Burnout? Not me!

With the odds stacked against me, I poured myself into my work with unbalanced fervor. The threat of burnout would have never entered my mind. Full of vision and a touch of naïveté, I had a calling to answer and a job to do. Nothing but full throttle ahead would be acceptable. Ready to tackle the work of starting a Church in the university town of Millersville, my expectant wife and I moved to the community in 1985.

In the first five years, our little group of seven grew to more than a hundred people and our family grew to include three children four years old and under. During the first four years of ministry, I had to work on the side to support our young family. Looking back, I now realize it was more like working two full time jobs. By the fifth year, on a very modest salary, we were able to devote full time to the ministry. And after that year, we decided a vacation would be a good idea. My wife tried to convince me that two weeks would be best but I didn’t want to leave the work for that long. We settled on a week away. Occasionally, my wife reminds me of how hard it was in the early years to get me to take time off.

When we arrived at our vacation destination, I unloaded the luggage and baby paraphernalia and laid down for a rest. I will never forget what I felt at that moment. A sense of deep concern came over me when I realized how alarmingly depleted I had become. I pushed myself to a scary point of exhaustion. My wife had tried to slow me down but it took getting away for me to come to my senses. I knew I couldn’t possibly continue the pace of my life. I realized it wouldn’t be fair to my family and that I would risk burnout. My pace was not sustainable for the long run.

Some will read this and say, “Been there; done that!” Others might wonder if this describes their present condition. It’s amazing how oblivious one can be to the threat of burnout until it hits with full force. Overload comes too easily. Margin and balance are hard to maintain. Opportunities outweigh resources. The good threatens the best. A young pastor once said, “I’d rather burn out than rust out.” But a more seasoned pastor reminded the younger leader that either way you’re out.

One observer noted five signs of burnout, (1) Decreased energy -‘keeping up the speed’ becomes increasingly difficult; (2) feeling of failure in vocation; (3) reduced sense of reward in return for pouring so much of self into the job or project; (4) a sense of helplessness and inability to see a way out of problems; and (5) cynicism and negativism about self, others, work and the world generally.

If you’re experiencing physical depletion and fatigue; if you’ve begun to deeply question your effectiveness and battle with negative attitudes towards life and other people; if you feel a growing desire to withdraw from responsibilities and detach from people; if you experience a growing sense of hopelessness, your condition might be a case of burnout.

What should you do? When I realized my level of exhaustion, I knew several things had to change. First, I had to deflate the ego. Even though I was not egotistical, I had the wrong view of my own importance to the Church. I had to realize that the ministry does not depend on me as much as I thought. It belongs to God and I am a replaceable part of his work.

Secondly, I had to do a better job of sharing the work. I began to pray that God would bring some low maintenance, high givers (and this didn’t refer to money). We needed people who were mature and ready to share the work. I had to be selective about investing in people who desired to participate in the Church instead of devoting time to those who had no desire to serve. One of the best decisions we made was to add an associate pastor during our fifth year of ministry.

Thirdly, I learned to say no to things I didn’t really need to do. This required regular reminders from those around me and a willingness on my part to listen to them. Keeping the main thing the main thing is an ongoing battle. Simplify and prioritize has been my motto.

Finally, although many other points could be made, I had to prioritize quiet time for prayer and reflection. Those who give large amounts of themselves away must balance life with solitude and self-reflection to replenish for more giving. Opening Scripture and meeting God in His written word each day is an indispensible part of living a well-balanced and healthy life. On one occasion, Jesus said to his disciples, “Come away to a secluded place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). This is good advice for those facing the threat of burnout.

Steve Cornell

  

PS–I AM LEADING A CHURCH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON THIS THEME NEXT WEEK (MON-WED) AT SANDY COVE IN NORTHEAST MARYLAND. IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO SIGN UP!! SEE: http://thinkpoint.wordpress.com/church-leaders-sign-up-today/

IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT, PLEASE PRAY FOR IT TO BE A GREAT TIME FOR THE MORE THAN 200 LEADERS PRESNTLY SIGNED UP TO ATTEND.

MANY, MANY THANKS!!!

Survivng and Thriving in Leadership

After 23 years of leadership, I’ve learned a few lessons about what it takes to be an effective leader. My leadership experience has primarily been in the context of local Church ministry. It’s been my privilege to help a Church grow from 10 to 500 people and from one small property to a facility plant including six properties and the sale of five building lots. More importantly, I’ve been privileged to develop a multi-staffed leadership team of four full time pastors, many part time staff and several interns. Along with the calling of leadership, I’ve tried to be a good husband to a wonderful wife and a faithful father to four children (now mostly young adults). The blessings during these years have been innumerable but the trials have stretched and tested me. On more than one occasion, I’ve felt like quitting. I have often battled feelings unworthiness. The size of the calling has always been larger than the man answering it. Through it all, however, a number of principles have sustained me. Consider four of them framed as questions.

1. Do I need others to affirm me?

I truly appreciate encouragement and my work would be harder without it. But if a leader depends too much on it, his leadership suffers. Someone recommended that we need ten ‘Atta boys’ to compensate for every one criticism. But leaders who rely too much on approval ratings will be tempted to abrogate their roles when needed most. Stay out of leadership if you need the affirmation of others to feel good about yourself. As a leader, I have been deeply appreciated and fiercely criticized—even hated. Effective leaders need a tough hide and a tender heart. If your hide is too tough or your heart too tender, you’ll get hurt and possibly compromise your leadership (see: Galatians 1:10; Colossians 3:23; I Corinthians 10:31)

2. Is my pace sustainable for the long run?

I am type A high D! For those unfamiliar with the categories, this means that I tend to go full throttle and must fight the temptation to take on more than I can handle. My battle is with myself. Maintaining reasonable margin takes forethought and effort. Case in point: Along with my leadership role at Millersville Bible Church, for the past decade, I’ve done a daily and weekend radio feature for WJTL; co-hosted a daily national program for four months; written monthly columns for several news papers as well as numerous articles for other sources. I can’t resist an occasional letter to the editor and have published letters in numerous national news papers. I volunteered as Chaplin for Millersville University football and basketball for many years and continue to speak regularly for university groups and conference centers. When I look back on the stuff I’ve packed into my life, I get tired thinking about it. Leadership requires taking inventory and making adjustments. Several key phrases help me: Simplify and prioritize. Keep the main thing the main thing. Say “No” more often. Pray before responding.

3. Do I surround myself with quality associates?

Team leadership is a non-negotiable! It’s also the best formula for protection from burnout. Key leaders called to highly visible public roles must circle themselves with highly competent co-leaders. These fellow-leaders should have strengths to compliment weaknesses in the front leader. Selection of associates must be done with great care. An associate who resents or becomes jealous of the front leaders’ role is dangerous. Studied consideration of the giftedness, sense of calling and aspirations of associates is essential. Maturity and integrity are the two most important qualities in each leader. Immaturity or lack of integrity in one leader, threatens unity. But when leaders work together in unity, everyone under their leadership is blessed. My greatest joy is the working relationship I have had with my leadership team. Preserving this requires constant encouragement of one another and regular public acknowledgement from the key leader concerning the value of those who lead with him (see: Exodus 18:13-26; Romans 12:10; Philippians 2:3-5).

4. Do I distinguish my office from my person?

When attacked, police officers are reminded that people don’t resent them as much as the uniforms they wear. People sometimes express anger toward me because they need a target for their frustrations. I become their target because I am (in their eyes) the pastor. Assuming I have power and influence, they attack me because of the office I hold. In our culture, people like to “go to the top” when they have a complaint. In the Church, they could go one office higher to Jesus himself, the head of the Church, but more often they head for the pastor’s office! If I was “Joe normal” in the Church, I wouldn’t be under nearly as much scrutiny. But, as senior pastor, such treatment goes with the territory. If you can’t take the heat—get out of the kitchen! Don’t take everything personally or you’ll go crazy. Don’t take the bait and escalate! I’ve always regretted it when I’ve violated this principle. A wise mentor once instructed me, “Respond to God–don’t react to man.”

Surviving and thriving as a leader requires tenacious commitment to key principles. Doing this will greatly bless you and those under your leadership.

Steve Cornell

“Leadership Lessons from a leader under fire.”

From the pulpit of Millersville Bible Church 

http://www.millersvillebiblechurch.org/_audio/Leadership%20Lessons%20From%202%20Corinthians%2011-25-07.mp3

Understanding calling to ministry

Posted by thinkpoint on 4th June 2007

An old preacher once said, “Some pastors were called to ministry; others just went!” I’ll admit that there have been times when I walked through dark storms and questioned whether being “in the ministry” was my idea or God’s plan for me. In these times, I poured my heart out to God and revisited some basics about “call”.

Remembering one’s sense of call to pastoral ministry is beneficial. Perhaps God used the influence of another leader or a specific challenge from the Word to initiate your desire for leadership. The important thing to understand is that all subjective experience must yield to the objective criteria of Scripture. To think biblically about calling, the following considerations should be evaluated:  

(1) Desire to serve as an overseer (I Timothy 3:1)

(2) Qualification for eldership (I Timothy 3:1-6;Titus 1:5ff)

(3) Life experience in leadership (I Timothy 3:4-5)

(4) Demonstration of a shepherd’s heart (I Peter 5:1-4)

(5) Spiritual giftedness (I Timothy 4:14;Romans 12:3-

(6) Formal testing and recognition by spiritual leaders (Titus 1:5,9;Acts 14:23)  

No matter how much one claims a call to ministry, it is possible to disqualify oneself from fulfilling that call. Qualifications and the objective considerations above must take precedence over all professed feelings, experiences and giftedness.

In my interactions with Church leaders, it seems to be increasingly common for pastors to doubt their call to ministry. Another concern consistently associated with these doubts is a feeling of burn out. The pressures of pastoral ministry are often more than an individual feels capable of handling. This reality is further complicated by a prevailing confusion about a pastor’s role. Is a pastor a shepherd tending to the needs of a flock or an entrepreneur leading a business that markets a product? Pastors are viewed as spiritual teachers and overseers, biblical scholars, administrators, CEOs, financial advisors, professional counselors and personal friends. Why should burn out in ministry surprise us? Many pastors long for a more defined understanding of their role —for a clearer understanding of God’s design for pastoral leadership (see: http://thinkpoint.wordpress.com/2007/04/11/church-leadership-an-overview/).

Along these lines, all Church leaders would benefit from revisiting the Jethro principle: “This is too much work for you; you cannot do it by yourself” (Exodus 18:18).  It may be that we know many truths about God’s design for leadership but we do not know how to practice them. Sometimes, if we’re honest, we are unwilling to practice them because it would require giving up some control or challenging the expectations of people. The desires to micro-manage and/or to be liked by those we lead can become obstacles to fulfilling biblically defined leadership. More later!

________________________________________
Steven W. Cornell
s.cornell@millersvillebiblechurch.org