Jamin Bradley

Colleges, seminaries, books, and pastors have a lesson they will work hard to get into your psyche: do whatever you must do in ministry to not burn out. Statistically speaking, pastors drop out of ministry like flies, so you are generally taught to run from burnout at all costs. 

These instructions throw every pastor into a tizzy. Because they were taught that burnout is the end of their career, when they start to experience it, they see it as writing on the wall—as though their pastoral career has just been diagnosed with cancer. They sometimes react in one of two ways: (1) take a nice long break from ministry via a vacation, sabbatical, or pause in ministry, or (2) call it quits forever. If they choose option 1, they return to ministry temporarily refreshed, often to find that the factors of burnout are still there.

Rest is good, necessary, and even dictated by God, but you can’t rest your way out of all your problems. If there’s pain in your life causing the burnout, then it’s the pain that needs to be addressed. If it’s too much work that’s causing the burnout, then it’s delegation that needs to be created. If it’s drama causing the burnout, then it’s the drama that needs to be worked through. Rest might keep these wounds from bothering you for a bit, but if you don’t treat the infection, you’ll feel the pain when you start moving again.

Burnout is not the end of your pastoral ministry career. More often than not, it’s a sign that you need to address something. What I think pastors should be taught is that, in long-term ministry, you will likely burn out many times. You will want to throw in the towel. You will want to quit and find a normal job somewhere. Every few years (if not more), you will feel like the writing is on the wall again.

And that’s okay. As you rest and heal through the things causing the burnout, the Spirit will help you regain the strength you need for the job he appointed you to. And you will remember why you like it and why you don’t want to do anything else.