RE: Dear Church, 11 Signs You’re Burning Out Your Staff

As I read this article, the “serenity prayer” came to mind.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

I’ve owned this ceramic blue book that proudly recites this prayer since I was a child.  I know it was a gift.  A precious gift I’ve held onto without remembering who gave it to me.  This has helped me through the roughest times in my life because it reminds me that God is in control, not me, as sometimes I stubbornly would like to be.  It reminds me that change starts with me…

When I applied to my church, I remember thinking it would be easy to work among my fellow Christian brothers and sisters.  That is a lie.  It’s probably the hardest work I’ve ever done because we labor with people that we all assume think the same, but that lie causes us to acquire unrealistic expectations that will not be achieved in the real world.  As I read this article, these assumptions are all there.  The author is correct in what he’s saying, some if not all of the 11 signs do happen at times, but the sad part is that most people reading this article will either proudly hang it on the wall to justify their hurt feelings or they will hate the message he’s trying to convey, which is somewhat valid.  If you ask me, I’m Switzerland. There definitely is a problem, but there is another solution.

The solution starts with the individual.  There is a reason why there are so many that have been burned out by the ministry, and as the author writes, the Church (not JUST the staff and the senior pastors) must individually come together to be part of that solution.  A lot of these “11 signs” may hold some truth, but I believe there’s a deeper bitter root in us that causes us to feel empty at times.  Like the prayer I cherish, I can be part of the change, and you can be too.  I can relate to this article, because I’ve felt burned out in the past and there were times I didn’t LOVE my calling and the people I encountered because of it, I’m sure that if you’ve read my blog you know exactly what I’m talking about.   However, as cliche as it may sound, God changed my heart because I asked him to. I also asked him for a fiery passion for what He called me to do because I didn’t want to do it.  Sometimes, we enter ministry without being called to it, and that’s a dangerous spot to be in because all those “11 signs” will wear you out and will give you a reason to hold grudges.  It’s easy to focus on everyone else’s problems but after I noticed “their” flaws, God decided to reveal and expose my own.  That’s when He humbled me, He forgave me, and He restored me.  Now, He keeps humbling me, He keeps forgiving me, and He keeps restoring me.  It’s a cycle that never ends.  My heart had to break before it could be restored… an encouragement for those whose hearts are breaking, God will restore you!  Be patient.

I stopped expecting a “thank you,” every time I did what I was already “expected” to do.  See?  Expectations are a two way street.  Stop expecting, and start laboring.  Let us be the ones saying “thank you” instead of expecting it.  If we want others in the Church to change, we must lead by example and change first.  It’s not about “shaming” people to work in the name of Jesus.  That should never happen, and if it is, then there’s no excuse for that.  It’s about finding a need in the Body and having the heart to be available for that need, whether as an employee or as a volunteer.  If we ever feel burned out, maybe it’s time to step aside and examine our hearts, our motives, and our expectations.  Sometimes the answer is in the war that is going on inside of us.

A few months ago, a friend and I led a Bible Study on the Book of Nehemiah.  Nehemiah is probably my favorite character in the Bible because he didn’t let the circumstances of his calling bring him down.  He saw a need, he was broken by it, and he risked his reputation to meet that need.  He had every reason to look at God and say, “Sorry, the cost of what You are asking me to do isn’t worth all these troubles, I’m out!”  Instead, he stayed and fought hard to change the culture.  He had enemies constantly trying to tear him down, even his own friends turned their backs on him, but Nehemiah’s response was:

So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”

-Nehemiah 6:3

Nehemiah knew there was a greater purpose, even though there was no guarantee on the reward here on Earth. If that serves as an encouragement, let it be it.  Ministry will not always feel rewarding here (it wasn’t meant to), but don’t lose hope in His promises (Hebrews 10:22-25).

A colleague of mine recently asked me how can we do what we do with excellence.  I replied, it’s all about our attitude.  There are times when we feel out of the loop, but that shouldn’t stop us from wanting to serve with genuine love.  Serving should NEVER be about our gain.  Matthew 20:28 says that Jesus came to serve, not to be served.  He served because he loved us, it was never about what He would get out of it.  The reward of His service was the cross!  But after His sacrifice, He is still victorious! Many problems may arise, but we must always remind ourselves who is the real enemy.  The problem is not the problem, it’s our attitude about the problem that will determine our maturity in our faith.  The problem isn’t “these 11 signs,” although it’d be nice to be acknowledged, have a higher paycheck, and work less… unfortunately, that was never promised when He called us.

Needless to say, there is a problem.  Will you be part of the solution or will you be the one on the sidelines declaring what we all already know?