Burnout Road

Jim Still-PepperThe average tenure of an adult working with youth is only 18 months. Burnout takes its toll. Are you on the road to burnout?

The Comparison Road
Roger ran a nice youth group. He had a handful of regulars, and often they brought visitors. But when the church down the street hired a new youth director, their group doubled its size. Roger took this increase as a sign that he was no longer adequate.
Successful youth ministry is not about being better than the church down the street; it is not about the number of kids you are able to reach. Whether you are successful or not depends on your honest answer to one question–"Am I effective?"

The No-Help Road
"For years it has been this way," Bob speaks cautiously. "At my church, no one else works with the young people. The adults believe that is why they pay me."
Youth ministry is not a one-person sport; it is a collaborative team effort. When you look around, are you the only person who is working hard to make the youth ministry a success?

The Too-Much-Too-Often Road
"Yes." "Yes." "Yes." "Yes." "Yes. . ." Well, you get the picture.
Even the deepest well runs dry if it is not replenished regularly. When was the last time you were ministered to? And more importantly, when someone ministers to you, do you let them, or do you quickly try to "repay" them by ministering to them? Jesus rested–Jesus was ministered to. He even allowed others to give him a ride on a donkey and place palm branches at his feet.

The Organization Route
Too much or not enough organization can put you on the wrong road. The wrong question to ask is, "How much time do you spend organizing?" The relevant question is, "How much time does your organization give you?"

The Anticipation Route
Without a vision, the Bible tells us, people perish. Laurie remembers, "I was young and ready to make things happen." But ten years later, "I can’t go on. There is nothing left for me anymore."
Paul teaches us the importance of hope in Romans 8:24-28. Laurie is not sure what will happen next, but she has planned a retreat for her youth group. The focus of that retreat is to brainstorm about the future. "We will try, leaders and youth together, to catch a vision—to gain some hope."

The Balance Route
Someone once said, "Too much of one thing is, well, too much." Imagine eating just pizza, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and midnight snack. While that might make youth drool, it would eventually lead us to dislike pizza a lot. No one benefits from our ministry if we don’t like what we are doing.
How you view your ministry has a tremendous impact on how you fight off burnout. Darren, a recovering burnout victim offers this: "There is nothing wrong with putting your ministry first. It can be your top priority, as long as there are other things that get your attention–like your family and friends." If you sacrifice all you have for your ministry, you may end up resenting your ministry and the kids who participate.

The Priorities Route
There are always competing demands. But who wins and who loses? Garrett had a membership roster of several hundred youth. But he continually felt he was letting others down, "Because I couldn’t please everybody, I then started to fear that I wasn’t pleasing anyone."
Managing your demands requires setting your priorities. Your priorities need to be focused on your overall ministry goals. Anything that does not help you meet your ministry goals is not a priority and does not require your energy and attention.
Say "no" to those things that are extras. Take your day off. Stick to your family time. Believe in your priorities. Staying with them contributes to the quality of your ministry. Ask yourself, "If I didn’t do this (whatever this is), would my ministry still be effective?"

The Recharge Route
No one does this better than Jesus did. He constantly sought quiet time, time for himself, time to be ministered to. Rand, a soft-spoken youth leader, sums it up this way: "The minister needs a minister."

The Prayer Route
Without meaningful prayer, we are not involving God in our ministry. Kelly confesses, "I was so busy leading groups, planning Bible studies, going to sporting events, visiting prospective new members, that prayer didn’t have a chance with me. If I did have time and remembered to do it, my prayers were always a quick, superficial call for help. My prayers were ineffective."
The Bible encourages us: "In everything by prayer and supplication. . ." (Philippians 4:6). For some, setting a specific time for prayer helps. For others, a more spontaneous approach works. Whatever form you do, make sure it enhances your ministry.

The Delegation Route
Stan thought it was his job to do anything anybody in the church asked him to do at anytime–"As a result the youth group rarely got my full attention. The kids knew it, and it affected the ministry. I’ve learned an important lesson: Let others shine, or my own light will grow dim."
Allowing others to help creates more opportunities, and gives you more time for other things. Besides, sometimes others will be better at something than you are!
In youth ministry, burnout not only affects you but also the very youth you care about. The intention is to give of yourself but "to not be weary of doing what is right" (2 Thessalonians 3:13). In making changes to guard against burnout, you keep your ministry strong–for the generations to come.

...leaders or not leaders...

"where are you at this point of time?"

" which route are u on now"

...there is still time to U-turn..

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