Burnt out in the Ministry?

Great news! There are ways to avoid BURN OUT in the ministry! I have considered choosing a different title for this entry but I guess using "burnt out" would be politically acceptable as it really happens not only in church ministries but across the board.

The 12 points that you will be reading are taken from my notes from yesterday's seminar (04/08/13, FFBC) with Dr. David Brandon. I, together with the rest of the AFCS faculty joined ARMOR (group of pastors in Rizal) in this one whole day of enlightening discussion. The title of Dr. Brandon's module is Personal and Professional Well-Being (Wellness).

His first question was: WHAT DO WE DO WHEN WE GET STUCK IN THE MINISTRY?
Who are the Bible characters who got stuck in the ministry? Elijah? Moses? Who else? You know their stories. Depression, anxiety, feeling of uselessness, fatigue, name it! And if you are a church worker, I can say that it is wise for you to expect a time when you will arrive at a point where you will feel this "burn out" (or maybe you are there right now or, on the brighter side, have gone past it already). There are no exemptions. You might be wondering what kind of negative vibe has gotten into me for telling you to expect a burnout. But in knowing that such a thing happens, you will know how to counteract it with an effective game plan. And as per our speaker, WELLNESS is the key.
Below are the 12 points plus all the things I have absorbed from the discussion in between.

1. SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING
     When we are experiencing burnout, according to Dr. Brandon, we are either unaware or in denial that we are in it. The solution is to be open, honest and transparent of our current situation because in doing so, we are accepting the fact that we are weak before God and that we need Jesus to balance everything in our life. Another agent to a burnout is compartmentalizing; that is, having a different life during Sundays or ministry days and another kind of life for the rest of the week. So how do we stop that? Be consistent in our walk with Christ.

2. MENTAL - EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING
     (a) In doing ministry we really need to set aside enough time for rest. I have learned a new equation from this point: Holy Spirit + Adrenaline = Mental-Emotional Drain. We tend to exert so much effort in order to provide excellent service for Christ (that requires a lot of adrenaline!) and this kind of effort would of course not be possible without the Holy Spirit driving us all the way. After all, rest is also one of the privileges we have from God, might as well spend it wisely.

     (b) "Every part of me is tainted by sin." - we have to admit this truth and recognize our failures for us to know where to begin the restoration process. No matter how much we try to reach perfection (perfection which appears to be one of the hardest endeavors as a Christ follower), we can never reach it because of our sinful nature. Nonetheless, we have to pursue it because it is our calling to be a reflection of Jesus here on earth.

     (c) "If you react instead of respond to circumstances, you are headed for a burn out." So here is where I had a refreshed view about the two magic words. When we are responding, we are in control of our emotions while in reacting, it is the other way around. So next time, we should practice how to respond and not react to any situation.

3. ECCLESIASTICAL WELL-BEING
     Also known as CHURCH well-being, the main idea pointed out was that new people feel accepted and welcome in the church usually within the first six months. After that, the member has to feel connected, loved and accepted not because of their performance in the church but simply because of their being a part of the body of Christ. The ministry is a caring community. If we see our members are people who are there to accomplish something, then we are looking at them as if they are tools and not as fractions of that one whole body.


From this point onward, there are less details for each item because the speaker had limited time to discuss everything in full detail. If only we had a whole day to spend! >_<

4. PHYSICAL WELL-BEING
     This refers basically to eating the right food, getting enough exercise and taking good care of our bodies. We need to know how to take care of ourselves so when our brothers in Christ need our service, we can be there for them anytime.

5. SEXUAL WELL-BEING
     The short and sweet reminder was to flee from sexual immorality and resist the devil. Read 1 Corinthians 6:18 and see for yourself!

6. MARITAL WELL-BEING
     Marriage is companionship. God expects a married person, with added weight on the husband, to make proper decisions so as to preserve the family that has been entrusted to him. The Bible has enough resources that the self-help books available in the market about maintaining a happy marriage. But again, the choice is ours to make. :)

These are the remaining areas where we need God's grace for us to strike a balance:
7. PARENTAL WELL-BEING
8. SOCIAL WELL-BEING
9. CULTURAL WELL-BEING
10. FINANCIAL WELL-BEING
11. ACADEMIC WELL-BEING
12. TRIVIAL WELL-BEING
     It entails enjoying an activity that separates you from the pressure you are dealing with everyday.


***
If we are going to treat this as a 12-point checklist that has to be done in no time, we might also be heading for a burnout, so just live life day by day with God and do not toil on things that only He can handle well. Leave everything in His hands and just pray. Anyway, it all boils down to our relationship with our God and not about how well we have performed our duties as His followers.

God bless you, readers! :)