3. Pastors need to take responsibility for themselves.
At the end of the day, you are on your own. You are the only person who can take responsibility for yourself and sometimes the only one who will look out for your best interests and health. I have to take responsibility for burning out. I could have walked away from my job at any time, found a mentor or sought counseling to deal with the issues I was facing. I could have developed a stronger devotional life and healthier work/life balance. So often pastors take their responsibilities to the congregation far more seriously than their responsibility to themselves. So my advice is …
LOOK AFTER YOURSELF!
This means spiritually, physically, emotionally and financially. Also, remember to have fun. Fun is one of the first casualties when someone is on the road to burnout.
4. Church leaders should take this seriously.
In every church there is a system of leadership. Whatever form it takes, there are those who are in a position of leadership alongside the pastor and who share the responsibility for his/her care.
In leadership groups, there is often an assumption that someone is looking out for the pastor and their families by calling, visiting, praying with them and being aware of their needs. Often there isn’t, and pastors can feel alone and isolated. This isolation is magnified if there is conflict between the pastor and the leadership team. I have seen pastors worn down and cast out by the controlling, narrow-minded, restrictive nature of leaders who sometimes forget their role is to empower, encourage and support.
It is a wise move for the leadership team to appoint one or two people who can take special interest in the pastor and their family. These have to be the right people (i.e., ones the pastor relates to and who have the insight, sensitivity and strength to understand how the pastor is really doing and then do something about it).
Leaders of churches and denominations should face this problem fairly. Sometimes difficult and confronting issues are not tackled, as leaders wish to keep presenting a positive report about how everything is going. Some level of discomfort in talking about burnout is understandable, as it may communicate, in some ways, those in leadership have not fulfilled their role of caring for the pastor. However, ignoring the problem with a “business as usual” attitude will only compound the long-term effects.
