Pastor Burnout & What We Can Do As Therapists
We all know the saying – “check on your strong friends.” Who better to check on than the person who leads our faith-based community as a whole every Sunday – our pastors. Who better to check on our pastors than us therapists who are focused on our faith.
In an ideal world, we get to mesh beautifully to help better our world because let’s face it, the teacher needs a teacher. The only one who doesn’t is Jesus Christ and the last time I checked, we’re all imperfect human beings who need each other. Therapists, let’s realize our place here! I want to discuss that further in this piece.
As a pastor’s wife, mental health counselor, and mother to two children (one with special needs), I find myself uniquely positioned to speak into the challenges ministry leaders face. While not a full-time official ministry leader myself, I find my work is related as I serve clients and am a source of help to those around me. While my path is different, I can deeply empathize with the unique demands of those in ministry.
When I saw God has an ironic way of teaching us, it is at the moment I am asked to teach on the topic of self-care and put this article together, I find myself exhausted in my own work. I struggle to set boundaries and care for myself. And let’s get real, sometimes I am not even sure what that looks like, to take care of me. Can you relate?
I know our pastors can.
In research from Barna Group, I was sad to see some of the stats of our leaders
In just seven years, pastors reporting ‘Excellence’ in their:
Spiritual well-being dropped from 37% to 14%
Physical well-being fell from 24% to 9%
Mental and emotional health 39% to 11%
Overall quality of life dipped from 42% to 18%
Level of respect from the community 22% to 10%
Level of ‘true friends’ down 50%, 34% to 17%
My heart ached at the sight of these numbers.
If you feel like me, you are not alone. Those in the helping professions and ministry are prone to burnout. But don’t just take it from me. Let’s look at more research that causes alarming red flags.
The Barna Group paints a sobering picture of pastoral well-being over the past decade:
Pastor burnout has increased 400% in the past 10 years. In 2015, only 11% of pastors reported burnout. By 2022, that number skyrocketed to 40%.
Pastors report a decrease in satisfaction in their work. In 2015, 72% of pastors said they were "very satisfied" with their jobs. In 2022, only 52% felt the same.
Pastors are less confident in calling with 66% of pastors feeling more confident in their calling in 2015 than when they started. Today, only 35% feel that way.
In addition, the research shows younger pastors, women in ministry, and those without support systems are particularly vulnerable. The younger generation is the future, so something must change.
Pastors often have a lot on their plate. They often have to pour out to hundreds and sometimes thousands who people who are constantly aiming to satisfy their personal spiritual and emotional needs, unknowingly piling a lot on pastors that they often don’t know how to handle themselves. With swamped schedules, a lack of self-care, and isolation, how can we as Therapists help this burdensome phenomenon before it’s too late?
The Ripple Effect of Neglecting Self-Care
Why is it so important that we address this issue? If we do not help pastors make changes in their mental health, the church will continue to head in a negative direction. I believe pastors do not even see this happening. Often, when we are heading towards burnout, we do not notice. It is never something we want, it just happens. This is why we must help them to be aware of their triggers and make the needed changes sooner rather than later.
When pastors neglect their own well-being, it affects more than just themselves. Pastor burnout also impacts the following:
Family relationships: Burnout can create tension at home.
Projection onto others: Unconscious struggles can be transferred to family, friends, and even congregants.
Decreased focus and creativity: Fatigue leads to mistakes, a lack of innovation, and diminished ability to lead effectively.
Difficulty hearing God’s voice: Spiritual fatigue can hinder discernment and intimacy with God.
What Self-Care and Soul Care Look Like
An important distinction to make here is the difference between self-care and soul-care. First and foremost, practicing self-care isn’t selfish—it’s essential. It means setting healthy boundaries, recognizing limits, and intentionally recharging.
Soul care goes deeper. It’s about nurturing your relationship with God, allowing Him to restore you from the inside out. When I think of soul care, I think of practices such as meditation, prayer, journaling, deep conversations with friends, or a hike along a mountain trail as you reflect on God’s beauty.
Based on the previous research, we see that pastors often do not know how to recharge. Though this is true, I think it also boils down to not knowing how to stop or not wanting to stop as that would mean being quiet and paying attention to us. That is hard. If you struggle to prioritize this for yourself, think of your family and congregation. A healthier you benefits everyone around you.
Next Steps - How Can We Help As Therapists
It is one thing to talk about red flags in a group of people we love, it is another thing to do something about it. But, you can see the statistics are staggering and change is a must if we want the church to continue. Thus, I have a few items for you to consider doing to make the difference for our pastors. The best thing we can do is counsel the counselors on the following:
Show them how to make a list of self-care and/or soul-care practices that they can choose to engage in on a regular basis, be it daily, weekly, or once a month. Teach them how these activities should bring them rest, joy, and closer to God and others. Here is a list to help them get started:
Journaling, prayer, exercise, reading fiction books, vacations without checking their email, writing (not sermons), or puzzles such as crosswords (my nightly routine)
Encourage them to engage with others outside of the church. Pastors report isolation so push them to find people to spend time with. This could be other pastors such as through a RIM group or local pastor group. They could find activities to do with others that are unrelated to ministry. For example, my husband loves to play Magic the Gathering at local card shops. I even joined a women’s choir in Savannah, which has been good for my soul.
Emphasize the importance of setting boundaries. They must know their limits. Point out that they cannot be everything to everyone. One helping activity can be reviewing their current schedule and responsibilities, and then determining which ones only they can do and which ones they can ask others to help with such as visiting church members, teaching Sunday School, or doing weddings. Remind them that others want to help.
Counseling: A Lifeline for Pastors
Speaking of counseling, I would be remiss as a therapist if I did not address the staggering rates of burnout and only 11% of pastors report seeking professional counseling. I was blown away when I read this number.
We must teach our pastors that counseling is not just for someone in dire straits, but it is a time to reflect on their needs and their own mental health. How could this not be beneficial for everyone? In fact, I go to counseling on a regular basis for my own personal and spiritual growth. It is a part of my schedule, just like I exercise for my physical health, I go to therapy for my emotional health.
We can teach them that counseling provides:
A safe space to process their struggles.
Tools to manage stress and prevent burnout.
Opportunities for reflection and growth.
I want to challenge you to take a step in helping our pastors toward greater spiritual health and well-being. Don’t wait until burnout takes its toll. Let’s use the gifts God has given us to help such important figures in our communities all over the world.
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