burning out

Brother, is your ministry under the auspices of a church, or are you operating independently? If part of a church outreach, then your pastor needs to know what's going on.

Are you able to take a second job, even if it means devoting less time to the ministry?

Others may disagree with me on this, but your first loyalty is to God, then to your wife, and then to your ministry. Your wife's well-being is your first priority.

I sense that you feel a strong calling to this ministry, and it would be hard to give less time to it. This is understandable, but as a wise man once said, "life is what happens when you have something else planned."

 

Sounds like your well is running dry. You can only give of your overflow, otherwise it starts to affect your own personal supply. Is there a way you can take a week or two off just to spend time with your family and pray and get refreshed yourself? Sometimes in ministry, we get so focused on GIVING to others because the need is so great, that we forget to take care of ourselves and our own needs--or worse yet, we feel guilty for even admitting that we have needs, too.

What does your wife say? Ask her how she feels about all of this.

 

You need to remember that you must have the energy and strength to minister to others and I believe God requires us to take care of ourselves so that we MAY minister unto others. I agree with ABC...take some time off, go away if you can. if not shut off the phones. Make time each day to have time for yourself to recharge your batteries. (I shut the phone off every afternoon for two hours and have down time.) Every week take a family day and spend it with your wife...go on a date, or take a day trip. Sometimes we simply get in the car and take a drive down a road we've never tried before.

You need to get your finances in check. This is probably one of your biggest problems in burn out. I don't know the details of your ministry, but if you're being paid by the church I'd tell the pastor what's going on and discuss it. If you're doing private counseling are you charging enough? Perhaps a second job? Is your wife working or is she a stay-at-home mom? There's so many variables that it's difficult to address in a forum like this. However, I know from personal past experience, that a shaky financial situation is so hard on ministry.

I pray you can find the time to get some rest, recharge those batteries, and continue in your ministry.

 

Even in ministry, we must learn to balance our lives. I took every Monday off and went to a golf course. I didn't golf. I just walked the 18 holes, turning my mind to other things.

In a few pastorates, the congregations were so small, I had to work away. Again, balance is important. Set priorities and stick to them. At one church I worked as an architect. It paid five times what I would ever earn in ministry, but also afforded me decent time to minister.

My first church paid me five pound a month and supplied a house and bicycle. I managed. When I came to Canada, the seminary had student pastorates for every student. They didn't pay much, but enough to cover school expenses, and the work was great.

There is always a way to manage. We got suits, shoes, ties from the local funeral home. The churches provided us with transportation. One church gave me a motorized bicycle,,you peddle fast to get it going and eventually reached 20 mph wide open. We make do with what we have and don't expect to keep up with all societies demands.

I think that is the key to ministry. We don't try to match the world. We go with what the Lord provides. Keep your mind in balance at all times, and the rest will fall in line.

Cheers,

Jim