My church needs volunteers. But burnout is real, and I won’t make the same mistake again

It took me a while to admit that I’d burned out at church.

Mid-way through the pandemic, I left the congregation I’d belonged to for over 40 years because I needed to escape.

Exiting completely and transferring to another congregation was the easiest way to resign from all the voluntary roles I’d taken on in addition to a pretty full set of involuntary commitments.

For a long time, I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to say I was emotionally and mentally exhausted. Wasn’t burnout limited to clergy? It’s common for them to take sabbaticals, as it’s almost expected that they’ll feel overwhelmed by it all. It’s a tough gig, ploughing on, hoping it’s God’s plan but perhaps not seeing the fruit of their labours (until the next life).

I wasn’t a preacher ministering to an anxious flock during a global emergency, simultaneously negotiating government restrictions and deciding whether or not to have virtual communion. I was just a mother of four children with a full-time job, elderly, vulnerable parents and 77 women on WhatsApp who were obsessed with praying emojis and needing soothed with nightly devotions and twice-weekly Zooms.

many churches are reporting that people do not want to step up to serve

Turns out, there may be 50 ways to leave your lover but none when it comes to leaving a collection of church ladies… well, not if you are the admin. Basically, that online community would collapse without me. I needed someone to take over and give me a break - except no one wanted to take over anything at that stage.

We’re four years on from the start of the pandemic, yet many churches are reporting that people do not want to step up to serve.

Sunday church attendance is below pre-pandemic levels in many denominations. There’s a severe lack of leaders for ministries which operate during the week. Some people just aren’t coming back. And those who are want to worship God rather than scour Pinterest for craft ideas or sit on a committee that starts at 8pm in the dead of winter.

A treasurer, helpers for the soup club, people with technical skills for the sound desk, tenors for the choir. The requests keep coming thick and fast. The announcement sheets are full of them. It takes willpower to ignore them.

For many, covid was an excellent get-out clause. If the ‘Great Resignation’ meant quitting jobs to find a better work/life balance, then why not extend the principle to church too? Having extracted themselves from the demands of constantly serving, many are frightened of recommitting in case it happens all over again. They don’t want to risk burning out in the pews.

Churches do not operate like any other organisation. There is no such thing as a four-year fixed term, a union, succession planning, coaching or a nice person in HR to turn to for advice. Employment practices are non-existent. Once you’re in, you’re in and why are you complaining? You get the summer off! 

So how can churches get leaders back and prevent them burning out? It could be as simple as allowing people to say no.

If you’re a church-goer being asked to step up and serve, then consider these questions about guilt, gaps and gifts.

Am I feeling guilty or being called? - A good way to know is to ask yourself, does my heart sink when I think about taking on this task?

Am I filling a gap or fulfilling a need? - It’s important to check if this is a legacy activity or something a church has evaluated and must deliver.

Am I just grafting or using my gifts? - Often churches need bodies and pulses rather than specific skilled individuals. It’s essential to recognise the difference.

Those who serve from guilt do not have the right motivation. Those who fill gaps do not have the right inspiration. Those who don’t get the chance to use their gifts never get to discover the unique and valuable part they play in God’s kingdom. All will eventually burn out.

Frederick Buechner probably understood best how to avoid burnout in the pews when he said, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet”.