The one question I get asked more than any other is, “How are you able to do all that you do?” For those of you who don’t know, I wear a lot of different hats, so to speak.
The Lead Pastor at Daybreak Church in Grand Rapids, MI.
The CEO of Never The Same, a national Youth Ministry organization.
The Chairman of the Executive Board of the National Day of Prayer Task Force.
I lead the National Prayer Committee, a coalition of prayer leaders and ministries.
But I’m also a husband, dad, grandpa, and friend.
I’ve been in full-time vocational ministry for 34 years. I am responsible for a lot, and my days are full. Just like all of us, I have to choose how I spend my time and where I direct my energy.
So the question is: IS IT POSSIBLE TO AVOID MINISTRY BURNOUT OR IS IT INEVITABLE?
In my first year as a Youth Pastor, fresh out of college, a colleague asked me, “Have you hit the wall yet?” I said, “What do you mean?” He said, “In ministry, you will hit a wall; it’s called burnout.” He went on to tell me that it happened to him within the first 2-3 years of his ministry. Well, I kept waiting, and over 30 years later, it still hasn’t happened.
The talk of ‘burnout’ is prevalent, and I want to dispel the myth that if you are in ministry, burnout is inevitable. THIS IS NOT TRUE. Burnout is not inevitable, and it IS AVOIDABLE. Although I’ve had highs and lows, I would never consider myself ‘burned out’ of ministry leadership. As I’ve dealt with very difficult situations and people, I’ve learned that there is always a way forward.
Especially to you young leaders, following these ideas will change your life and ministry.
If you want to avoid burnout, pay close attention to:
- The 6.5 principles I follow
- The true north Scripture I live by.
THE 6.5 PRINCIPLES I FOLLOW
1. Orient Your Posture
Defining question: Are you serving God or people? If you are serving people, you will eventually become disillusioned. If you are serving God, you will continue to be filled with delight, because our Father always accepts our service to Him wholeheartedly. If we are offering our service to people, we will be disappointed because they often won’t understand what we are doing or why. Orient your posture towards God and serve Him, and let those around you watch you worship through your work.
2. Know and Practice the Sabbath
For years I couldn’t seem to understand the Sabbath. Then I discovered that having a good definition of work allowed me to have a clearer understanding of rest/Sabbath. Here’s how I define work: providing solutions for someone or something. So, on my Sabbath, I don’t provide solutions. I step away and trust God that He will provide when I am “away from my desk.” My Sabbath is Friday night to Saturday night. And I’m pretty strict with it. You can cheat Sabbath for a season and not notice, but over time you will see the effects.
3. Don’t Be Offended
Many people waste energy by holding grudges after taking offense. This is a huge issue that holds ministry leaders back. The more easily offended you are, the more things will weigh on your soul. This carries out into your personality, energy, relationships, etc. Choose to let go and forgive. Praying the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to forgive, “as we have forgiven our debtors,” is a good daily practice. Don’t take things personally, which will lighten your load as a leader.
4. Ask For Help
We all have tasks and responsibilities we aren’t naturally good at. When we do something that we aren’t naturally gifted to do, it takes waaaay longer than the things we are gifted to do. Minimize your most “unnatural” tasks by asking for help from the people around you. This allows you to accelerate and do more by not getting bogged down in things you weren’t meant to do. These could be in the form of staff (such as an administrative assistant) or volunteer leadership. Always remember, there are people who would LOVE to do the things that you HATE doing; you just need to find them.
5. Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself
Life is hard. Ministry is unfair. How many leaders have you heard talk about their “church hurt?” While there are some instances of real abuse in ministry, in my opinion, much of the difficulty people face in ministry is what all of us have faced or are facing now. The more time you spend feeling sorry for yourself, the worse off you’ll be. If you need a change in ministry scenery, do it. But realize that EVERY MINISTRY has its flaws, imperfect people, and circumstances. Ask for wisdom from God on the difficulty you are dealing with and act accordingly. But don’t just throw a pity party, because this will derail you from what you were meant to do and who God wants you to become.
6. Don’t Let Small Thinkers Make You Small
Hundreds of ministry leaders have told me over the years, “I got out of ministry because of…” and then they mentioned a person or group that they felt treated them unfairly. Here’s what I say to them, and I’ll say to you: “Are you going to let a small-minded person keep you from pursuing God’s call on your life?” Make no mistake, there are mean people out there, and no matter how likable we are, there will ALWAYS be people who don’t like us. Those are facts. But we can never let our naysayers determine our destiny. Only allow God to have that power in your life, not a small-minded person.
.5 Bonus: Take a Sabbatical.
Your ministry may or may not practice this. At Never The Same, every full-time staff member gets 6 weeks of paid time off for every 7 years of employment. I highly recommend!
THE TRUE NORTH SCRIPTURE I LIVE BY
Read John 12:1-7 and refer to principle #1 above: “orient your posture.”
Mary offered her gift to Jesus, while the crowd watched.
Some criticized.
Some were offended.
Some misunderstood.
Yet all experienced it.
And Jesus understood and received it.
Live in this manner, and you won’t ever be disappointed with Christ’s loving response to your gift of ministry to Him.
Geoff Eckart
CEO & Founder
Never The Same