Ministry Team Insights: Overloaded schedules

Ministry is a struggle" Photo by Aaron Escobar

Ministry can be hard and a struggle as Paul stated in Colossians 1:29. 

"That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me (New Living Translation)."

So how do we avoid burnout or seasons of no margin. As our team suggested, "On paper it's easy, but it's hard to avoid burnout. It's challenging to serve without burnout."

We move between the extremes of "so-busy you-cannot-reach-out-to-others" and "so-busy-reaching-out-to-others." You cannot avoid burnout. You are called to empty yourself. You pour yourself out completely. 

It's not a balance between family & ministry. It's an adjustment during each season of ministry.

Our team has seasons of ministry where we are "redlining." We have an event that needs extra hours of work and training. Moreover, we also have to fluctuate our time with others and with family or friends. 

There is no prescribed ratio of balance. You can't say 1:2--for every hour that I spend in ministry then I will take 2 hours for family. For us, it doesn't work that way.

But you can do a few things to make room for renewal after a busy season of ministry. That is, if you are wise to set aside time for recovery.

I posed the question to our team. How do you avoid burnout in ministry? Here are a few tips we suggest: 

• Stop. Take time to assess what you are doing. Determine if you are have any margin to rest, to recoup, to renew.  
• Plan ahead to create margin in your schedule or to set aside family time or activities with friends.
• Protect time to connect with God, family &friends. Be  refreshed in God. Keep the spiritual disciplines in place.

You can serve a 60-hour week. But follow it up with planned events to recover and to re-energize and less hours.

Above all, remember to rely on Christ's power in the Holy Spirit. He can work mightily through you as you work hard and struggle in ministry.