Pastors are embodied

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

It is to concern yourself with those things rather than to concern yourself with what is before you and what you are capable of accomplishing in your own gifts and capacity. I think we often overdo it in these ways. We assume false identities of what a pastor should be, maybe because of someone we saw on a conference stage and thought, Well, I have to be like that. Or maybe because of a book we read that seemed to make us believe that this is how shepherding should be. Instead, we should really lean into what our gifts really are—and be okay with that.

Embodiment is very important to understanding how to be a good pastor.

I think another thing that really contributes to pastoral burnout is practical questions like: Are we sleeping well? Do we exercise and go outside? Are we eating things that are actually good for our bodies? Embodiment is very important to understanding how to be a good pastor.

Many times, pastors see themselves as this sacrifice for their churches and burn out. This is not good for anyone. That’s not good for that person, it’s not good for their family, and it’s certainly not good for the church. And part of shaping a pastor is to say, “This is how you are as a man. You have limitations. You are human.”

And with that in mind, we need to take care of ourselves as people who rely primarily on the Lord for these things, but we demonstrate that trust by saying, “I can only do so much.”

Coleman M. Ford is co-author with Shawn J. Wilhite al Ancient Wisdom for the Care of Souls: Learning the Art of Pastoral Ministry from the Church Fathers.

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