Grace Beyond Burnout

Wearing Masks

Statistics show that 70 percent of pastors report having no close friends, and more than 30 percent of clergy have marriages in crisis, addictions (mostly sexual), forced terminations and arrested spiritual development, as reported in Dallas Theological Seminary’s DTS Magazine.

Ten years into his own ministry, Mountain Learning Center, Russ Veenker experienced his own burnout.

“The focus of my doctoral studies and training became the care, nurture and development of Christian leaders,” Veenker writes. MLC eventually refocused its mission statement to include “revitalizing pastors and their spouses.”

Veenker believes that when success defines itself through numbers, temptation lurks to forget your need of a savior and to wear the appropriate masks to perform for others. With the voice of idols, they promise to make you:

* seem powerful and significant
* the source of the fix for most of life’s problems
* feel needed and fulfilled
* believe you are in control

Pastors often face the temptation to impress others while self-protecting their ego. When identity fuses to the role of the pastor instead of the person of Christ, burnout begins.

Warning Signs

A recent Leadership Journal survey found that 94 percent of pastors and 77 percent of their spouses feel pressure for their family to be an ideal role model.

As pastors are tempted away from authentic and loving relationships, exploring the masks of performance, the burnout shows in small ways. In his holistic care, Lindquist often sees the initial symptoms as physical: decreased energy, weight gain, lack of drive, rising blood pressure, irritability, headaches, backaches and insomnia.

On other levels—emotional and spiritual—a growing disillusionment toward people takes root with corresponding emotional symptoms: depression, anxiety, guilt and feelings of detachment.

“There is a sense of constant stress,” says Lindquist. “It’s usually this ongoing feeling of catching up. You know there are too many things going on, but you can’t figure a way of ever catching up.”

In the constant churn of urgency, burnout leads to:

* a feeling of failure in vocation
* a reduced sense of reward for pouring so much of oneself into the role
* a sense of helplessness and inability to see a way out of problems
* a negativism about self, others, work and the world generally

In an effort to compensate for the losses, leaders often turn to food, drugs, alcohol and/or sex, which often result in addiction and moral compromise.

According to recent surveys, 50 percent of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, and more than 20 percent admit to having had an affair while in ministry.

The Sufficiency of Jesus

More than 40 percent of pastors and 47 percent of spouses are suffering from burnout, frantic schedules and/or unrealistic expectations, The New York Times reports.

Frequently, they need professional counseling to help understand patterns of sin, addiction and underlying motivations to provide catalysts for recovery.  

“At what point do I believe in the sufficiency of Jesus, and at what point do I use others?” asks Lindquist. “That’s a question I struggle with. The obvious times would be if I were having suicidal thoughts or had just run off with the secretary and made a wreck of my ministry. When you look at Galatians 6, it talks about carrying your own load at the same time it says to bear one another’s burdens. Clearly, there are things with which we need other people to help us get a good perspective. It’s the beauty of the body of Christ, who still provides the sufficiency.”

James P. Long
James P. Longhttp://JamesPLong.com

James P. Long is the editor of Outreach magazine and is the author of a number of books, including Why Is God Silent When We Need Him the Most?

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