I Don’t Want to Be One of THOSE Pastors: Exposing Ministry Burnout.
Eric Camfield
Rukes Alliance Partner
Altar Fly Fishing
Almost five years ago I pulled into a retreat center in Colorado one month into my first sabbatical. At that point, I had been in ministry for almost 20 years without ever having a break other than family vacations, which often entailed going to see family. After completing two graduate degrees over a ten-year period, while pastoring full-time at a large church in Chicago, and also desiring to be a devoted dad and coaching high level travel baseball…I knew my tank was running low and I needed to refresh.
That was an understatement.
As I put my car in park in front of the retreat cabin in which I would stay, I prayed, “Lord, thank you for this time away. You have one week to work your magic. I do not want to end up being one of those pastors who burnout in ministry.” Needless to say, God did do his work which opened my eyes that week and began a new trajectory of life that continues to this day. The starting point was a humble confession of the one phrase that pastors fear uttering, I am burned out. Burnout was impacting far more than I even realized at the time.
Recent statistics and reports from reputable organizations (like Barna Group) on the state of churches, pastors, and those in vocational ministry are concerning. The narrative points to people in vocational ministry struggling with fatigue, identity, burnout, and leaving the ministry for a variety of reasons. COVID-19 has only amplified issues that were running under the radar with pastors and those in vocational ministry. Let me state it a little more directly:
Ministry burnout is real and it is sneaky. Most pastors have not learned (or choose to ignore) the signs of burnout and have adopted an I must press through by myself approach which only accelerates the issues compounding under the surface of their lives.
Dr. Wes Beavis (Psy.D.) in his recent book, Let’s Talk About Ministry Burnout, unpacks many of the reasons that contribute to fatigue, emotional numbness, and burnout, offering a short quiz to help people recognize the warning signs of burning out. Take a moment and rank each of these questions from 1 (Never) to 5 (Always):
Do I feel overextended and emotionally depleted?
Are my thoughts regularly trending toward the negative about myself, others or the church?
Is there a growing presence of depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, loss of personal discipline, or having a short fuse?
Am I avoiding people, preferring to be alone, and feeling shame?
Is my avoidance increasing and my productivity diminishing?
Is my identity shaken and am I thinking about doing something other than ministry?
Total your score to the six questions above. Dr. Beavis would say when you reach 19 points or higher you are beginning to exhibit signs of burnout. If you score 25 points or higher, you ARE experiencing ministry burnout! Perhaps you need to sit with that for a minute.
Research suggests that ministry burnout accelerates as you journey without something/someone to change the present course, but this is hard for the pastor who is trying to cope and press on in ministry. Dr. Sue Johnson, in studying the impact of prolonged stress on the body and mind, says “Life becomes a search for ways to stay numb and it’s hard to heal when you are numbed.”
Before you say, “Nice, depressing blogpost, Eric!” let me offer you some GOOD NEWS.
The narrative can change! Flourishing and thriving IS possible. I’ve seen it happen many times, including in my own life, but it does not happen without intentionality.
While there is not a simple recipe for restoration in the midst of ministry burnout, there are a few predictable stops along the way that will always factor in when one desires renewal and healing.
The beginning point in growing toward health and renewal is being honest with God and yourself. Have you paused to seriously consider your life and name where burnout is revealing itself?
You will need partners for the journey. Sometimes trusted friends can provide the shoulders to help carry you, but often seeking the investment from a transformational coach or professional counselor will bring the necessary skills to help name realities, open possibilities, and help ensure progress toward renewal.
Addressing personal rhythms and adopting healthy boundaries will help offset where the overextending and striving need to stop and help develop better soul care habits.
Diet, exercise, and rest will help restore our bodies which impacts all we do.
Changing jobs does not remedy burnout.
A Closing Thought
In Matthew 9:35-38, Jesus famously shares that more workers are needed for the harvest and that we need to pray for more workers. No doubt we would all say, “Amen!” Here is what I submit to you. Through ministry exhaustion and yes, burnout, we are losing amazing Kingdom workers (pastors) every day who not only help harvest, but also train and send the willing workers into the harvest fields. Why? They are discouraged, depleted, and suffering from burnout (even though many pastors will resist using that word). The narrative MUST change. Thanks be to God that the narrative CAN change.
If you are in vocational ministry, take the time to take the quiz above. Be honest with yourself and recognize if there is any indication something needs to change. If so, please do not wait to name it and take steps to address it. We need YOU to stay in the harvest and find the resilience to not just survive, but thrive for the glory of God (and joy for yourself).
I have devoted myself to helping change the narrative of burnout through the ministry of Altar Fly Fishing and through transformational coaching with pastors and leaders. Both myself and Rukes Search Group want to encourage you and help in any way we can. Simply reach out if we can be a first, safe step for you. We are champions of greater soul health and renewal for those in ministry.
ABOUT ERIC CAMFIELD (Alliance Partner with Rukes Search Group)
Eric is founder and president of Altar Fly Fishing, a nonprofit ministry merging faith and fly fishing into a common stream. Eric also serve as director of coaching for Soul Care and has his own transformation coaching practice to help leaders thrive. His years of service also include global missions with Athletes in Action and pastoring and consulting in local church ministries for over 20 years. Eric lives in Chicagoland with his wife Suanne (writer, speaker, strategic leader at Christ Church of Oak Brook) and has two kids in college. To connect with Eric, email him here.
