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Understanding the Effects of Burnout

The term burnout has become a common term in recent years.  The widely-accepted definition of burnout relates chronic on-the-job stressors to the three components of burnout, exhaustion, cynicism, and/or inefficacy.  (Maslach, et al., 2001).   We first we see that an individual experiences stressors on an on-going basis.  Individuals face challenges at work like completing tasks and assignments, demands based on deadlines that need met, and limited capacities like collaborating with others that create stresses that impede the ability to work. These experiences are on-going or occur over a long period of time. These stressors may lead to one to becoming physically and emotionally exhausted, coupled with feelings of cynicism and inefficacy.  

Exhaustion: Being unable to recover from being drained emotionally and physically.

Cynicism: Taking on a negative and cold view of one’s work and co-workers. May be used to protect oneself from feelings of exhaustion.

Inefficacy: Experiencing feelings of inadequacy and a loss of self-confidence (Maslach & Leiter, 1997).  

History of Burnout

The study of burnout began in the 1970’s.  The term burnout was first coined by Freudenberger, a psychologist, and this term describes volunteers experiencing emotional depletion, lack of motivation, and reduced commitment (Schaufeli, et al., 2009).  Christina Maslach began to study burnout around this same time and is considered a pioneer in the field.  There are three phases in the history of burnout:

Pioneering Phase: This initial phase started in the 1970’s and was largely exploratory in nature.  Researchers such as Freudenberger and Maslach sought to understand, define, and measure burnout.  Burnout was largely relegated to the human services field.

Empirical Phase: Researchers moved to quantitative empirical research studies, and studies outside of the human services field took place. Longitudinal studies and research using statistics came into practice during this phase.  This phase took place between the 1980’s and the 1990’s (Maslach, et al., 2001).

Expanding Phase: This phase started in the 1990’s and continues into the present day. The study of burnout was applied to an ever-widening array of jobs, organizations, positions, and locations. The major shift of this phase was the study of the effects of technology (smart phones, computers, tablets, applications, etc.) on burnout (Dunbar, et al., 2020).

Bibliography

Dunbar, S., Frederick, T., Thai, Y., & Gill, J. (2020). Calling, caring, and connecting: burnout in Christian ministry. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 173-186. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2020.1744548

Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. (1997). The truth about burnout: How organizations cause personal stress and what to do about it. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job Burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 397-422.

Schaufeli, W., Leiter, C., & Maslach, C. (2009). Burnout: 35 years of research and practice. Career Development International, 14(3), 204-220. doi:10.1108/13620430910966406

What is burnout in the pastorate?

The Center for Pastoral Renewal is dedicated to developing spiritual and psychological resources for pastors coping with burnout. The important pieces of this are spiritual and psychological. 

Burnout represents a spiritual ailment that describes the depletion of resources because of one’s vocation. As pastors pour themselves into their congregations and families, depletion often occurs provided there aren’t opportunities for rest, reflection, and reengagement. 

The psychological effects of burnout include feeling tired, emotional empty, lack of motivation, and sometimes anger and aggressiveness. The emotional emptiness of burnout robs pastors of the meaningfulness of ministry. It turns serving others in God’s name to performing a service to needy people. The emotional toll of burnout lessens the pastor’s ability to care for the congregation. This is the apathetic nature of pastoral burnout. 

Another psychological effect of burnout transforms the pastor’s views of others. The pastor sees the congregation as making more and more demands. The pastor begins to view others as objects and not congregations. As ministry is offered when the pastor holds this view, he or she is simply going through the motions. The ministry “job” is done, there’s just no passion or feeling behind it. We call this aspect of pastoral burnout indifference. 

Ultimately, indifference and apathetic aspects of pastoral burnout result in serious questioning of one’s pastoral call. Pastors often question their calls when faced with significant challenges that culminate in burnout. This is quite normal for pastors. Some congregations and denominations implicitly reinforce this by suggesting burnout reflects some weakness or deficiency on the part of the pastor. Sometimes the pastor cannot ask the church or lay leaders for help with burnout because of the perception of weakness. And in some situations, the lay leaders are a source of pastoral burnout! 

The spiritual significance of pastoral burnout reflects its impact on purpose, caring for others, and connecting with those in need. Being a pastor fulfills the spiritual call of God to minister on God’s behalf to the world. The pastorate embodies the spiritual significance of the call. The pastoral call demonstrates its fruitfulness in the connections developed between God and the community while at the same time providing meaningful care to others. The spiritual depletion associated with the experience of burnout empties the purposefulness of the call to be a pastor while increasing apathy and indifference. 

Some first steps for pastors concerned about burnout focus on developing insight into the experience itself. There are some excellent and accessible articles available on burnout and the pastorate. We recommend starting with this one (Link Pastoral Psychology Full Text). 

Second, we have developed a helpful tool on assessing burnout and the pastorate. The tool is included here and also available on our website under resources. 

Center for Pastoral Renewal – Self Assessment for Pastoral Burnout

The following thirteen questions are meant as a self-assessment for pastors. This self-assessment is not intended for diagnostic purposes. Instead, these items are useful for pastors to reflect on their experience of burnout in ministry. If you need to discuss your scores, please contact Tom Frederick at centerforpastoralrenewal@gmail.com. 

Directions: Please indicate on a scale of 1 to 5 the frequency these items, over the past six (6) months, reflect on your experience as a pastor in ministry. A score of one means never, 2 means seldom, 3 means sometimes, 4 means frequently, and 5 means all the time. Please select N/A if the item does not apply to your experience in ministry. Scores from 55 to 65 may indicate pastoral burnout. Scores from 45 to 55 may indicate a higher level of stress as a pastor. Scores less than 30 indicate some stress, but a pastor who is not burning out. 

Question	1 = Never	2 = seldom	3 = sometimes	4 = frequently	5 = all the time	N/A = Not Applicable
I feel emotionally drained after ministering to a church member.	1 = Never	2 = seldom	3 = sometimes	4 = frequently	5 = all the time	N/A = Not Applicable
I notice that I am responding curtly to my congregation.	1 = Never	2 = seldom	3 = sometimes	4 = frequently	5 = all the time	N/A = Not Applicable
I am drained after meeting with a church member.	1 = Never	2 = seldom	3 = sometimes	4 = frequently	5 = all the time	N/A = Not Applicable
I feel spiritually depleted after engaging in church ministry.	1 = Never	2 = seldom	3 = sometimes	4 = frequently	5 = all the time	N/A = Not Applicable
I am noticing a more judgmental attitude toward my congregation.	1 = Never	2 = seldom	3 = sometimes	4 = frequently	5 = all the time	N/A = Not Applicable
I am increasingly frustrated by my congregation.	1 = Never	2 = seldom	3 = sometimes	4 = frequently	5 = all the time	N/A = Not Applicable
I am growing more and more indifferent towards the needs of my congregation.	1 = Never	2 = seldom	3 = sometimes	4 = frequently	5 = all the time	N/A = Not Applicable
Ministry is growing less and less important to me.	1 = Never	2 = seldom	3 = sometimes	4 = frequently	5 = all the time	N/A = Not Applicable
Responding to my congregation is draining to me.	1 = Never	2 = seldom	3 = sometimes	4 = frequently	5 = all the time	N/A = Not Applicable
I am exhausted after ministering to others.	1 = Never	2 = seldom	3 = sometimes	4 = frequently	5 = all the time	N/A = Not Applicable
Is it draining to work with the person(s) with oversight/authority over you?	1 = Never	2 = seldom	3 = sometimes	4 = frequently	5 = all the time	N/A = Not Applicable
I don’t feel the ministry support I need from my supervisor.	1 = Never	2 = seldom	3 = sometimes	4 = frequently	5 = all the time	N/A = Not Applicable
I feel like I am simply going through the motions in ministry.	1 = Never	2 = seldom	3 = sometimes	4 = frequently	5 = all the time	N/A = Not Applicable

Third, please share any concerns you have with safe people. You may reach out to Tom Frederick (centerforpastoralrenewal@gmail.com) at the Center for Pastoral Renewal. We would also recommend discussing your findings with a spiritual director or pastoral counselor. Getting help early is important for pastoral recovery.