Two Ways to Avoid Ministry Burnout

We’re more than halfway through the fall semester. For many of us in college ministry (or any ministry, for that matter), it’s about this time of year that we start to feel weary and on the verge of burnout. The adrenaline rush of Welcome Week is long over, our ministry processes are set in motion for the semester, and things can start to feel a bit rote. How do we keep the fire burning and avoid ministry burnout? 

An Example from the Burning Bush

“And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, ‘I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”

Exodus 3:2-3

Moses and the burning bush. Every time I hear the word “burnout,” my mind is instantly transported to a classroom on Thetis Island, BC, where years ago an old saint by the name of Latimer Van Dooren shared a word from the Lord that I have treasured ever since. When Dr. Van Dooren shared about this passage of Scripture, he didn’t focus on Moses, but on the bush. Two things, he taught, were important. 

Give Glory Where Glory is Due

The first thing Van Dooren pointed out is that there was nothing special about that bush. If anyone looked across the landscape a day earlier or later, all they would have seen was an ordinary piece of scrub surrounded by lots of other ordinary pieces of scrub. Now, obviously, we don’t have pictures or a recording of the event, so there is definitely a little bit of supposition there, but it seems like a pretty safe bet. I suppose it’s possible that it was the only bush in the area, or that it was somehow so visibly superior that it caught Moses’s eye, but that doesn’t seem likely. No, my money is on an ordinary bush in a field of ordinary bushes. 

The point of this is that in spite of everything we tell our kids about how special they are, there is a good bit of mundanity in all of us. No one is actually all that special. Apart from the Spirit of God moving in your life, you’re just another piece of shrub. You may be able to light up the night for a short while, but in the end, you’ll wind up an ordinary pile of ashes if you don’t pay attention to the fact that it is God alone who deserves the glory for whatever light you may shine.

The more successful you are at something, the easier it is to take credit for it, and the more credit you take, the less credit there is for God. The worst part is that you don’t have to take credit publicly or even consciously. You can just be living life, going through the motions on cruise control and day by day slowly stop giving glory to God. You get used to the stress of family and work or school and start thinking, “I’ve got this.” And maybe you do. For now. 

Eventually that mentality will catch up with you. You’ll realize that you’re burning, like really burning, like burning out; physically, mentally and emotionally, too exhausted to keep going. Ouch. And do you want to know what’s tragic about it? A lot of people don’t realize they’re burning out until the fire is dead. They push and push and push without taking time to assess and revitalize themselves by making room, creating margin, for God in their lives. They get so busy serving Him that they forget to be with Him. Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, keyed in on that when he stepped into Moses’ life and taught him how to delegate in Exodus 18. 

Avoiding Burnout Tip #1: Delegate Something

Struggling with burnout? Find something to let go of. You’re not so special that nothing can be delegated. The simple act of delegating will remind your pride of its futility. God wants to use you, but He doesn’t need you. Use the extra time you now have to refresh your walk with God and give Him the glory He deserves.

Burn With Holy Fire

The second thing Van Dooren noted about the bush is that it burned with a holy fire. If that bush had been struck by lightning or lit by the hand of man, it would have ended up in a pile of cinders. Burned out with no more fuel. But it didn’t. The fire burned without consuming the bush—how spectacular is that?

That’s what can happen when we rely on the power of God to work in and through us, rather than our own—the fire keeps burning without harming us because it has an infinite source of fuel. 

Let’s be honest; we often rely on our own strength to get things done, then wonder why we feel exhausted and lifeless. Instead of leaning on God, waiting on Him and seeking Him out, we tend to make plans and move forward from there. Planning is good. Follow through is important. But on our own, we will run out of fuel—often much faster than we anticipate.

Burning with holy fire, however, is a continual posture of dependence on God that requires ceaseless prayer. 

Avoiding Burnout Tip #2: Pray. Then Pray More. 

Struggling with burnout? Make time to pray. “Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath, the Christian’s native air…” So wrote James Montgomery in his hymn, Prayer is the Soul’s Sincere Desire. The man wasn’t wrong (Dr. Van Dooren use the same line to title a book he authored on the subject). 

If you want to burn with a holy fire, you need holy fuel, and if you want to burn continually for a long time, you’d better learn how to continually add fuel to the fire. “Pray without ceasing,” as Paul put it. He wasn’t wrong, either.

How to Keep Burning in Ministry

If you’re in ministry, whether vocationally or not, chances are you’re going to face burnout at some point in your ministry life—perhaps you’re seeing signs of the embers dwindling as you read this. Take proactive action now to avoid burnout and instead burn with holy fire. Delegate more so that you can spend more time with God and give less thought to your own glory.  Pray more so that you can add more fuel to the holy fire and use less of your own strength to accomplish your work. 

Finally, if you’re there already, please, please, ask for help. We’ve lost too many good leaders
because they didn’t feel the freedom to admit they were burnt already. Some left the ministry, some
lost their families, homes and jobs to a hard break into sinful escapes, some have even gone so far as to
take their own lives. For the love of heaven, don’t let that be you. God calls us into a personal
relationship with Him, not a private one. It’s okay to struggle, just don’t do it alone.