Burn Brightly, Not Out
Faithful Servant, you likely stepped into ministry with a passion to burn brightly for the Lord. Be warned: that flame can flicker quickly under the weight of ministry responsibility. Burnout is not limited to pastors. Ministry workers across roles, such as worship leaders, missionaries, chaplains, and counselors, face rising emotional fatigue, loneliness, and unsustainable expectations. Around 1,500 North American ministry workers leave their positions every month,1often due to stress, disillusionment, or burnout. In recent years, feelings of isolation among ministry staff have increased by over 50%,2and many report trauma exposure levels comparable to first responders.3How should these realities challenge your approach to long-term ministry faithfulness? Perhaps the answer lies in slowing down your ministry pace.
Scripture, Burnout, and Running
Scripture uses exercise, like running, as a metaphor for faith, and as a pastoral counselor who runs, I have come to realize that loss of joy in running mirrors the loss of joy leaders experience in ministry. I love running. Running builds confidence. Running helps regulate emotions and teaches discipline. Running encourages individuals to set goals and push through difficulties. Despite these benefits associated with the sport, I have found that overtraining can sap a runner’s joy. For years, I believed running harder and faster held the keys to success, despite experiencing exhaustion and injury. Overtraining was quietly extinguishing my joy. I was burning out.
Recently, I learned about Zone 2 running,4a training method that builds stamina and efficiency by running slower without overexertion. Zone 2 running impacts a runner’s health by training the athlete to run faster at lower heart rates, which improves their overall performance. This training exercise taught me an important lesson. Sometimes, success does not come from additional effort but from strategically dialing back the intensity.
The Zone 2 metaphor applies to ministry. Many of you serve in ministry out of love for Jesus and His church. This passion to serve Christ comes with a trap. If you believe that pushing harder and faster, hosting more programs, preaching more sermons, or taking on more responsibility equals more ministry success, then you are approaching ministry the way I approached running. You have fallen into the trap. Ministry leaders who never slow down will eventually find themselves exhausted and disconnected from the passion that once fueled them. And the ministry will suffer. Long-term ministry effectiveness comes when a leader embraces sustainable rhythms and understands the vital role of proper rest in maintaining passion, health, and impact.
Spiritual and Physical Rest
Ministry is a marathon, not a sprint. You started eager to serve. You hoped to please your church, organization, or peers through your efforts. You have likely discovered that the demands of ministry stretch leaders beyond their limits. You push harder, work longer, and slowly feel the burn. The prideful “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” mentality sounds noble, but it becomes your undoing. God models rest, not exhaustion. The Hebrew word sabat means to rest or cease from work, referring to the gift God provided for us when He rested after creation (Genesis 2:2). God was not tired; He was finished. Like an athlete savoring a post-race snack and reflecting on a new personal record, God paused to enjoy the goodness of His completed work. His rest modeled the importance of slowing down to reflect, delight, and restore. Like Zone 2 running, the practice of Sabbath reminds us that overextending ourselves leads to burnout and ineffectiveness. It also robs us of the joy in pausing to reflect on what God has accomplished through us.
God also models rest through the ministry of Jesus. Matthew 12:8 teaches that Christ is Lord of the Sabbath, meaning He has authority over it and reveals its true purpose. The Sabbath, given for our good (Mark 2:27), was distorted by legalism, but Jesus restored it to its life-giving purpose. When He heals the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath (Matt. 12:13), we see that rest is not meant to restrain but to renew. Jesus invites the weary to find deeper rest in Him (Matt. 11:28) and shows us, by His own example, that strategic withdrawal is not failure; it is faithfulness. He calls His followers to “come away…and rest a while” (Mark 6:31), even when the needs of the crowd are urgent. Jesus did not feel restrained by rest, nor did He equate ceasing with weakness. If the Son of God needed time away for renewal, how much more do we?
Practicing the Discipline of Rest
Taking time to rest requires self-discipline. To extend the metaphor, marathoners do not sprint every day; instead, they train for endurance. Similarly, ministry requires consistent discipline rather than maximum effort every day. Moments to push hard exist, but leaders grow in endurance by training in the basic disciplines of restful moments. Busyness feels productive, but consistent faithfulness to the basics sustains the leader.
To help you maintain a sustainable ministry pace, here are several practical ways to build in rest and care for yourself while serving others:
- Set Healthy Boundaries: Research shows that professional and personal boundaries help prevent burnout. Studies show that when leaders set limits around work and personal time, they experience lower levels of stress.5
- Engage in Regular Rest: Research emphasizes the importance of rest, such as sleep and vacation time. Regular periods of rest are essential for long-term effectiveness in ministry. 6
- Peer Support and Accountability: Studies show that support from peers in ministry significantly reduces feelings of isolation and burnout. Regularly meeting with others for mutual encouragement and accountability leads to higher satisfaction and better mental health.7
- Delegation: Successful leaders delegate ministry tasks while encouraging teamwork within the local church. By involving others, leaders reduce stress and avoid suffering from a hero complex.
- Physical Exercise: Physical exercise has consistently been proven to reduce stress, improve mental health, and increase physical wellness.
The lesson is simple: wise runners rest after long runs, and so should ministry leaders. Wise runners adjust their training to maintain health and joy, and ministry leaders must do the same. You do not need to burn out to burn brightly; instead, you need to become disciplined in laying “aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and…run with endurance the race set before you” (Hebrews 12:1). Set a ministry pace that ensures lasting impact in the good work God has called you to.
1Lausanne Movement, “Burnout Among Missionaries Is a Growing Concern,” Evangelical Focus, January 16, 2024, https://evangelicalfocus.com/lausanne-movement/26133/burnout-among-missionaries.
2Peter Luu, “Pastoral Ministry, Loneliness, and Burnout,” PeterLuu.id.au, July 10, 2023, https://peter.luu.id.au/wrote-about/pastoral-ministry-loneliness-burnout/.
3Rich Barlow, “Why Are So Many Religious Leaders Facing Stress and Burnout?” Bostonia, Boston University, February 15, 2022, https://www.bu.edu/articles/2022/why-are-so-many-religious-leaders-facing-stress-and-burnout/.
4"The Benefits of Zone 2 Running," Runner's World, accessed March, 2025, https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a62519617/zone-2-running/#the-benefits-of-zone-2-running.
5Russell Weise, "Burnout in the Pastoral Ministry: The Need for Clear Boundaries" (1993; Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 1993), 94, https://scholar.csl.edu/dmin/94.
6Barna Group, "Rest and Sabbath: A Vital Practice for Leaders," Barna, accessed March, 2025, https://www.barna.com/research/rest-sabbath/.
7Ibid