Warding Off Weariness in Well-Doing

By Marci Wilson-Boggs

For those of you who may have had the distinct privilege of growing up with the King James version of the Bible (I'm writing this with only a slight sly smile), you may recognize the headline taken from Galatians 6:9 or II Thessalonians 3:13. We are warned not to be “weary in well doing...” Whenever I read these passages now, I think about how easy it is to fall into burnout as a member of the clergy or a church worker (whether paid or volunteer). The 80/20 rule is very real in church settings, and that helpful, caring 20% of people can feel overwhelmed and under appreciated with all that goes on to re-open our church facilities and possibly also enable online worship resources for parishioners who may be hesitant to reassemble in person.

These three modest reminders have helped me to think twice before allowing ministry to slide into a grind and enabling exhaustion and frustration to lead to clergy/ministry or non-profit burnout.

Volunteers are not always going to do things the way you would.

Let go of the smaller tasks. When we frequently resort to the thought, “I'll just do it myself, rather than asking anyone for help,” we deny others the opportunity to contribute to the work of the ministry. Allow people to pitch in and assist with tasks, rather than thinking it would take too long to teach them to do it the way you would.

Ministries are collective, not a singular experience.

If one person becomes so important that any church gathering or worship service cannot be held without them, there is a problem. Now, I'm not saying that leadership is not a fundamentally important part of a church, but when one person is elevated to “sole controller of everything,” there is a danger of over-dependence on that leader, which can easily lead to burnout quickly.

Completely Let Go of, “That's the way we've always done it...”

Tradition has its place in ministry, and rituals can be meaningful and bring a feeling of sacredness to worship gatherings. However, lack of flexibility and holding on to processes and activities that have outlived their usefulness can bring a lot of weariness to people who would like to bring new ideas and energy to the church. While we are in this transitional period of regathering, re-examining our ministries and Re-Shaping our identities as Christ-followers, we must let go of old, tired, ineffective ways of being church.

I hope these three reminders will help you as you grow and develop in ministry and service to the One who promises we will reap if we do not faint. I take that to mean in this day and age: Avoid the risks of burnout by building strong relationships in this new era of return to God's holy work.