Lance Witt, who served twenty years as a senior pastor and six years as an executive/teaching pastor at Saddleback Church, shares insights on how pastors can prevent burnout and not make some of the same mistakes he feels he made. After leaving Saddleback, Lance started a ministry called Replenish to help pastors care for themselves as they do the work of ministry. He is now … [Read more...]
Sometimes you have to cancel service
Editor’s note: The recent resignation of Pastor Pete Wilson, founding pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN, has sparked conversations about what should be expected of pastors and how to prevent burnout. Eventually, every pastor—regardless of church size—will find congregational needs to be never-ending. There will never be a time when every care that needs … [Read more...]
4 reasons you need a break
The world is not going to end if you take a day off. This planet will keep turning if you go on a vacation. One of the best things you can do to stay fresh as a preacher is to take a break. So many pastors get burned out and fatigued because they lack balance. They are giving 100 percent of themselves 100 percent of the time. This is not sustainable and will lead to an … [Read more...]
Profile of a workaholic
Workaholics. You’ve got them in your church, and at times, you can relate to them yourself. A workaholic is a compulsive worker: he chooses to work a lot, think about work, and then work even more. What does the Bible say to workaholics? Ecclesiastes 6:7–8 says, “All a man's labor is for his mouth and yet the appetite is not satisfied. For what advantage does the wise … [Read more...]