Mark Dance, executive director of the Arkansas Baptist Convention, is concerned about pastors experiencing 'ministry fatigue' - and what that can lead to if ignored.
Key Points:
- Do not ignore self-care, fatigue
- Don't be afraid to seek help, clinical depression is real
- Find reliable friends, even in church
- Obesity is a major factor for many pastors
- Your best encourager could be your spouse
"Well, 'fatigue is just exhaustion' is another way of putting it. Some even refer to it as compassion fatigue. The Bible teaches us not to grow weary in well-doing. And so, I think weariness is normal for anybody in any profession. And yet if unchecked, it can turn into ministry fatigue, which if left unchecked can turn into burnout, which if left unchecked can turn into depression. So, there's different levels of exhaustion here," shares Mark, a long-time pastor himself.
(K-LOVE's Richard Hunt asks) Do some pastors kind of consider fatigue or burnout just part of the job that's expected of them?
"I think so, but it's unfortunate because that's not how we've been set up. We've been set up for success, not failure. And so, I heard a lot of people say (about burnout) in the late 80s when I became a pastor, 'I'd rather burn out than rust out,' which is true, but those aren't the only two options on the table. So, you don't have to rust out or burn out. You're going to get tired, you're going to grow weary, and yet God has a solution for that called... Sabbath."
(Richard) How does that work?
"Well, it's pretty simple - not easy - but it's simple.
And in Genesis chapter two, at the very beginning, God modeled what Sabbath is and the importance of it. And then he mandated it in Exodus and Leviticus... and Jesus practiced it. In fact, he was criticized about doing it wrong, criticized about Sabbath more than anything else. Six times they came after him for not doing it right.
Can you imagine criticizing the Lord of the Sabbath about practicing Sabbath?
But, it's always been important. It's still one of the 10 Commandments and the one with the most commentary in it. And it just simply means 'stop.' Go means go, and we're a go culture. Christians believe the Bible, great commission, go and change the world, go and make disciples. And yet there's also a big word, stop. And that's what Sabbath actually means. And that's what God actually expects from us and it's how he's wired us.
So if we ignore that and are always going, it's going to backfire."
Rather listen to our full podcast interview? Click just below:
Reliable friends definitely needed
"Early in ministry, another thing I heard, what I would consider a ministry myth is that you shouldn't make friends at church. That was a very common sentiment and very dangerous one as well.
I'm so glad I did not listen to those people because it wasn't in the Bible. And the call to ministry is not a call to solitary confinement. He's (God) putting people around us to care for us just like he's putting people around us that we can care for. It's a very reciprocal relationship and there will always be people that will drain you and there will always be people around you that will recharge you. And the Apostle Paul has a long, long list of people who have invested in him and that he invested in. He also has a naughty list. He also has the people that he called savage wolves that would drain him and drain others."
Mark transparently shares that many years back he was stretched too thin, with no personal Sabbath. That led to a diagnosis of clinical depression.
"And honestly, I was just sabotaging Sabbath in my own self-care ... I couldn't gain weight, I couldn't sleep well, and that insomnia led to paranoia and I didn't have any moral meltdowns, but I had just grown beyond weary into that joyless, dark place where I was avoiding people and conversations and not enjoying ministry anymore. And my first step was to call my doctor, who I had entrusted with my health, my physical health. I wasn't asking for a diagnosis. I was just like, 'Hey, I'm different and I don't know why.' And he asked me a whole bunch of questions and he almost casually diagnosed me with clinical depression."
Mark got help and learned a valuable lesson which he continues to share with others, especially those in the ministry field.
Another serious health concern for pastors: Obesity
(Richard asks) So, you mentioned weight. Sometimes you'll come across just maybe online looking at stories, a pastor who appears rather obese or sometimes extremely obese. And in conversation you hear jokes about fried chicken dinners and so forth, but how does this happen to a pastor to let go of the physical health?
"Well, first of all, we have to see it as a problem. Otherwise, it is a joke and sometimes jokes hide pain, but I heard a lot of those jokes - usually from obese pastors - and people pretty much just focused on spiritual health in the '80s and '90s and early 2000s even. And I do say I've seen that a lot of pastors that are younger are not reluctant to talk about health in any aspect of health. The Great Commandment pretty much sums it up. This is our most important line of business every day of our life and the rest of our life is to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. That all means all. And so physical health is part of that. We don't have permission to trash our temples. And in this line of work, we don't have a lot of vices, at least that are approved.
But eating's one that is, and we actually trend, according to a Duke survey that's over 10 years old, but among the Methodist pastors, they were trending 12% higher in obesity rate than the general population. And so I guarantee you, Baptists are not going to be better than Methodist on the obesity scale. You just have to go to one of our meetings and you'll see this is a huge problem. And health is a stewardship, biblical stewardship issue that's not about perfectionism or ego, but it's about stewardship and managing your life and your health, mental, physical, spiritual, emotional health means that you make decisions throughout your life in ministry that will determine how you finish someday. And so early in my ministry, early, early while I was at seminary before I took my first church, I told my fiance at that time, I said, "I'd like to finish this race someday without being broke or obese.
And to do that, I'm going to need your help. And the greatest pastor advocate is going to be a spouse."
Mark shares experience and wisdom in his new book
"Rest Well, Lead Well" is about Sabbath and why Sabbath matters to your ministry. So, I wrote it for pastors and those who love them. So, if you're a pastor, I encourage you to get a copy and Double Dog dare you to let your wife read it first or read it at all," he laughs. "It's a grace book. I don't make any money off these books I've donated to Mission Dignity, a benevolence fund for retirement-age pastors. But it is with a view in mind that we work better and healthier if we just obey that command, which is really, I think, a protection from ourselves to work hard and then stop. Work hard and then stop. It's a pretty simple recipe, but it's really hard to live out, especially in our profession when people pretty much reach out to us all the time."
