Many church leaders feel spiritual burnout

GARDEN CITY, Kan. -- It's been said that even saints sleep and prophets play. But for those who minister to others, sleep and play are sometimes hard to find.

With the demands of their congregations weighing heavy on their shoulders, burnout in the church can snuff out even the most devout spiritual leaders.

Burnout, according to author Sarah Ban Breahnach, "is a condition caused by unbalance: too much work or responsibly, too little time to do it, over too long a period. You know you're burned out when no amount of sleep refreshes you, and even going on vacation seems like too much work."

It's a risk in any profession. But for those who minister to others, being on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week can become an occupational hazard.

Bill Harrold, pastor of Shelton Memorial Christian Church in Ulysses, knows what burnout feels like. He recently took a monthlong sabbatical for a time of self-renewal.

"I was just sick and tired," Harrold said, reflecting on his pre-sabbatical burnout. "I wasn't celebrating anything. There wasn't much joy in my life. I felt there were too many demands; everyone needed something. But I wasn't helpful because I had nothing left to give."

At the same time that he was feeling ineffective with his congregation, Harrold felt he wasn't available for his family, either. Harrold was fortunate enough to have an understanding congregation who allowed him the necessary time to renew his soul.

For one month, he left his normal routine. He began his sabbatical spending quiet time at the Heartland Center for Spiritual Direction in Great Bend.

"That was a period for renewal, refreshment and learning; I produced a goal of what I would do to enhance my ministry," said Harrold. From there, he traveled to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where he did missionary work with the Christian Commission for Development.

"For two weeks, I worked with volunteers helping to building a women's shelter. I built furniture, studied and listened. A certain Bible passage, Matthew 11:28-30, kept appearing to me, even in the secular world, even in Spanish. It kept popping up. It was a God thing, and I relearned how to celebrate life. I came back to my congregation with the message. I was glad to be home."

"Having a sabbatical written into a minister's contract would be incentive to keep a minister," said Mike Grogan, pastor of The First Christian Church in Dighton. "If more churches would grant sabbaticals like Bill Harrold's church did, there would be less of a pastor shortage.

Ministers often reach a point where there is no more energy to go on, said Paxton Jones, deputy regional minister of Christian Church in Kansas, Great Bend.

Jones oversees cluster groups of ministers in 42 counties.

"It's a truism of ministers -- local pastors don't have a local pastor," Jones said.

His role is to minister to his cluster groups within the Christian Church.

Some ministers feel pressure from church members if they go away.