The Parish Paper - January 2013: How to Avoid Pastor Burnout

Many people believe that experiencing high stress levels causes burnout and drives pastors away from ministry. In fact, most pastors can—and do—deal with high levels of stress. Unfortunately, a few pastors fail in their efforts. One in ten pastors considers leaving their church each year. But what about the other nine pastors? If pastors love what they do and experience high levels of satisfaction with ministry, then they can deal with a great amount of stress. What can pastors do to increase their ministry satisfaction and reduce stress? What can church members do to help?