Finding space to rest doesn’t mean you’re less faithful in your calling to serve God and others. It means you have more faith in who God is than in what you can accomplish.
Between trying to find volunteers, planning events, and ministering to kids and families, ministry can feel overwhelming at times. And when overwhelm becomes the norm, burnout is next. Burnout in ministry is not uncommon—but it is hard to talk about. We can find ourselves filled with guilt, wondering, “How can I be exhausted from serving God when that’s what I’m called to do?”
In a culture filled with frenzy, we forget that even Jesus took time to rest. He rested while the storm was raging, He went away to spend time in the Lord’s presence in the Garden of Gethsemane, and He reminded Martha that focusing on the preparations isn’t what’s most important. And if Jesus made space for rest during his earthly ministry, we shouldn’t feel guilty for doing the same.
Finding space to rest doesn’t mean you’re less faithful in your calling to serve God and others. It means you have more faith in who God is than in what you can accomplish.
5 Practical Ways to Avoid Ministry Burnout
1. Delegate tasks small and large.
Ask someone in your church who loves VBS to chair the event (with your direction, of course). Ask someone else who loves to cook to be in charge of VBS snacks. Reach out to different Sunday school classes or small groups for their help. Who can drop off water bottles on Monday or make sure coffee is brewed on Tuesday? Who can pray on Wednesday and who can help with takedown on Friday? Can the youth group help lead different age groups or assist with crafts?
Whether it’s an order of Cheerios picked up and brought to the church or a much larger task removed from your plate, anything helps. Many hands make light work—and show that when the body of Christ comes together, the Lord is glorified.
When you struggle to release control in ministry, remember the words of 1 Corinthians 12:8–11: “To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”
You can’t do it all, so ask for help.
2. Find another time to enjoy Sabbath rest.
Working on Sundays doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the gift of Sabbath. Find another day in the week to rest in what God has done. Slowing down on a Tuesday or a Friday will still refresh your spirit, even if it isn’t on the day or at the time that most people consider as Sabbath.
Serving in ministry is important, life-changing work. However, what you can accomplish was never meant to overshadow what Jesus already accomplished on the cross.
3. Make space to open God’s Word when it has nothing to do with your work.
When you’re in a church building, at Bible studies or worship events, and in Scripture multiple times a day/week for your job, you can forget to fill your own cup.
But you can’t pour from a cup that’s empty.
Take time in the morning or during a lunch break to open God’s Word and remember the why behind the work you’re doing in the first place.
How to Guard Yourself from Ministry Burnout
How to Guard Yourself from Ministry Burnout
How to Guard Yourself from Ministry Burnout
4. Meet with other children’s ministry leaders in your area.
Ministry can feel isolating, and isolation only exacerbates burnout. Sharing your wins and your burdens with someone in your shoes can help you feel supported, encouraged, and less alone.
Whether you meet one on one with someone in a similar role to you, start a monthly ministry breakfast meeting for those in your area, or connect with a fellow leader across the country that you can call when you feel overwhelmed, you’ll leave these conversations with new ideas and likely a lot of “same here” responses. Serving in ministry is not something you have to—or should do—alone.
5. Lean on Jesus, especially in burnout.
When finding volunteers and planning events has you feeling overwhelmed, find peace in the words of Jesus. Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Serving in ministry is important, life-changing work. However, what you can accomplish was never meant to overshadow what Jesus already accomplished on the cross.
The fight has been fought. The battle has been won. As Tim Keller said, “After creation God said, ‘It is finished’—and he rested. After redemption Jesus said, ‘It is finished’—and we can rest.”
As summer events continue, and a busy fall kicks off soon, remember that you don’t have to be constantly available to serve the Lord well. May we all lean on Christ more than on our own bandwidth this season.
