I think another thing that really contributes to pastoral burnout is practical questions like, Are we sleeping well? Are we exercising and getting outside? Are we eating things that are actually good for our body? Embodiment is very crucial to understanding how to be a good pastor. A lot of times pastors sort of see themselves as this sacrificial offering to their churches, and they burn out. That’s not good for anybody.

Pastors are Embodied

The things that contribute to pastoral burnout, to me, are very simple. It’s an inattentiveness to one’s capacity, one’s ability. It’s maybe taking on false notions of what you are called to do as a pastor. Maybe you grow the church to a certain amount or have a certain kind of budget or building plan or something like this, when that may not be what the Lord is calling you or your church to.

It’s concerning yourself with those things rather than concerning yourself with what’s in front of you and what you’re able to accomplish in your own gifting and capacity. I think a lot of times we overextend ourselves in those ways. We take on false identities about what a pastor is meant to be, maybe because of someone we saw on a conference stage and thought, Well, I need to be that way.

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