{"id":2009,"date":"2020-05-01T19:15:41","date_gmt":"2020-05-01T23:15:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/web.colby.edu\/coronaguidance\/?p=2009"},"modified":"2020-08-08T21:34:14","modified_gmt":"2020-08-09T01:34:14","slug":"9marks-pastoral-burnout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/coronaguidance\/2020\/05\/01\/9marks-pastoral-burnout\/","title":{"rendered":"Garrett Kell: How Do I Avoid Pastoral Burnout During COVID-19?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This pandemic has exposed pastors to new and unexpected pressure points in their ministries. Often, I\u2019ve felt alone and exhausted. There\u2019s no easy way out of the ditch of despair, but here\u2019s some advice I hope will be helpful.<\/p>\n

1. Discern your soul.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Faithfulness isn\u2019t always pressing through the fog. Sometimes, we need to stop and reorient. What are you anxious about? Where is the pressure coming from? Who are you afraid of disappointing? What are you running to for comfort? Give voice to what\u2019s swirling inside you.<\/p>\n

Pray that God will draw out what is going on from the depths of your soul. Process with trusted brothers knowing that \u201cthe purpose in a man\u2019s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out\u201d (Prov. 20:5). Ask God to use friends to expose fears, anxieties, expectations, or sin that might be crushing you. Bring them to Jesus and cast your anxieties on him knowing he cares for you (1 Pet. 5:7).<\/p>\n

2. Embrace your limitations.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWho is sufficient for these things?\u201d ought to be the motto of every minister (2 Cor. 2:16). Yet I\u2019m often tempted to try and have it all together in ways that only God does. I\u2019ve needed to freshly embrace my inadequacies.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

I cannot be an omnipresent pastor<\/em>, who tries to be everywhere for everyone. Instead, God has called me to be faithful with what\u2019s in front of me. I can\u2019t call everyone on the same day. I can\u2019t read every blog post, watch every news update, and jump on every call I\u2019m invited to. I am limited, but my God is not, so it\u2019s OK.<\/p>\n

Neither can I be an omnipotent pastor<\/em>, who tries to fix everything for everyone. Rather, I must rest, knowing that there are things I can neither control nor fix. I can\u2019t make a pandemic stop or visit every lonely member. I can\u2019t be a perfect husband, father, pastor, or friend. Yet God has strength that works in my weakness, so it\u2019s OK (2 Cor. 12:9).<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t be an omniscient pastor<\/em>, who has all the answers. God has not called me to be a politically savvy epidemiologist who creatively navigates the unprecedented opportunities of technology in a global pandemic. My knowledge has limits, but God has understanding beyond measure, so it\u2019s OK (Ps. 147:5).<\/p>\n

3. Change your pace.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A friend challenged me to view this season of ministry similar to the way a triathlete views a race (cf. 2 Tim. 2:5). As the athlete encounters different terrains, he adjusts his approach accordingly. In the same way, I needed to adjust my pace as I entered this new pandemic terrain.<\/p>\n

I realized that not leaving the house made me always \u201con\u201d in a way I wasn\u2019t used to before. My rhythms were erased and all of a sudden, I was husbanding, parenting, and pastoring all at the same time\u2014in the same place.<\/p>\n

Because life and ministry aren\u2019t the same as they were a few months ago, I needed to make some changes. I needed to humble myself under God\u2019s mighty hand and allow him to show me my limitations (1 Pet. 5:5\u00ad\u00ad\u20136). Interruptions were going to be part of the new arrangement\u2014and it didn\u2019t catch God by surprise. I needed to humble myself, make whatever adjustments I could, and reevaluate my expectations for what work was going to be like.<\/p>\n

4. Check your discipline<\/strong>s.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The pandemic paved the way for slothfulness in my life. It became easy to make excuses for lazy living. The trajectory was terrifying. Thankfully, the Lord reminded me of Paul\u2019s words to Timothy, \u201cTrain yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come\u201d (1 Tim. 4:7\u20138). This challenged helped me to reevaluate how I was disciplining myself in areas that were \u201cless important\u201d yet directly impacted my spiritual life. Here are a few:<\/p>\n