnout. Since I’m the Worship Leader also plus PW…Mondays are declared burnout day….that is my husband and my day!!! ……a day thatdawnsbright with joy and sunny with love! Thanks for caring, Anne.
For me… it was having a different scoreboard than God had. My scoreboard was attendance, quality of the creative program, short program transitions, money in the the collection?, leveraging as much as I could out of my leaders, and even… how many decisions were made for Christ? More than last year?
None of these things are bad or sinful, but they were, in reality, mostly about my own fame, accomplishment, and achievement.
What “burned me out” or disillusioned me was realizing that I wasn’t doing very well on God’s scoreboard… did I love someone today, did I care more about others than myself, did I love God today, and basically Matthew 25 – did I feed someone, take them in, visit the sick and imprisoned, etc.
It was a big disconnect. Doing God’s scoreboard didn’t really help me get my job done. And I grew tired of building my own reputation. For me – I decided that to leave full time ministry in order to start caring for the things that God cared about.
Others might disagree or call that a copout. I’m not preaching to packed 500 seat auditoriums anymore. I’m not putting together creative programs that entertain people and cause them to come up and pat me on the back anymore. All of what I do in ministry now is volunteer and on top of my fulltime job. But I’ve never felt closer to God. As I recently read somewhere, “It’s more fun being a small light in the darkness than a big light in the light.”
a misguided belief that God’s intent for us to be fully-formed disciples requires us to bow to the golden calf of non-stop ministry work, to the detriment of the things that truly do matter: our connection to the Holy Spirit, marital relationships, and our physical health.
we have lost our way when it comes to practicing genuine sabbath…
p.s. sorry i am just now commenting; i missed this post between cindy’s :)
1. When the main pastor’s focus is church growth instead of loving people.
2. Expecting everyone to buy into the church growth bandwagon.
3. Lack of appreciation for “volunteers.”
4. Calling people who do things around the church “volunteers.”
5. When the 20% that are doing all the work, keep getting asked to do MORE.
6. Putting more value on people who “serve” the most.
7. When the body is already tapped out, expecting them to all participate in a church growth campaign in the form of a “community carnival.”
8. Leaders knowing that people are overextending themselves, but allowing it, because they’re so desperate for workers.
9. Leaders claiming “volunteers” as “their people” and trying to discourage anyone from “stealing” them by asking them to serve in another ministry.
10. When the pastor seems to only be chummy with the more influential or wealthier people of the church, and doesn’t extend his friendship to anyone else.
11. When the pastor’s family and other staff families seem to want to hide from and avoid church people outside of Sundays.
thinking your time…is your time.
Your time is really God’s time!!
jodi – i have to comment on your list. first -you are defintely sounding burned out.
About #11. pastor and staff absolutely cannot hide out from their church family outside of sundays. they nurture, train and recruit those ‘volunteers’ that keep the church actually running, they have to go to the hospital during the middle of the day – and work all night to get their reports done and letters mailed and cards sent out and attend a kid’s graduation, they take phone calls and e-mails from people all night long – then meet at 6:30 with their prayer partner/accountability group, and then go to thier small group.
I seriously do not think that hiding out is a sign of burnout – they do need to take a shower and clean their fingernails on occasion you know. It’s more of this type of thing – ministers do need time with family, friends, and loved ones – but really the only way to have dinner with the family is to turn off the cell phone and get to it later. That’s not hiding out, it’s simply have a very very few minutes without a church member actually being your whole life.
In incorrect perception of what defines us and gives us value. I think too often we lose focus on God in the midst of ministry. It is God who defines, and Him alone, not what we are doing for Him, or what big dreams we have, or how many people have benefited from our ministry. If we weren’t in ministry we would not be any less valuable. Ministry does not depend on us, or how much time, effort and energy we give to it. When we loose this perspective, and use ministry to define us, or think that God’s work is dependent on us, it is very easy to get off balance, and end up burned out.
if you keep doing what you’ve been doiing you’re going to get what you’ve got.
Not seeing results from all the efforts you put forth.
Doing much work with little truth worth and purpose.
Doing much work without taking time to rest, clear your mind doing something different.
Doing things in your own efforts thinking you can change the world without Gods hand.
Listening to critical people who don’t have vision.
Maybe simplicity not growth is the point. Was Jesus’ VISION complicated?? Jesus seems like a simple person when you read the word.
At the very bottom of it all: An incorrect view of Who God is and who we are in Christ will lead to choices and lifestyle patterns that easily drive a person to burnout.
Also, I’m not sure anyone’s mentioned yet, but not living in the awareness and power of the Holy Spirit (aka, reliance on self) can lead to burnout.
These are my two cents… I’m still on the journey of figuring out why.
(Anne, I heard about your upcoming book through a friend. Thanks for writing about this!)
1) Continued stress without true rest
2) Unhealthy conflict
3) Not asking for help and not caring for yourself. Most ministers are horrible at both of these. We went through a tragedy and I had to learn the very, very hard way.
4) Not setting boundaries
5) Not having an identity outside of “minister”
6) Never being with God for the sake of our own personal relationship with Him – ignoring our own spiritual growth and needs.
7) Feeling like no one really knows or cares what you do – I tended toward burn out when I thought that I was pouring myself into others and ministry and it really did not matter or make any difference.
Burn out for me (and I’m speaking for me, Kyle) comes from discouragement and my discouragement often comes from fighting with people who think that keeping the bathrooms clean is our main focus. I can really get excited about the day when we make loving God and loving people our main focus.
1. failing to put your family as a priority over your job.
2. drawing energy from your love of the work rather than from the passion for the fruit of your labor.
3. failing to tap into the army of co-ministers attending your church… doing instead of leading.
4. denying yourself a hobby or activity that is not in any way related to your line of work.
5. neglecting your physical body by eating poorly and not exercising.
+ not being called to the ministry – i think there are many people in ministry who need to get a real job, cuz they are not called to it.
+ serving in areas not your gifting – bad, bad, bad.
+ not content with just Jesus – somewhere along the line the gifts become more important to us than the giver.
+ unrealistic expectations – american christianity tends to be to result driven. when those results don’t come in our time frame we become frustrated. & frustration is a twin brother of burn-out.
+ a lost sense of privilege – when i forget that serving Jesus is a privilege not a right, i can easily become critical of everything from: compensation, desk size, insurance plan, vehicle i drive etc, etc. Paul’s job ministry included shipwrecks, scourgings, imprisonments and a whole host of things we usually only watch in movies or encounter in nightmares, and yet he was “JOYFUL” not burntout.
+ego-centered rather than God-centered – ah, this 4th of july firework seems eye-popping and profoundly moving, for a brief moment yet quickly fades away only to reveal the age old constellations which beautifully decorate the night sky. exalt self, and you will burn out! exalt God and out of tired old arms you will joyously render him praise, and others true help. see, heb. 11
b
two more…
6. failing to set goals.
7. failing to ask god to make his vision your vision.
Too many good things from the comments here. I agree with many of them!
My question is this. Say God gave you a talent to serve in a particular ministry. Now,if you feel that you’ve lost interest in serving in that ministry, would you be ‘wasting’ God’s gift?? Would it be better to find a different outlet, rather than to uhm…serve half-heartedly?
? for all – was Jesus burned out or complaining when he asked God to take the cup from him – or was He simply stating/praying what He felt and knowing that it must be painfully so to fulfill His ministry?
I hear your answer now – he was fulfilling His ministry so it must have been joy – do you really, really believe that he died with joy? or do you believe that He died in pain, suffering, burnout, and anguish?
my point is that burnout may not be caused by many of the items listed above. it may be caused becasue you are absolutely in God’s will at that moment in time – but it just is plain ol’ painful.
don’t mistake burnout for the path to getting to the joy of a Resurrection.
Tony that is a good question and it brings up the answer to the inevitable follow up question, how do you prevent burnout?
If the Garden was burnout (I am not comfortable saying so yet) then burnout must be the will of God, since even in the incarnation Christ’s will was perfectly that of Father God, since they are one (and three)…
But how can we prevent burnout? Well we do what Christ does! We keep our eyes on the prize! We know Christ endured suffering even unto death on the cross (a trial most of us will never have to endure). But why did he do it? For the reward that was set before him!! So, if we keep our eyes on the reward that is set before us, it will be enough to keep us going no matter what the ministry!
Great comment Tony and good question about Gesthemine (sp?), I will have to give that one more thought!
Mike
tony,
you said
“hear your answer now – he was fulfilling His ministry so it must have been joy – do you really, really believe that he died with joy? or do you believe that He died in pain, suffering, burnout, and anguish?”
yes, yes, yes, NA and yes
i too, would be uncomfortable using the term “Burnout” to describe his “joyous resignation” to the “ALL GLORIOUS WILL OF THE FATHER”. This is in no way to live under any illusions that what came next was painful….it was not just painful….it was horrific…!
Yet at the same time Jesus’ joy of resignation was not “chipper”.
..For the JOY, that was set before him…He endured the cross, despised the shame , and sat down at the right hand of the father. [Heb 12:2]
..in you presence IS Fullness of Joy! [ps 16:11]
summary is, that Jesus painfully and joyfully confronted gethsemane (the olive press) and the cross, because he knew that serving the Father would bring forth the greatest joy…intimate fellowship within the trinity.[hence the, having sat down at the right hand of god]
great discussion!
b
In some cases:
Not getting the expected feedback or response from your efforts, whether deserved or not. It’s hard to keep plugging away when it feels like no one notices.
tony, i agree with you: “it may be caused becasue you are absolutely in God’s will at that moment in time – but it just is plain ol’ painful.”
i’m there right now. and interestingly, i wouldn’t change the past. it’s painful, but God’s doing something deep.
what if burnout is what it takes for God to awaken your heart to greater understanding of His presence and grace? is that something to be avoided?
Just wondering what some think about my question?
Yonas-does God just stick to one thing? Nope. So, maybe we’re not supposed to either! Maybe God has gifted someone with a gift to be used in a variety of ways. Or, maybe what the person thinks is a gift, really isn’t. Or, maybe that person has more gifts God wants to tap into?
Anyway, I just gave you more questions as answer to your question, didn’t I? All in all, I think there is something to having fun and enjoying serving God with our gifts. There is always going to be suffering and sacrifice in being a follower of Christ – it’s not all a bed of roses. Darn it! :) But, maybe a way to pray about your question is to ask God to restore your passion, or give you a clear, new one.
It’s awesome that you are aware of at least one gift God has given you, and that you want to use it for Him. Maybe it’s as simple as: you have more gifts! :)
Tony
Dude-I’ve been burned out for 2 years. I’m a hair away from complete recovery. It’s been a sucky road, and I’m trying not to let a bitter root to grow. I covet anyone’s prayers out there—
I think what I probably meant about the pastor hiding out from church people (#11 on my list), was that I wanted to be the pastor’s wife’s friend, and the pastor’s friend, but they were so closed off to loving people and selective in whom they chose to be friends, it was hurtful to me.
I believe this particular pastor is in the beginning of burnout himself. Maybe if his focus was giving and receiving love from others, he wouldn’t be in that place…..
It sounds like the pastor you’re describing doesn’t have very many boundaries with all that “busywork.” Maybe that pastor would be better off if he focused on loving people, and set boundaries on all the “to-do’s.”
Thanks Jodi. So at least I can tell them if they asked…”Well Jodi said so!”
:)
[not sure if this has been said already]
but i also think one of the biggest causes of burnout is frustration from lack of willing people…and the problem surfaces when we think what we do and say can change people’s hearts, without realizing that is ultimately jesus’ work, not ours. i guess that can probably find it’s roots back in the comment i left earlier — that a lot of burnout leaders have placed more emphasis on care for others than themselves.
Yonus: I agree with Jodi…restoring passion is great; I would narrow it down to Plan A ministry and Plan B ministory….when Plan A is working…be fulfilled to do plan B and vice-versa. Nine times out of ten you will notice you are happiest when your new desire comes in and you feel refreshed with trying a new ministry. Sounds simple. It also sounds like you are a “doer” and would be happier with two roles to feel like you are positively fulfilled.. The Lord knows we need the excitement of something new to “recharge” us so we don’t feel stale. I’m a door looker…when it looks like a new door is opening; I move slowly and if the door doesn’t get shut, I continue on and say to myself …Ooooo this is giving me an added blessing to my life… It sure is a blessing to hear someone wants to venture out to new talents! Filling the void in your life from the lack of using your talent would be stifling to say the least. I’ll be praying for you on that one…could be a toughie.
Thank you Carol :)