question about a pastor

[OzarkWoman]

What can one do for a pastor that is fast approaching absolute burnout?

[Woody]

Gather up a collection to pay for the pastor and the spouse to go on an all expenses paid romantic vacation to Hawaii.

If that don't cure her - I don't know what will. Seriously - it should work.

[OzarkWoman]

LOL Well, the pastor is a HE and not a she. But he is having so many problems with his pastorial duties and the burnout and all. He is campmeeting this week and I know that he and his wife will be taking 3 weeks in July to Canada. I am hoping that it helps him. He is the kind that owns any emotion and feeling and such that we are going through when we talk with him.

[Woody]

LOL Well, the pastor is a HE and not a she. But he is having so many problems with his pastorial duties and the burnout and all. He is campmeeting this week and I know that he and his wife will be taking 3 weeks in July to Canada. I am hoping that it helps him. He is the kind that owns any emotion and feeling and such that we are going through when we talk with him.

Well I will try not to hold that against him that he is a male.

But the other thing is - perhaps the rest of the church is not doing their share of the duties?

Many hands make light work.

[Overaged]

What can one do for a pastor that is fast approaching absolute burnout?

Pastors need to be prayed for. It's always a good idea to try to work towards whatever you pray for, in any ways that you can think of, and if everyone in the church did that; or even just a few; I would imagine that the Pastor's job would be a lot easier.

[olger]

"Come apart and rest a while."

[Naomi]

Pastors need to be prayed for. It's always a good idea to try to work towards whatever you pray for, in any ways that you can think of, and if everyone in the church did that; or even just a few; I would imagine that the Pastor's job would be a lot easier.

[phkrause]

I've always wondered why the church doesn't incorporate the Sabbatical system that God instituted for Israel. Have a pastor work for 6 years and than give him a year to do whatever he and his family need, than when he returns, either have him go on to a new church or however they want to do that.

[Gail]

Great ideas!

I think that we tend to depend a lot on pastors to help in areas that perhaps members should pitch in with.

Not only do people depend on pastors a lot, they criticize them a lot, too.

[lazarus]

I've always wondered why the church doesn't incorporate the Sabbatical system that God instituted for Israel. Have a pastor work for 6 years and than give him a year to do whatever he and his family need, than when he returns, either have him go on to a new church or however they want to do that.

Many conferences have sabbaticals. In our conference you work for 7 years and get 6 weeks off. You have to have been in your current distric for at least 4 years. It used to be 12 weeks but they cut it in half because churches were complaining that pastors we getting such long "holidays".

In my previous conference sabbaticals were available after 15 years of continuous service in the conference.

As regard to this particular pastor there are a number of ways your church, Ozarkwoman, can support your pastor.

Pastor appreciation is coming up in October. You would have a short program of appreciation for him during the main service.

You could give him and his wife a gift card to go out to eat.

The elders could look at how they could do more of the visiting, or administrative duties. They could look at the conflict situations that exist in the church and see how they could be more proactive in dealing with them. Conflict is a major source of discouragement and burn-out.

If the pastor is truly experiencing burn-out or even depression the church may consider asking a wise, gentle, and godly experienced person in the church or a fellow pastor to have a conversation with the pastor. The church would need to address the issue before they are forced to address the issue.

This pastor may not be practicing adequate self-care.He may also not have an adequate support system outside the church. There's a number of things that could be going out. It is said 1500 pastors leave every month. Perhaps many more would leave if they had the option to leave.

Prayer and kindness goes a long way too.

[phkrause]

Good points Lazarus.