Photo by Vitality. Article by Bill Simmons.
A few months ago, I surveyed 50 CEOs of Christian parachurch ministries and asked them to rate their burnout level on a scale of 1 to 10. The average score was 8.5, which should alarm all of us.
These are leaders called to shepherd Kingdom-driven organizations, steward resources, and guide teams with wisdom and care. Yet many feel so stretched and exhausted that they wonder if they can keep going.
They are not alone. Research from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) reveals that 94% of ministry leaders experience high stress, and a recent Barna Group study found that 42% of pastors have considered leaving full-time ministry.
For Christian leaders, the weight of responsibility is undeniable. But what if the way we carry that weight is not the way of Jesus?
If you feel like you are one email away from collapse, I want to offer a hard but necessary truth: You cannot sustain this pace. And more importantly, God never asked you to.
The illusion of control: when calling becomes a burden
Most of us enter ministry because we feel a deep calling to make an impact for Christ. But that calling—meant to bring life—can become a source of burnout when we tie our identity too closely to our work.
We see this pattern in Scripture:
- Saul, anxious about maintaining control, took matters into his own hands instead of waiting for Samuel (1 Samuel 13).
- Sarah and Abraham, doubting God’s timing, forced a shortcut with Hagar (Genesis 16).
- The disciples panicked in a storm and thought the absence of Jesus’ momentary attention meant circumstances were out of control (Mark 4:35-41).
Ministry burnout often stems from the same root issue: We convince ourselves that everything depends on us. That if we don’t hold everything together, it will all fall apart.
I know this because I’ve lived it. Two years ago, I was precisely such a leader.
For years, I led my organization with an unrelenting drive. I undermined when I should have supported, overthought when I should have released, and gripped every detail of success and failure as if they were solely my responsibility.
I disguised this need for control as good leadership. But in reality, it was fear.
Fear of failure. Fear of disappointing people. Fear that it would all come crumbling down if I didn’t push harder.
It took an unexpected wake-up call—watching an episode of HBO’s “Succession”—to realize I was leading out of fear, not faith. In the show, CEO Logan Roy refuses to trust his executives, undermines their decisions, and controls every aspect of his empire. As I watched, I saw something painfully familiar: a distorted version of my leadership habits, and I was horrified.
God convicted me: “Are you truly trusting Me, or just trying to manage everything yourself?”
The cost of ministry without rest
Many leaders believe they can push through burnout. But research says otherwise.
- Chronic stress rewires the brain (“The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk).
- Neglecting rest leads to health crises, broken relationships, and potentially moral failure.
- Ignoring Sabbath doesn’t just affect you—it affects your team and family, too.
Jesus modeled a different way. The disciples panicked in the storm, but Jesus slept in the boat—not because He didn’t care, but because He trusted the Father completely.
Trust looks like rest. Trust looks like surrender. Trust looks like taking your hands off the wheel and remembering the ministry was never yours to carry alone.
Practical steps to step back before it’s too late
If you’re teetering on the edge of burnout, transformation won’t happen overnight. But small, intentional shifts can begin to change everything.
- Rebuild your daily rhythm with pauses
- Before every meeting, pause. Take three deep breaths, pray, and release your need for control.
- Begin and end your day in silence. Let Scripture—not your inbox—shape your mindset.
- Reintroduce the Sabbath. Whether a weekly, non-negotiable pause or an annual silent retreat, these are God’s designs for restoration. Read Abraham Heschel’s “The Sabbath” to appreciate anew the depth of what God did in providing the Sabbath for man.
- Integrate the Psalms into leadership
During my sabbatical at Christ in the Desert Monastery, I observed monks pausing seven times a day to realign with God. They pray the Psalms daily—not as an intellectual exercise but as a practice of surrender.
Try this:
- Read one Psalm at the start of your workday.
- Use breath prayers from the Psalms, like “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
- Open each meeting you have with a Psalm or a portion of a Psalm, introducing this ancient practice of Christ and the Church into your workplace.
- Reframe your role: from master to steward
- You are not the Savior of your ministry—Jesus is.
- You don’t have to carry every burden alone. Unlike Logan Roy, release control, truly empower your staff, and trust God to do His work among you.
- Shift from being the solution to creating conditions where others can flourish.
- Prioritize healthy accountability
- Surround yourself with mentors who ask: “Are you leading from trust or control?”
- Regularly check in with your board, not just on results but on your soul.
- If burnout is setting in, seek professional counseling before it escalates. I sought spiritual direction, professional therapy, and private silent retreats to enable God to restore the soul of my leadership.
Final word: the ministry isn’t yours to carry alone
Burnout isn’t just a personal issue—it’s a systemic problem in many Christian organizations. Leaders are expected to be strategists, pastors, fundraisers, visionaries, and crisis managers—all at once.
But let’s remember:
- The Kingdom of God advances through Christ in us, not our efforts.
- Our worth isn’t in how much we produce—it’s in being beloved children of God.
- Authentic leadership isn’t about control—it’s about surrender. Jesus modeled this in his surrendered leadership: “Not my will, but yours.”
If you are on the edge, take this as your sign to stop, breathe, and recalibrate. You were never meant to carry this alone. The same God who called you to this work will sustain you in it—but only if you allow Him to.
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