Burnout In Christian Leaders
Where to Start

At G.E.Wood , we have have professionally coached Christian pastors, executives and national and international ministry leaders since the 90's. Early on we discovered something that surprised us. It doesn't anymore.

One of the first things we have learned to ask is, "Do you feel valuable?"

According to our decade-long, very informal survey, about 80% of Christian leaders, particularly those experiencing overload or burnout, will pause and then answer, "No."

About 80% of Christian leaders don't feel valuable. Imagine. A Christian who doesn't feel valuable.

Do you feel valuable?

If you are under a lot of stress and reading this, you may not feel valuable right now either.

In order to begin to deal with the significant stress, overload or burnout you are currently experiencing, read carefully what follows. Reread it as many times as you need for it to sink in. If you are going to take the first steps to address burnout in Christian leaders, this is it.

Your value is determined and proven by two things and two things only. There are no others.

It does not matter into which family you were born. It does not matter your country of birth. It does not matter what type of job you have, or don’t have. It does not rest on your financial status or what you have accomplished. It does not matter if you are successful in ministry or business or if you have seen very little for your efforts.

None of these are factors that can determine your value. The two things that do determine your value however are absolutely crucial for you to understand.

One - You Were Made in the Image of God - You are valuable, because you were made in the image of God. That makes you a somebody. It makes you a person of dignity and worth.

You are not valuable because of your work. You are valuable because of your worth, w – o – r – t – h, a worth determined by the creator who felt it necessary to create such an amazing person as you.

You are a reflection of God. You are the product of his creative genius. There is nothing as amazing as His creation of people and you are one of His crowning achievements.

This is what makes you valuable. The first step for the leader to beat burnout is to realize that you’re tremendously valuable. Allow this thought to soak in. Think about it many times through the coming days, because it is the absolute foundation of moving forward.

If you thoroughly know that you are incredibly valuable, then you will be able to make greater headway in a shorter period of time.

Two - For You and You Alone, Jesus was Willing to Come to Earth and Go To the Cross – This makes you a somebody. If you were the only one, the Lord Jesus would have come to redeem you. He loved you that much. And His love continues toward you now.

Again, it isn't dependent on how well you perform. That's why it's called grace. It's unmerited. It's free. And it means you are a person of great value to God.

This is the high view you must take of yourself. You must see yourself as you are through God's eyes. And in our experience this is the starting point for most Christian leaders in the battle against business or ministry burnout.

Uncouple performance and value. The Christian does not solve ministerial burnout, or any type of burnout for that matter, by looking only at self.

Ask the Lord to help you get your attention off yourself, your problems and the people around you and look up to the One who truly determines your worth ... and has proven how he sees you by the cross.

The starting point for dealing with burnout in leadership, pastoral or corporate ... is to know you are valuable.

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Share Your Experience with Burnout.

We'd like to hear your experiences dealing with burnout. Your insights may be helpful to someone else. What happened (briefly)? What do you feel were the contributing factors? How did you deal with burnout? What tips would you give to help others with avoiding burnout?