Pastoral stress and burnout are becoming more and more common in today’s ministry landscape. Many pastors feel the pressure of ministry and aren’t sure what to do about it or how to handle it.
Worse yet, many pastors don’t feel the freedom to talk about the stress they’re experiencing because of the need to appear “strong” and be the “example”. They are pastors after all, doing the work of the ministry for the Lord, so it’s an honor and not a stress right?
For these reasons, many pastors are suffering silently and are trying to push through, which, in the end, just leads to a place of burnout and wanting to quit. If you are a pastor or if you are a team member working with pastors, there are certain signs you need to pay attention to to recognize if you or your pastor are experiencing major stress and burnout.
The biggest thing to look for are major changes in your pastors everyday habits, patterns, and behaviors. With this in mind, here are The Top Warning Signs of Pastoral Stress & Burnout.
1. Changes in Mood
Everyone can experience changes in mood from time to time, but when someone is experiencing mood changes consistently, this could be a sign of potential stress and burnout. One mood to pay attention to is if the pastor is acting more reserved than usual. The pastor may be more quiet in meetings or seem checked out in general. Another mood to pay attention to, which can be a sign of burnout, is anger. If the pastor seems uncharacteristically short and quick to anger, there is a good chance that something is happening under the surface.
Pay attention to your pastors moods and any major shifts happening. If their mood has changed for a consistent period of time, you may be looking at possible burnout.
2. Disorganized & Scatter-Brained
Being scatterbrained can happen to anyone under strenuous circumstances or when someone is fatigued. However, when looking for symptoms of burnout, look for this to become a pattern in your pastor’s life. Are they more forgetful than usual? Do they seem disorganized? Are they late for certain meetings? Does it seem like they are operating at the last minute? These could be signs that your pastor is stressed and burnt out and needs help. If this is their usual way of operating, you may not be dealing with burnout but an overall competency issue. It’s important to distinguish the difference between both.
3. Easily Offended
All pastors are going to experience people being hurt. There’s no way to avoid it. A lot of pastors do a great job dealing with offense and hurt by being quick to forgive. But if your pastor seems easily offended and overly sensitive to people’s issues, this may also be a sign of burnout. People that are stressed and burnt out have very little capacity for being hurt and can get offended by the smallest thing. If you hear your pastor complaining about people over small issues, you may want to do some digging because they may struggling with the weight of too much stress.
4. Cynical Views
When you’re healthy and your tank is full, you tend to assume the best and have a positive and balanced view on people, circumstances, and tasks. When you’re stressed and burnt out, your overall view on life tends to be negative and cynical. If your pastor seems overly negative,
cynical, and seems to focus a lot of time and energy on everything going poorly, they may be burnt out. People that are burnt out see the worst side of everything and have a pessimistic lens regarding people and situations. Cynicism is a sign that your pastor may be burnt out.
5. Taking Extra Time Off
People who are burnt out may request extra time off. This could be a way for your pastor to try and escape stress and challenges of ministry. There is a difference between taking time away to unplug and recharge and avoiding the hardships of ministry and life. A lot of pastors have consistent patterns for their vacations and time off. If you notice your pastor taking extra time off, they may be trying to rest their way out of burnout or stress. This could be a sign that they may need extra help with their stress and burnout.
6. Working Over Time
Just like taking extra time off could be a warning sign of burnout, working overtime may also be a symptom of stress and burnout. A lot of pastors, especially men, will try to “outwork” their way into feeling less stressed or to avoid feelings of being burnt out. However, no matter how many hours of work they put in, that feeling of pastoral stress and burnout will not escape them. They will continue in this cycle until something breaks. If you notice yourself or your pastor consistently working overtime, this may be a sign of stress and burnout.
7. Slips of Immorality
This one is subtle, but could be a big giveaway of someone experiencing burnout. If your pastor seems to be slipping morally (keep in mind this has to be measured within the context of what morality means to them and the church), this could be a sign that your pastor is stressed and experiencing burnout. This may look like inappropriate talk, using bad language, or the mention of drinking alcohol. Again, this will be out of character for your pastor and will stick out to you. Don’t ignore these signs but dig deeper to find out what’s going on.
8. Complaints About Lack of Sleep
The lack of sleep is a dead giveaway for being overly stressed. This is something that exists with every human being. However, in the context of pastoral ministry, if your pastor seems overly tired and talks a lot about the lack of sleep he/she is experiencing, this may be a sign of stress and they could be headed toward burnout. Pay attention to how they are in meetings or even from the pulpit. If they seem exhausted all the time, this may be a sign of stress and burnout.
9. Family & Relationship Tensions
Relationship tensions exist with everyone. However, if you or your pastor have more family and relationship tensions than usual, this may be a sign that something is off. People that are stressed and burnt out tend to live with less consideration, are quick to assume the worst, and don’t have the filters or strength to handle issues within relationships properly. They are overloaded and deal with relationship problems poorly. If you or your pastor are dealing with more relationship problems than usual, you may need to look yourself in the mirror or look your pastor in the eye and ask if this is due to stress and burnout.
You’re Not Alone
Stress and burnout will affect you, your family, and your relationships. These symptoms will spill over into every area of your life. The key is to be self-aware enough to realize that your feelings and behaviors have changed and ask yourself why. Have people in your life who are close to you and who have been given permission to ask you hard questions and keep you accountable when you seem off.
Dealing with stress and burnout alone is incredibly painful and challenging. Be willing to let others in so that you can get help and get to the root of your stress and burnout. This will lead to healing, restoration, and a long, satisfying life in ministry.
