Coping with Pastoral Burnout using the Jesus Prayer

We have focused more recently on the causes and experiences associated with burnout at the Center for Pastoral Renewal. Now we want to begin by offering some concrete suggestions for dealing with it. There are two main aspects to dealing with job stressors and burnout. First, there are acute ways for coping with job stress. Acute means that these are more short-term in focus and duration. That is, short-term strategies are useful in the immediate experience of burnout. These approaches aid pastors in managing the intense and immediate experiences of stress and burnout while in the moment they occur. 

The second aspect of coping with stressors and burnout related to the pastorate are focused on long-term strategies. These strategies are used daily as part of one’s reflective spiritual practices that foster a character capable of dealing with pastoral burnout. These more chronic or devotional spiritual practices are crucial for developing the spiritual characteristics needed to absorb those immediate experiences of stress and burnout in the grind of ministry while cultivating the calling needed to remain in ministry. 

Both of these types of strategies are useful for pastors dealing with immediate job-related stressors as well as coping with burnout. In our experience, having a toolbox with both the long-term and acute strategies provide the resources needed when trying to prevent burnout as well as cope with its effects. We will describe in future blogs more long-term spiritual strategies like lectio divina and the daily examen, but for now, we will describe using the Jesus Prayer and focus on breathing. 

The Jesus Prayer is an ancient spiritual practice coming out of the Christian contemplative tradition. The simple Jesus Prayer is as follows: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” John Michael Talbot, in his book, The Jesus Prayer: A Cry for Mercy, A Path of Renewal, describes the practice of connecting the breath with the prayer: “Breathing in fills us up, and breathing out empties us. Breathing in causes us to hold on, and breathing out causes us to let go” (p. 17). By connecting “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God” with inhaling, one experiences the breath (or spirit, in biblical terminology). Via the prayer, we are able to focus on the breath as spirit, especially the Holy Spirit empowering and comforting in the moment. Exhaling on the phrase “have mercy on me, a sinner” allows for the release of guilt, shame, stress, and anxiety. Recent research suggests that practicing the Jesus Prayer positively impacts mood. The Jesus Prayer rekindles one’s connection to God through attending to one’s breath or spirit (pneuma in the New Testament; see John 3:8). 

The Jesus Prayer – A Sample Practice

When a pastor notices stress is increasing, one way to use the Jesus Prayer is to focus on the breath silently and intentionally. 

• The first step is increasing awareness to one’s rate of breathing. Some reflection questions for this: How fast am I breathing right now? Why am I breathing so fast (What is happening in this moment)? 
• Begin repeating the Jesus Prayer silently: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. 
• Next: Intentionally breath with the Jesus Prayer. On the inhale, silently say, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me. On the exhale, silently say, have mercy on me, a sinner. 
• Do this for several moments or up to three minutes focusing on slowing the breath to align with the prayer. 

This practice is very useful in the moment, and others don’t even have to know that this practice is being used. In particularly intense situations, stepping away from the moment may aid the pastor in engaging this practice for a couple minutes and then returning to address the situation that created the stress. The earlier in the stress process this is used to refocus on one’s breath, the better it will be to manage the stress. 

Feel free to connect with Tom (centerforpastoralrenewal@gmail.com) regarding this practice and the research associated with it.