Burnout in the church and with the church is a live possibility for many folk today. They either drop out of church altogether or move to another church they think would be less stressful. Church has a way of overworking the gifts and skill of the over-willing. Some folk have so much to do at church they never have a “Sabbath” experience. They get caught up in “church work” and lose sight of the “work of the church.” “Church work” is hard and demanding. It requires leaders to be on top of every situation, to manage conflict and to deal with interpersonal problems. These folk try to fulfill the wishes of a diverse body of believers and it is sometimes stressful. On the other hand, the “work of the church” involves everyone in doing missions and ministry. The “work of the church” is a cooperative effort where love, understanding, and shared responsibilities produce an effective witness. The focus is on the many and not the few. We must all be careful that “church work” does not hinder our vision of the “work of the church” or else burnout will occur.
Church burnout may have theological implications. Some may do their “church work” as a kind of penance. It becomes an effort to atone or pay for their sins. If they work hard enough they hope to find some relief for their inner guilt. Church burnout also comes to the overly pious. These folk overextend themselves in order to impress others with their commitment. Their struggle to be humble is frustrated by their proud intentions. They are so weary with “well doing” they lose the joy of what they are doing. Unwilling to accept their limitations they lose themselves in needless guilt. Having no theology of failure they lose their theology of hope.
“Church work” sets us up for burnout because there is no finished product. It is never completed. We never reach all the lost. We never feed all the poor nor heal all the sick. We never fix all people’s lives nor eliminate all their problems. We never learn all there is to learn. We are unfinished participants in a task that is far bigger than our ability to perform. Because there is no closure to our task we can easily become overwhelmed and burned out.
The “work of the church” rescues us from trying to do it all to doing all we can together. We do not have a finished job description because Jesus does not call us to a job, but to an adventure. Only God knows what it is all about. In His love He recalls us, changes our direction, and offers us new challenges. We surrender our burned-out souls to His rejuvenating care and do the best we can for Jesus sake today.
