Getting Back To Ministry After Burn Out

The following is from Agile Ministry.

I was recently asked how a volunteer that previously stepped down from ministry due to burnout should approach going back to volunteering when asked by their church. Here are some questions to consider on the matter:

1. Are you ready to give to others more than you take from the church? If your heart isn’t focused on the desire to minister to others in need, then you aren’t ready yet

2. Have you forgiven those that you consider responsible for causing the burnout, including yourself? If you haven’t forgiven them, it will interfere with your ministry.

3. Has the time off from volunteering brought you closer to God or further away? The burnout was most likely caused by serving God more than seeking God - have you restored your relationship or are you still quenching the Holy Spirit through anger or other busyness?

4. Are you considering the same ministry or something new? Joining the same ministry can often produce the same results if left unchecked by both you and the ministry leader

5. If you are joining back as a ministry leader, what is your plan to prevent burnout this time? How have you dealt with your potential to overwork and burnout?

6. Do you have an accountability partner to ensure that you are not going to burnout again? Find someone that can hold you accountable to tell the truth on the number of hours you are putting in each week. Be honest with them and report what you’ve done for the week. This partner needs to be someone who is mature and have dealt with burnout successfully in the past.
7. Do you have a written understanding with your staff/leader on how often you will be serving? Many ministry leaders fail to create a job description and requirement for the positions they need filled. Ask for one and insist that it define a duration (e.g. 3-6 months) and the number of service times expected from you per month.

Use these set of questions to help determine if you are ready to return. Whatever you do, make sure you are focused on how God is going to use you in ministry to make a powerful impact tomorrow, not on how you burned out yesterday.