We have been talking to a lot of pastors about burn out. We even helped launch a conference called “Flourish” last year to address clergy well being and flourishing.
In coming weeks, we will focus on burnout from multiple directions. First, we will hear a few sermons that seek to address the root of burnout. The sermons are by Wesleyans. The sermons are meant for congregations. We believe, though that if you listen as a pastor, you will find the root of your problem in burnout addressed in some degree in the those sermons. Next month we will post a great article by Dr. Wayne Schmidt, Vice President of Wesley Seminary, on “How I Preached for 30 Years without Burning Out.”
This week we want to talk about a different side of the issue: how to know you are burned out, and what to do about it.
We have adapted a quick self-test to measure whether or not you are entering into preaching burnout below. It is adapted from an informal self testing tool meant for general burnout. We have shifted it toward preaching. Here’s what we think you should do. Copy these questions into a file. Answer them with a sentence or two and some explanation of each answer. Then bring your answers to your spouse, a ministry friend, a counselor, or a spiritual director. Let them help you work through just how burned out you might be. Next week we’ll give you some ideas to start your preaching turn around.
Preaching/Pastoring Burn Out Self Test:
1. Do you feel drained of energy more than a couple times a week?
2. Do you think more negatively about your ministry than positively?
3. Do you or those close to you feel that you are often harder on people than you need to be? Does your preaching take on a condemning tone more easily lately?
4. Do you find yourself getting easily irritated by small issues or small interactions with people? Does this increase or decrease on days you work on sermons?
5. Do you feel misunderstood or unappreciated by your staff or by your congregation?
6. Do you feel that you have no one to talk to, no one to shoulder the preaching burden with or debrief the preaching experience with?
7. Do you often think your preaching is accomplishing less than it should?
8. Do you feel under an unpleasant amount of pressure when you think about preaching?
9. Is there something you wish you were getting out of preaching that you are not getting?
10. Do you wonder if you should leave the ministry or at least stop preaching?
11. Overall, are you frustrated with preaching?
12. Does the “political” nature of preaching, e.g. pleasing the crowd or balancing conviction with encouragement, frustrate you?
13. Is there more work to pastoring and preaching than you feel like you can possibly accomplish?
14. Have often in the past three months have you felt that you needed to let go of doing a “quality job” in order to get everything done?
15. Do you find that you do not have time to plan your preaching as much as you would like to?
There is no “score” that automatically tells you burn out is your condition. Instead, answer these questions honestly, as honestly as you are humanly able. If you have a hunch that you have some level of burn out developing, we strongly suggest you start a season of Christian counseling. If you cannot afford it, ask your board to include it as part of next year’s pay package.
If you think it is just the day you are asking the questions (Monday may not be the best measure) take it again in a few days and see how you respond.
If you do believe burn out is a near, present, or past reality the next few months of Wesleyan sermons are dedicated to you.
~ Dave Ward, General Editor