Sermon Tone Analysis

BURNOUT

1 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh.

There Miriam died and was buried.

1 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh.

There Miriam died and was buried.

2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron.

3 They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! 4 Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here?

5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place?

It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates.

And there is no water to drink!”

6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them.

7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together.

Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.

You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”

9 So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him.

10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”

11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff.

Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

13 These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.

Burnout is emotional exhaustion.

Burnout can cause you to give up on something to which you have been passionately committed.

The daily pressures of ministry can sometimes overwhelm a Christian leader and leave them feeling worn out  and without energy to carry on.

With the pressures of ministerial leadership, all Christian workers are susceptible to burnout.

This is true across the board for pastoral ministry, music ministry, media ministry, and youth ministry.

Burnout can cause you to:

Leave your church too soon.

Quit doing what God has called you to do.

Give up on your dreams.Change your attitude and personality.

Damage your most important relationships.

Be lead to moral failure and sexual sin.

Burnout is not usually found in lazy people.

Men and women who suffer burnout are usually purposeful, committed, unselfish and somewhat idealistic servants of God.

Burnout often hits people who believe, commit and serve with all their heart, in the area toward which they believe God has directed their commitment and involvement.

Burnout can lead to depression, discouragement, isolation, chronic fatigue, paranoia, becoming critical and judgmental of others, martyr complex, rejection, messiah complex and a lack of inspiration in your teaching or preaching.

Symptoms of Burnout:Fatigue... frequent illnesses... sleep problems... disillusionment with work... cynicism toward people and church... sense of helplessness and hopelessness... feeling of powerless to change events... anger toward the "system"...depression and isolation... detachment from others... absenteeism... harshness in dealing with colleagues... reduced commitment to work.

Fatigue... frequent illnesses... sleep problems... disillusionment with work... cynicism toward people and church... sense of helplessness and hopelessness... feeling of powerless to change events... anger toward the "system"...depression and isolation... detachment from others... absenteeism... harshness in dealing with colleagues... reduced commitment to work.

Causes of Burnout:

Burnout is not a part of God's divine plan for your life.

It happens when you get things out of order or because you are misused or abused by others.

Here are some reasons why burnout occurs:

Working too long and hard without a break.

Reaching a goal after long hard work and not having a vision or purpose to go forward from there.

(Very typical after a church building program).

Feeling you are betrayed by those you are serving.

Feeling betrayed by those under whom you are serving.

Having done all you can in a position or place but not letting go or moving forward.Feeling used or not cared for.

Sin, un-confessed and un-repented.Wrong priorities in the use of time and energy.

(Becoming a workaholic).Violating the weekly "Sabbath" principle.

Being on duty 24/7.Disappointment and disillusionment with a leader you have faithfully served.

Failure of a project or ministry in which you have invested of yourself very heavily.

Frustration with others.

Unfulfilled expectations of success, recognition or reward.

Lack of focus.

Energies and activities scattered in too many directions.

Trying to do the job you are not called, gifted or properly trained to do.

Working for the wrong motives.

In over your head without adequate support.

Occupying a position rather than fulfilling the call.

Prevention:

Is it possible not to experience burnout?

We can develop actions to improve our attitude to prevent burnout.

Here are a few:

Be aware of the potential problem with burnout.

Face the realities of the stressors and pressures of being "called" into the ministry.

Accept your limitations.

Jesus was the only Messiah!

We are all limited in what we can and must do.

God will help you whenever you need it.

Use common sense.

Think about what you are doing and how it might affect your family and those around you.

How are you managing financially, physically, emotionally and spiritually?

Are things getting better or worse?

Balance the important elements of your life.

Relationships are important to you.

You are not what you do but who you are!

Get a life that allows you to have a personality, friendships, have hobbies, have the ability to pay your bills and have a little fun!!!

These are more important than position, projects and possessions.

Practice the "Sabbath" principle.

Delegate responsibility to others so that you can have a day off.

Even Jesus needed rest!

God created a principle of working six days and resting one.

Deal with disappointments, offenses and betrayal of others quickly!

Forgive from the heart.

No one can allow anger and frustration to linger and grow.

It will only lead to destruction.

Get into the aspect of ministry that you are "called" and "gifted" to do.

You are unique-don't try to copy others!

Types of Burnout

Burnout can be experienced in a variety of ways.

Because our bodies, souls, minds, and spirits are integrated parts of a greater whole, the following types of burnout often come together and have a compounding effect on each other:

Physical burnout 

can be triggered by a lack of exercise, physical effects of stress and sleeplessness.

The overloaded schedule and stressful lives of many pastors drive them to forget exercise, eat unhealthy foods, and sleep less.

When speaking on burnout from ministry, John Piper said, “Nothing brought me closer to quitting than sleeplessness.”²

If left unchecked, physical burnout can cause a weakened immune system, aches and pains, a change in appetite, and feeling tired all the time.

Relational burnout 

is related to emotional burnout and can be caused by strained relationships with other church leaders and patrons.

Day-after-day interactions with energy draining people make the role of a pastor or ministry leader unusually susceptible for this type of burnout.

Physical exhaustion and drama between church members can make pastors isolate themselves to get a break from relationships that drain their energy.