Pastor Burnout? Did you know that 1500 pastors a MONTH leave their congregations because of burnout? Interesting article below for Pastors.

Written by Church Planter. Speaker. Author. CEO. Raul Rivera.

Pastor Dave sat at his desk wondering what he would eat for dinner once the clock finally struck 5. Unfortunately, his “spaghetti daydream” was interrupted by an abrupt “ring, ring!” from his cell phone.

“Dave speaking,” he announced.

“Hi Pastor? This is Carol Shirley.”

“Yes, Carol! Wonderful to hear from you. How are you?”

“Unfortunately, not so good today, Pastor,” she said, “My father has just been in a terrible accident, and we are in the waiting room now. The doctors said that he will be okay in a few weeks, but the whole experience has been traumatizing for our family. We were wondering if you wouldn’t mind coming by to read a few Scriptures and help console my mother Patricia? She’s real shaken up about the whole thing, and she specifically asked for you.”

Pastor Dave was silent for a moment. He instinctively flashed back to a nice, warm plate of homemade spaghetti and his favorite mystery TV show. His thought was broken by a soft, “Pastor? Are you still there?”

“Yes! Of course, Carol. I’m so sorry to hear about your father. I will be on my way shortly.”

You are not the only one

Perhaps as a pastor, you have been having more and more experiences like Pastor Dave’s. You are finding it harder and harder to gather the needed motivation in order to keep yourself from feeling completely burned out.

Maybe now you are a few months or years into your calling as a pastor, and you are feeling as if the weight of the world is on your shoulders. Perhaps you have compared yourself to other pastors and thought, “Man, they have it all together. Why do I seem to be struggling so much?” Or perhaps you have wondered to yourself, “Does anyone else feel as worn out as I do?”

Well, take note and be encouraged that you are not the only one. You are not the only pastor who has experienced the depth and intensity of pastoral burnout.

The pastoral burnout epidemic

It is not uncommon for pastors to be overworked and under-appreciated. Because we are human, it becomes incredibly easy to believe that we are alone in our struggles and that our insecurities are somehow “one of a kind”.

However, several studies and statistics indicate that pastoral burnout is more common than you may realize. For instance:

40% of pastors and 47% of spouses are suffering from burnout, frantic schedules, and/or unrealistic expectations.
33% felt burned out within their first five years of ministry.
90% work more than 50 hours a week.
1,500 pastors leave their ministries each month due to burnout, conflict, or moral failure.
Being a pastor is not for the faint of heart. Oftentimes, you are expected to wear more than one hat. Most of the time, you are pastor, but at other times, you are also the church administrator, the church janitor, the church bookkeeper, and anything else that may need to be done.

And these are only your responsibilities within the church; this does not even include the responsibilities you have outside of the church. However, you have been called by the Creator of the universe “for such a time as this”.

Unfortunately, it has become all too easy to overwork ourselves. This typically results in the neglect of your family, friends, your downtime, and most importantly, your personal relationship with Christ. Yet, with all of the day’s responsibilities, who has time for anything other than what is required of us?

Although you are called to work as unto the Lord, it is important to remember that you are also called to rest as unto Him.

5 ways to prevent burnout

Undoubtedly, our restful downtime will likely get pushed to the last line on our “to-do” list. But there are a few truly restful activities that can majorly prevent pastoral burn out when done regularly and intentionally.

A few examples of true rest include things like the following:

1. Make time for yourself

This may seem like a “no brainer”, but it is usually the “no brainer” ideas that can have the biggest impact. Now, making time for yourself can look like a number of things, and it can be as often as you feel necessary.

I would suggest that you set aside time once a week, whether it is just a few hours or a whole day, for yourself. During this time, you can choose to do any number of things that bring you joy and rest. This could include, but is not limited to, going to a movie, reading a book, attending a sporting event, or whatever it might be that would bring you rest.

Most importantly, though, make sure that at some point during this time, you spend time with the Lord. As a pastor, you spend much of your time pouring into others. Because of that, it is all-the-more important that you take time to allow the Lord to pour into you.

2. Talk to, not at, your spouse

Sometimes it feels impossible to talk to your spouse about anything other than what has been bothering you, a problem that needs to be solved with the kids, or the stress from the office. However, creating the time to play a card game, make dinner together, and simply catch up on the little things in life that get lost, is a great way to rest and feel connected.

I honestly believe that having a healthy marriage is one of the keys to having a healthy and successful ministry. Remember, LOVE is spelled T.I.M.E.

3. Build up a team of individuals to protect your blindside

Most, if not all, pastors first enter the ministry with a passion and zeal to reach the lost and to see lives transformed for eternity. Whether it be formally or informally, most pastors receive some type of training to prepare them for ministry. However, these very ministers quickly realize that out of all the training they received, there is one area in which they feel completely unprepared; church compliance and administration.

For many ministers, church compliance and administration is the root cause of many sleepless nights. Perhaps you can relate to this. You may agree that this is the “blindside” of ministry with which you need help. Whether it be with bylaws, pastoral compensation, bookkeeping, or obtaining 501(c)(3) status, you could use help.

We would love to be a part of your team and help ease your concern regarding church compliance and administration. Register today for one of our conferences near you, or simply give us a call at 770-638-3444. It would be our honor to serve you!

4. Exercise regularly

This does not mean that you have to do anything too strenuous, but going on a simple walk can have huge gains. For instance, a recent study done by Stanford University showed that “a person’s creative output increased by an average of 60 percent when walking.”

Activating the creative side of your brain allows your logic and reasoning to take a breather. Taking one hour out of your work week to go on a walk or run can balance both parts of the brain almost simultaneously. And when you have been in a constant state of problem solving, a little exercise goes a long way.

5. Take time to have fun with family and close friends

Of course, you probably see your family every night of the week and your friends maybe once a month, but how many of those times were genuinely fun and filled with lasting memories? It is important to respect the rejuvenating qualities that our friends/family bring to our lives. Implement time into your schedule to be with the people who really know you; you will not regret it!

The goal of restfulness: to expose and to recharge.

Ephesians 5:13 says, “But everything exposed by the light becomes visible–and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.”

It is easy to keep the good, the bad, and the ugly cooped up inside. However, when you rest and recharge, those buried fears and insecurities that stifle your ministry rise to the surface and slowly fall off of you.

Suddenly, you start to feel like yourself again and you gain a new perspective on your life and ministry and no longer feel alone. Rest provides us with so much more than we realize, and it is time to take full advantage of its benefits!

Conclusion

As a former pastor, I completely understand the burnout epidemic that has taken the fire out of the eyes of numerous pastors. I know what it is like to wear multiple hats, to work relentless hours, to pray the seemingly empty prayers, and to never feel like you have any time to yourself. And though pastoring is endlessly rewarding, it is certainly not an easy job! Especially when it comes to staying compliant and juggling the ever-changing, legal responsibilities of shepherding a ministry.