10 Signs that you are near a ministry burnout.....

by Perry Noble

God called us to do a lot of things for Him…but He did not call us to burn out or exchange our family for ministry.

Email this article

Print Friendly

My counselor shared a statistic with me two years ago that floored me…90% of the people entering ministry DO NOT RETIRE from ministry, they either quit or have some sort of moral/ethical failure that disqualifies them.  I’m not a rocket scientist…but I honestly do not believe that is what Jesus called us to OR what He wants for our lives.

AND yet so many of us (church leaders) struggle/wrestle with this (usually inwardly because if we said out loud that we are dying inside we fear that people may perceive us as weak!)

Here are ten signs that you are near a burnout and/or meltdown…

#1 – You are beginning to despise people and your compassion for them is continually decreasing rather than increasing.

#2 – You often think about doing something other than ministry…and your biggest desire isn’t to honor God and reach people but to simply find relief from the pressure that seems to be building daily inside of you.

#3 – You cannot remember the last time you simply had fun with family and friends…and joy is something you talk about but are not experiencing for yourself.

#4 – You are disconnected at home…when you get there you do not want to engage with your spouse or your children, you cannot enjoy being around them…you spend more time online than you do with your family…and you find yourself wanting to sleep all of the time.

#5 – You continually tell yourself and those you love that “this is just a really busy season and that you will slow down soon.” (However, the truth is that you have been most likely “singing that same song” for years!)

#6 – You are continually becoming obsessed with what others say about you…and one negative comment from someone who does not like you can put you in an incredibly deep valley and cause you to feel hopeless.

#7 – You begin to make easy decisions rather than the right ones…because the right ones take too much work.

#8 – There is no hope in you…and, you actually despair life. You have actually thought of death…and some have even entertained suicidal thoughts.

#9 – You are experiencing unexplained depression and/or anxiety. You are even having panic attacks and you can’t explain it!

#10 – You are increasingly becoming withdrawn from family and friends.

“How did you come up with this list,” you ask…it’s quite simple: I went back to December 2007 until January of this past year and listed out the qualities that were the most prominent in my own life. That’s right…my life! I went through a trial of intense depression and anxiety during that time period and the best way I can describe my life would be “dark!”

However, through me swallowing my pride and asking for help, the support of an incredible wife, the support of great friends, and seeking out an incredible counselor—and the unbelievable mercy of God—I broke free from my darkness this past January. Oh sure, I still struggle with it more often than I wish I would…but I cannot tell you the incredible feelings of freedom and joy I’ve had since January that I haven’t had in YEARS!

And…this is the motivation for Reawaken—a one day worship/seminar for senior pastors, their wives and other church leaders as well. It’s going to be an event where I will be talking about the things that pastors don’t talk about that often…how to overcome the desire to quit and actually get your passion/joy back at a level that you didn’t believe you could have.

ALSO…I am bringing in who I would consider to be THE BEST counselor on the planet for pastors and church leaders. His name is Dr John Walker…and not only is he a licensed psychologist but he has also planted churches, pastored churches and served in nearly every capacity as a church staff member. In others words…he understands our world.

It’s going to be an incredible day…in fact, it COULD be the day that the Lord uses to SAVE your ministry! You can go here to find out more information about it...but I can tell you right now that it is going to be the most raw and real event that you will EVER attend. AND…pastors, I am REALLY encouraging you to bring your spouse to this one!!!

God called us to do a lot of things for Him…but He did not call us to flame out or drop out. I want what Paul said in II Timothy 4:7 to be true of all of us! I want us to finish well!

Berachah Leadership Coaching offers programs and personalized coaching in burnout prevention, as well as system-wide consultation for churches and organizations.  For more information, call 516-620-3535 or email us at berachahleadership@gmail.com

 

7 Leadership Roles that Can’t Be Delegated

Tony Morgan
A couple of days ago, I introduced this series on senior leadership teams. Today, I want to take a look at the roles of this team. Again, I’m assuming for the purposes of this series that there is a separate team of elders if you are in a church. In this instance, I’m talking about the team at the top of the organization overseeing the day-to-day ministry and operations of the church.

These critical roles apply across any organization. It’s not uncommon for the senior pastor or CEO to own these responsibilities. What makes a great senior leadership team is when everyone on the team shares responsibility and ownership for these roles. When it’s a team rather than an individual, it leads to a healthier organization.

For an organization to be healthy, these are the seven roles of a senior leadership team that can’t be delegated:

1. Modeling team-based ministry from the top of the organization.
It gets very difficult to challenge other staff and volunteer leaders to build and develop teams in the church if it’s not being modeled from the top. More important, the senior leadership team needs to model what “healthy” team-based ministry looks like. We’ll cover that more in future posts, but this includes both healthy conflict and unwavering unity. (You can have both.)

2. Identifying and implementing the strategy for accomplishing the vision.
This, of course, assumes a clear vision for the church has previously been established. The senior leadership team, though, is ultimately responsible for identifying the strategies that will be used to accomplish that vision. They fill the gap between vision and execution.

3. Leading the staff and volunteers.
Every person, whether they are in a staff or volunteer role, needs to be connected through your organizational structure back to someone on the senior leadership team. There shouldn’t be any staff members, volunteers, or ministries floating out there without leadership and direction connected back to the vision.

4. Keeping everyone aligned and focused on the vision, strategy, and execution priorities.
In the early days of a church plant, this is much easier. Because there are fewer people initially, church plants stay very focused out of necessity. As churches grow, though, the senior leadership team will have to work hard to keep everyone focused on the church’s overall vision and ministry strategy. (As a side note, that means God may call someone in your church to launch a great ministry that’s not a part of the church’s vision and strategy. It just means that may be their personal mission and not the church’s mission. When that happens, you need to encourage the individual but protect the church’s mission. We actually need more of that.)

5. Considering and responding to the opportunities and threats that might impact the health of the church.
Many times, these come from outside the church. The senior leadership team needs to keep their eyes on the environment where ministry is taking place. It’s similar to engaging missions in a foreign land. We need to be aware of our surroundings to maximize the opportunities for change in our strategies. This is what will distinguish the churches that last for generations.

6. Facilitating communications with other staff, volunteers, and the church.
No, once the church grows beyond two people, everyone won’t be included in every conversation that shapes the direction of the ministry. That said, every healthy organization needs good communications. Of course, since the rest of the staff and volunteers can’t be involved in every conversation, they have to be willing to trust their leadership.

7. Monitoring key metrics and making sure the ministry is moving in a healthy direction.
It does no good to continue “doing church” without knowing whether or not what you’re doing is helping people take their next steps toward Christ. You need a reality check. Is the church healthy? Are people taking steps? Are you reaching new people? Stories of life change are important, but as the church grows, you’ll need more than intuition and feelings to measure the health of your vision and strategy.

How is your team doing in each of these areas? It might be helpful for you to take 15 minutes in your next senior leadership team and have some honest discussion about how your team is working in each role. Are you performing at your highest capacity?

What is missing from this list? What other role have you seen in your experience that is critical to building a strong senior leadership team? Join the conversation by sharing your comment.

Tony Morgan serves on the leadership team at West Ridge Church near Atlanta. He’s also a consultant and coach who helps churches get unstuck and have a bigger impact. He's the author of the leadership book Killing Cockroaches and his latest eBooks on ministry strategies and systems are available as free downloads.

Roles, Responsilibities, Rend your heart.

Priests: Live between the porch and the altar.

Apprentices: Walk in the dust of the Rabbi.
Intercessors: keep looking up, stay connected in your networks.
Leaders: Lead from brokenness and transparency.
Kings: rule with integrity, justice and mercy.

"When your heart is broken, you can fit more people into it." --CR

One24 : Home Page : One24

One24 : Home Page : One24

This looks like a great way to help others and help yourself!

Courage

Courage is a cardinal virtue.  It is not the absence or the opposite of fear, but instead it is standing firm in the face of fear.  At the 2011 Global Leadership Summit, Bill Hybels said, "Look problems straight in the eye, and call them what they are." @BillHybels #wcagls  We need to call it just like it is. 

In planting fresh vision for our organization priorities this coming year, the last admonition is the best in my view.  "Don't be afraid to fail, but if you never fail, you will never win."

Right now, our organizational design firm, Berachah Leadership Coaching, is working on several fronts within existing corporations and non-profit organizations to create optimal conditions for creativity and teambuilding.  You can get a free consultation by emailing berachahleadership@gmail.com

Berachah Leadership Coaching
redesigning life by revitalizing organizations

The Christ-event is...

The Christ-event is...

Because of the way Jesus came, and how he ministered, and dealt with sin, things never have to remain "as they are." Because of Jesus, we do not have to remain the same, we can be changed for good, forever. This change is called salvation, and is the entre to a new life in an alternative universe, called the Kingdom of God.

be blessed today.

God Is Calling You To Have A Closer Walk With Jesus

God Is Calling You To Have A Closer Walk With Jesus
Great set of articles to share with those who have questions about God, and desire to walk in the power of the Spirit.