Dec

04

Burnout – Now What?

Posted on December 4th, 2008 in Faith, Worship Leadership by Fred McKinnon

Craig over at LifeChurch started it all, with a post called “Signs of a Lukewarm Pastor”

Carlos took it the next step by focusing this on worship ministry, with his post called “Signs of a Lukewarm Worship Leader”

So, thanks guys for showing us the signs.

Here’s my question.  Are you there?  And if so – what can you do about it?

Craig answered this question here, but I’d like to get some transparent, real, authentic discussion going right here today.

Let’s face it – it’s real.  I’ve been battling the issue myself for a while, and I clearly know WHAT to do … it’s DOING IT that becomes the difficult task.

Go for it – don’t hold back – be authentic.


  • http://www.aworshipfulheart.typepad.com Jan Owen

    Well for me Burnout and Lukewarm have not been the same. I almost burned out but it was because of a traumatic experience in ministry (suicide of pastors wife and all I had to do to deal with that) then our pastor’s sudden and difficult resignation. Add this to my personal tendency towards workaholism and I about bit the dust. I worked myself into the ground and when all my best efforts failed I crawled into bed and almost didn’t get out again. (my hubby made me!) Grief, pain, feelings of uselessness and failure and my attempts to cope with them led me to burnout.

    How did I climb out of this pit? I went to a National Pastors Retreat led by Ruth Haley Barton with the Transforming Center. It was wonderful. Then I joined a two year retreat community in Chicago that met quarterly. (I am in Al. so this was a huge thing and expensive but I was DESPERATE) It was life changing and ministry saving. I also ended up taking a sabbatical to alow me to rest and heal as I was at the end of my rope and I had been at my church for 10 years.

    If our hearts are truly broken, it will lead us to desperation. Being desperate for God to move or speak is a good place to be because in this place we are READY for whatever He asks us to do….

  • http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

    Jan,
    Great response – thanks for kicking off the discussion with some real authenticity … and I agree, burnout and “lukewarm” aren’t the same, but I think they are connected. If I allow myself to be “lukewarm” spiritually, burnout is in my future. If I allow myself to have “burnout”, it will definitely contribute to lukewarmness, if that makes sense. At least … “I think”.

  • http://www.bradhafnersfa.wordpress.com Brad Hafner

    Burnout is one of those situations where it hasn’t hit the core of our team or leadership, but usually the volunteers first. We have done special dinners at the church, in the past, to show appreciation for all they do. It seems to help but the dinners are few and far between. Ideas in this area are welcomed.
    When I recognize that I’m burning out, I try walking in the opposite direction that my flesh wants to go. That usually helps me out.

    Brad Hafners last blog post..The Stars Aren’t Aligning for Dallas

  • http://anthonycoppedge.com/blogs Anthony Coppedge

    Fred,

    I see burnout at church happen during the confluence of three things: spiritual exhaustion, emotional exhaustion and physical exhaustion.

    I have found that people burn out when they’re so busy doing the ministry “job” (leading worship, greeting people, teaching a class, running sound…whatever) that they fail to see when they’re running on fumes. We allow others to siphon off of our energy, time and emotions without ensuring that we’re pulling up to the pump to refill ourselves.

    That refill often comes in the form of actually sitting in the church and participating in corporate worship and engaging with the teaching, hearing “thank you” from our leaders and having others help us do what we do.

    Most of the time when we’re burned out, it’s because we’ve tried to be the spiritual Lone Ranger, riding around being the hero of the day.

    I actually wrote a four part series on this very subject (from the tech arts perspective):
    http://tinyurl.com/techburnout

    Blessings,

    Anthony

    Anthony Coppedges last blog post..Christmas – Less Presents, More Presence

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