Pastors bear tremendous weight in caring for the souls of people, often play the role of peacemaker in a divisive culture, and most certainly fall into the category of “overworked.”
But those aren’t the main reasons they burn out.
Rich Villodas, pastor of New Life Fellowship in Queens, New York, talked with Ben and Lynley Mandrell about the root of ministry exhaustion and what to do about it. Listeners will walk away with tools to diagnose their emotional health and find a way forward to gospel-focused self-care that will help their inner lives, home lives, and ministries thrive.
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Quotes from this episode:
“Much of the burnout we see is not because the work we give ourselves to is taxing and demanding. Burnout happens because we’re trying to give something we haven’t prioritized in our own lives first.”
“The running script in so many pastors’ minds is this: If I stop this thing it’s going to die. This church is going to fall apart. And our refusal to stop reveals who we’re putting our trust in.”
“So much of our identity revolves around performance: I am what I do. I am my last sermon. I am the things I can accomplish. I am my efficiency. Because we have identity issues, it will work itself out in lack of rhythms, boundaries, and rest.”
“Whatever we can’t step away from—no matter how much we love it—is an indication of our slavery, not our freedom.”
“Most of the time burnout happens because we’re so oriented around giving that we haven’t spent any time receiving.”
“Emotional health is not for the sake of self-awareness, self-actualization, or navel gazing. It’s for the sake of loving well.”
“Self-care is an act of stewardship. It’s an act of paying attention to my body, soul and relationships. Any time someone is not engaging in that, they’re not just sabotaging own lives, they’re sabotaging the lives of those around them.”
“It’s only a matter of time before the gaps of our own lives start leaking out to others. Not only do you need it, but the people around you need it.”
Links:
Visit Rich’s website.
Check out Rich’s book, The Deeply Formed Life.
Follow Rich on Instagram.
Follow Rich on Twitter.
Show Credits:
Executive Producer: Joy Allmond
Produced and Edited by: Angie Elkins Media
Original Music by: Robert Elkins
Art Work by: Cameron Spooner