Burnout Symptoms & Help

We will take a look at what professional literature describes as burnout and what you can do about it.

1. Exhaustion: An exhausted minister feels worn out mentally and physically to the point he no longer wants to care for others. They become so mentally tired and dulled that they want only to escape and “do nothing.”
2. Cynicism: Also called “professional disengagement,” cynicism is a loss of positive drive to care for those the minister once felt led to serve. Becoming hardened, callous, and annoyed at their needs, the minister resents, avoids, and detaches from them.
3. Reduced Personal Efficacy: With reduced personal efficacy a minister no longer does their job well and no longer diligently follow through with tasks and begin to doubt themselves and their skills. No longer sure they can make a difference, they lose hope.
4. Burnout has been shown to correlate significantly with physical problems including depression, somatic concerns, sleep disruption, fatigue, and even cardiac problems.

Ironically, the qualities required of someone called to ministry also expose the minister to burnout. Love for the Lord, joy in caring for others, passion to make a difference, and a high level of drive and motivation causes people to work hard and care wholeheartedly. They can also lead ministers to lose a proper sense of balance and margin in their lives.

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What can you do about your burnout? A typical treatment is threefold:

1. Rest! This means to check out totally. The longer the burnout, the longer the rest period required. You need to sleep in, play, hang out with your family, take a vacation, read fiction books – everything that helps you “unplug.” Most cross-cultural workers in burnout are wound up so tight that it takes a lot to “unwind the spring.”
2. Process. After (not during!) the rest period, spend some time thinking through what happened to you, what combination of circumstances led to your burnout, and what the Lord is saying to you now.
3. Adapt. Only after steps 1 and 2, begin to ask the “now what” questions. Often people who have burned out can be restored and returned to ministry, but they need to change both internally and externally. Once a person burns out, research suggests they are at a higher risk for burnout in the future. Changes must be made or there is likely more trouble ahead!

Jesus himself called the disciples aside to rest, and God commanded all of us to take a weekly day of rest. Knowing that burnout requires more than rest, we encourage godly, caring laborers not just to recharge, but also to pursue wise change. And because we Christian counselors see so many of these people struggle with burnout, we urge you to get the help you need.

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Here are some helpful books you can use to learn more about burnout:

Leading on Empty (Cordeiro). A pastor who experienced burnout, the author describes his recovery and changes. As a strong “Type A” person, he relates well to driven people.

Beating Burnout (Minirth, Meier, et. al.). Great overview of burnout, a self-inventory to help with assessment, and helpful suggestions for recovery.

Boundaries (Cloud and Townsend). Helpful to make changes that are often needed for ministers to prevent burn out.

Margin (Swenson). Practical suggestions and discussion from a medical doctor’s perspective on building healthy margin and space in our lives for healthy balance.

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