How To Keep From Burning Out
Many of my friends, colleagues, and clients who serve as pastors were able to take a sabbatical this past summer. And I am very glad. The renewal that comes from an extended time of several weeks away is real and really necessary.
Most leaders I know need far more rhythms of rest and renewal in their lives in order to lead and minister with deep health for the long haul. I know that I do. To this day, I try to take several weeks of time off for both rest and writing (a deeply restorative activity for me).
But as church leaders come back to their posts, take up the pulpits and start launching the programs of the new ministry year, I want to focus not on rest, but on work. How can we lead and minister differently so that we don’t find ourselves hanging on for dear life until our next vacation or sabbatical?
A big clue is found in the widely read report about the number of clergy who either left or seriously considered leaving the ministry during the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic. When you compare the pastors who quit or almost quit ministry from those who didn’t, the experience of the challenges is similar: stress, political division, and feeling lonely and isolated are the top factors listed by both groups.
But the big difference is that those who faced those challenges without considering stepping down were not more resolved or committed than those who did, but they did have two other factors that worked in their favor:
They felt more equipped to face the challenges and
The felt more supported as they did.
As Barna reported, “Overall, most pastors are confronting the same pressures and stressors—but perhaps not the same levels of equipping and support. As Rev. Dr. Glenn Packiam writes in Barna's The State of Your Church, "We need sages to advise us, leaders to direct us or hold us accountable, peers to remind us that we aren’t alone, healers to dress our wounds and companions who carry us when we can’t carry on."”
Growth and Support
Challenge and Safety
This combination is at the heart of AE Sloan Leadership. We offer coaching, consulting, courses, and cohorts to equip you as a change leader. We now have a team of coaches to offer you real time support that will help you to thrive even in the midst of the challenges.
This is why we are here.
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