How often have you heard a pastor speak of being near burnout when what they really mean is that they are near exhaustion. I think that there is a big difference between exhaustion and burnout. Many pastors overextend themselves and experience exhaustion. They need to learn to manage their time better and get some extra rest, but they have not lost their enthusiasm for ministry. Burnout occurs when you have lost a sense of fulfillment in what you do. Getting some extra sleep or going on a vacation will not resolve that problem.
Viktor Frankl, in Man’s Search for Meaning, says “Give a man a why and he can endure almost any how but take away the why and almost any how is too much.” (that is a rough quote) That is a profound truth when it is applied to our conduct of ministry. If you absolutely knew that God called you to engage in an apparently boring activity and that by doing so, you would contribute to God’s purpose in creation, (That is the why), would you not engage in it willingly. Burnout is because you lose contact with the source of why in ministry. You become consumed by activity that seems both tedious and meaningless.
You won’t burnout if you are convinced that you are engaged in responding to God’s call. The critical question for today’s clergy is how they stay connected with the source of their call. When you lose that connection, then you will worship some other golden calf that promises you life.
Think about what the disciplines are that enable you to stay in contact with the source of your call. Addiction, in the broadest sense, is chosing the wrong golden calf that is never able to fulfill its promise and continues to demand more and more from you until it sucks you dry.
