Burnout in Your Church: Identify the Cause
As I became more and more burnt out, I finally met my breaking point. I came to a point where I just didn’t care anymore. A pastor friend had once warned about a point where the “crazy becomes normal”. I had reached it. Unchecked stress had turned into burnout and then depression.
I’m sure someone on your staff is close to this point. So let’s take a moment and talk about why burnout is so rampant right now. Living through a worldwide pandemic is definitely a likely contributor, but here are a few specific but common reasons:
Homelife. Everyone is experiencing stress over health and many have serious financial concerns.
Job changes. Employees are adapting to new responsibilities, roles, or methods–sometimes creating them. Meanwhile, their work conditions are ever-changing. (Check out our blog on The Great Resignation.)
The World. The Christian mission is to love. In a hurting world those wanting to help their family, congregation and community often push self-care to the wayside.
So there I was. In a word: Done. I scraped together all the vacation I had (there was a lot since I rarely took a real vacation) talked to my team and checked out for almost three weeks. It took time for my mind to stop racing but once it did, this is what I learned:
1. Technology was destroying my boundaries.
During those three weeks, I completely shut down my email and social media. I didn’t even answer my phone, except for a few select individuals.
Think About It: The dedicated “workplace” has changed and, for some, it has been lost altogether. With the upswing of remote employees, there’s pressure for all employees to keep up: work at the office, work at home, work in the car, work on vacation. There is no “work-free zone” anymore. Today’s technology also means employees check their phone/emails/social media two bazillion times a day (approximately). Basically, no one ever turns their brain off.
Prevent It: Set specific working hours and stick to them. Turn off your notifications when you get home or specify a “device-free” zone or time. Create places your brain can “turn off.”
2. I was not taking a Sabbath.
I used my Sabbath to do errands, clean the house, get caught up on emails, go grocery shopping, or plan an “outing” with my family (and if you have young children you know that’s no vacation). I told myself I was splitting my Sabbath between Saturday, Sunday, and a few hours here and there I deemed as “Sabbath” time, but the brain takes time to relax. When I left for those three weeks, it took three whole days for my brain to slow down!
Think About It: In ministry, Sunday doesn’t really constitute a Sabbath since it is generally a working day, and Saturday events can make the whole weekend an extension of the workweek. Even when taking a vacation the brain takes some time to unplug fully and it definitely ramps back up before stepping back into the office. Factor in travel to and from a destination and your seven-day annual vacation turns into 1-2 days of real rest. Per year.
Prevent It: God calls us to rest; Jesus models it. Make sure you take one full day a week to just rest. Truly rest. Cash in vacation time regularly and do something you actually find relaxing.
3. There is only one God, and I am not Him.
I knew it. I quoted it. I taught it. I said I lived it, but I didn’t model it. I thought if I wasn’t there, people would fall through the cracks and things wouldn’t get done. I thought, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few” meant those of us working needed to put in some overtime!
Think About It: I read a quote by Brady Boyd that said "We're invited to work hard and retreat frequently, and trust that whatever falls through the cracks while we're retreating will get tackled during our next working hard time. The universe really will keep spinning." I had to get real with myself about why I thought I was so important that I could not ever be unavailable or take time off.
Prevent It: Keep the focus on God. He is God and I am not. His plans will get done with or without me. I just need to follow his lead. Create automations and fail-safes in your ministry so you can unplug with confidence, but ultimately this is an oxygen mask situation. Your well-being is more important than your ministry.
I hope my revelations have helped you think of ways to guard against burnout in your own life. They seem simple, but simple changes have created powerful shifts in my own life. And stay tuned for part three where I outline my top tips to guard against burnout for your employees and volunteers.
Looking for a way to reduce your likelihood of burnout right now? Get daily support from HR generalists and one-on-one coaching with church HR specialists that help tackle your specific HR headaches head-on with you. You don’t have to face daunting compliance requirements or uncharted personnel issues alone ever again. With HR On Call, you always have a coach in your corner. Click here to find out more about HR On Call or click the button below to chat with one of our HR pros about your specific needs!
Tiffany Henning, SPHR, CRPC is a veteran in church and ministry HR with over 20 years of combined experience. Tiffany is the founder of HR Ministry Solutions, a faith-based non-profit specifically created to simplify HR compliance and staff pain points for churches and ministries.