In my last post, I talked about serving and touched on the topic of burnout. But what does it mean to be “burnt out”? Many Christians seem to experience it.
In regard to church burnout specifically, it’s when someone helps with every church service, Bible study, small group, and other activity but typically becomes so tired from helping all the time that he or she stops helping altogether.
The thing about serving, however, is that it’s preventable. Serving should be done in moderation.
To be honest, I don’t know about your church because it could be perfect (note the sarcasm), but in most churches, there are always needs. There’s always something that needs to be done. That’s not a bad thing; it’s just reality.
The needs of the Church need to be taken care of, but one person shouldn’t take care of them all. You aren’t the body of Christ; you’re just part of it.
For the body is not one part, but many…you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. (1 Corinthians 12:14, 27 NASB)
The Church isn’t a one-man show, with Super Man (or Super Woman) stepping in to meet all the church’s needs. Because Super Man will get tired and cranky very, very fast.
You’re a part of the body of Christ—but that’s all you need to be. One part. Not two parts or three parts or every part.
We’re in this together, friends. This Christian life is hard, and we weren’t meant to handle it alone.
It’s great to see people in the Church working diligently for the Lord. But when the people who have served in every area start coming to church less and less…and then practically not at all…it saddens me. They were serving their Lord wholeheartedly but become so discouraged and tired that they don’t even come to church on Sundays anymore.
Because we are the body of Christ, we all need to be serving so that no one has the chance to get burnt-out.
I encourage you to put down the cleaning supplies, the Sunday school materials, and the event calendar every once in a while to rest. You need to feel called to serve, not roped into it. You shouldn’t necessarily do something simply because no one else is volunteering to do it. Wait, pray about it, and consider the other church activities you help with.
A new church activity or responsibility isn’t worth getting burnt-out and never stepping inside a church again.
We all need to do our part, friends—including me. I know I need to step it up and serve more so that others don’t get burnt-out. Remember that you can have an impact in your church, but you shouldn’t be the only impact. In your efforts to honor God and serve others, remember that it’s okay to say “no” sometimes.
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