I work full time for a church. Are you referring only to those who preach or work in other capacities full time?
I know and have talked to many preachers who have felt like walking away from it all. I think everyone goes thru burnout
I guess I am talking to anyone who fits the bill. My question is from a statistical perspective. Statistics lack personal accounts and I am interested in what people are dealing with.
You make an interesting point of burnout. In my opinion there is no such thing as burnout in ministry. I think that Rhoni pointed out well that her quitting was based on putting too much confidence in man than God. IMO we only burn out when we are doing things apart from God, because God said that His grace is sufficient.
I heard a preacher once say that the Lord, "...arrested me in my tracks as I was walking out the door and said, 'you do so much for Me, but very little with Me." That has always stuck with me and I believe that is the source of burnout.
I guess I am talking to anyone who fits the bill. My question is from a statistical perspective. Statistics lack personal accounts and I am interested in what people are dealing with.
You make an interesting point of burnout. In my opinion there is no such thing as burnout in ministry. I think that Rhoni pointed out well that her quitting was based on putting too much confidence in man than God. IMO we only burn out when we are doing things apart from God, because God said that His grace is sufficient.
I heard a preacher once say that the Lord, "...arrested me in my tracks as I was walking out the door and said, 'you do so much for Me, but very little with Me." That has always stuck with me and I believe that is the source of burnout.
Powerful!!!
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Either the United States will destroy ignorance, or ignorance will destroy the United States. – W.E.B. DuBois
I heard a preacher once say that the Lord, "...arrested me in my tracks as I was walking out the door and said, 'you do so much for Me, but very little with Me." That has always stuck with me and I believe that is the source of burnout.
You just summed up everything I was going to post.
I did walk away from full time ministry, I burned out. There were a lot of issues at play, but my part in the whole mess was definitely this.
I didn't burn out from doing too much, going too many places, meeting too many needs, helping too much, being at church too much. I burned out from not taking the time to just be with God. I was still worshiping, I was still studying, I was still learning. But I was doing all those good things for others (I was on the platform during worship..so even that was partially for others). I wasn't taking time alone, in my secret place, to just be with God.
I know I'll probably end up in full time ministry again. But I'm not in any hurry to get there. I'm taking my sweet time to study for *me* and learn about God for *me* and get to know Him for *me*.
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You become free from who you have become, by becoming who you were meant to be. ~Mark from another forum I post on
God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ. ~Romans 3:24 from The Message
You just summed up everything I was going to post.
I did walk away from full time ministry, I burned out. There were a lot of issues at play, but my part in the whole mess was definitely this.
I didn't burn out from doing too much, going too many places, meeting too many needs, helping too much, being at church too much. I burned out from not taking the time to just be with God. I was still worshiping, I was still studying, I was still learning. But I was doing all those good things for others (I was on the platform during worship..so even that was partially for others). I wasn't taking time alone, in my secret place, to just be with God.
I know I'll probably end up in full time ministry again. But I'm not in any hurry to get there. I'm taking my sweet time to study for *me* and learn about God for *me* and get to know Him for *me*.
This is so true...so busy doing Kingdom ministries that we forget who's kingdom we are working in. The best way to recharge is time away with God to pursue a personal relationship with Christ.
I guess I am talking to anyone who fits the bill. My question is from a statistical perspective. Statistics lack personal accounts and I am interested in what people are dealing with.
You make an interesting point of burnout. In my opinion there is no such thing as burnout in ministry. I think that Rhoni pointed out well that her quitting was based on putting too much confidence in man than God. IMO we only burn out when we are doing things apart from God, because God said that His grace is sufficient.
I heard a preacher once say that the Lord, "...arrested me in my tracks as I was walking out the door and said, 'you do so much for Me, but very little with Me." That has always stuck with me and I believe that is the source of burnout.
Good post, and true!
You are reminding me of a time, years ago, when I was soooooo busy working in the church. I thought I was doing everything right and I was totally exhausted.
I hadn't planned on going to a Ladies retreat, but a friend in church pressed me to go. On the very last day and the very last message - I could feel my spirit building and knew that God was going to speak to me - the speaker spoke on Martha and Mary.
God, used her message to allow me to know that I was doing the work of Martha and I needed to slow down, sit at His feet, and become Mary for a while. It totally changed my thinking that day and I will never forgot that we can get too busy and not really listening. The hard part is, when you are Martha, you think you are doing BOTH - but God has a way of getting our attention!
Hybrid Mode
