The pastor cares for their congregation in many seen and unseen ways, but who cares for pastors? Many pastors are at risk for burnout as their own self-care, study, and family often falls to the wayside. Pastor Larry Magnuson speaks about the danger and reality of pastor burnout,
“We drift away from the very thing that brought us into ministry, and that is our relationship with the Lord, our time in prayer, our time in the Word, our time with our families. We get to a place where serving becomes so fatiguing and overwhelming that we can become ineffective in the calling God has for us.”
How do I know if my pastor is suffering from burnout?
“When you talk to pastors, you can hear exhaustion in them. You can listen in their sermons sometimes you can ear the exhaustion in their sermon. When they are going to meetings, or they are meeting with people long days or most days you begin to see it.”
Some pastors are good at hiding their fatigue, but it takes a toll on their well-being and their ability to serve.
What your role, as a lay member of a congregation, in encouraging your pastor and preventing burnout?
“The role of the lay people is to help make sure their pastors are healthy so that they can lead the church to health.”
Church eldership plays a critical role when it comes to the health and vitality of their pastor.
“Elders play a critical role. The role that is often neglected, part of the elder’s role is to care for the pastor and the family. They need to make sure they are taking advantage of days off, that they’re taking vacation, and taking study leave, that they are working a reasonable amount of hours.”
Even if you aren’t on the elder board at your church, you can have a positive impact on your pastor by watching out for signs of burnout and speaking up.
Larry Magnuson along with his wife, Barbara, leads SonScape Retreats – a ministry which for over 30 years has provided weeklong experiences in spectacular settings uniquely designed for the challenges facing pastoral couples.
Featured Songs: Sinking Ships – Lincoln Brewster; There Is Power – Lincoln Brewster; Speak Life – Toby Mac
Pastors are people too
