HOW HEAVY IS YOUR JOB?
THOUGHTS FOR THE BURNOUT PASTOR by Brian Burris
...in my experience, pastoral burnout can look more like low-grade depression or generalized anxiety prolonged enough to make a leader just want to quit whatever they are doing...
36 | General Baptist Messenger Winter 2021
Have you had those days that begin with dread the moment you open your eyes? You know, you're just coming into consciousness after a fitful night of sleep. It begins to dawn on you that it's a workday, and you'll need to be in the office today. Or, worse yet, it's a Sunday, and you have to be in front of the entire congregation smiling and sharing the word of God. Several things could be happening in your life to create this dread. Today, I want to talk about pastoral burnout as one of those possibilities. Often when we hear about pastoral burnout, we think of the pastor who falls publicly from grace, as the leader caught in adultery, or when a crippling addiction has been revealed or even the pastor who dies by suicide. I would suggest that all these things are symptoms of burnout but don't fully represent all that happens when a leader undergoes the pain and frustration of burnout. More commonly, in my experience, pastoral burnout can look more like low-grade depression or generalized anxiety prolonged enough to make a leader just want to quit whatever they are doing and live in a cabin in the woods. Pastoring a church is unlike any other job. Whether you are a lead pastor, executive pastor, associate pastor, youth pastor, etc., if you have "pastor" in your title, this job takes on a weight different than any other occupation. On a day-to-day basis, you are called to the incredible highs of being witness to spiritual growth in those you serve, to the gut-wrenching loss of beloved members of the congregation. This work never fits in a neat 40-hour workweek, and you may rarely be recognized for the hours you put into sermon prep, discipleship, or maintenance on the church property.
