Burnout.  That’s a word that is heard far too often in ministry.  I believe it’s a word that should and can be eliminated with the right steps.  I believe that the most important step is to equip and raise up people to be able to do the same work that you have been doing.  This way, more people share the workload, the work goes on if you disappear, and the work isn’t centered around you but around the ministry.

Unfortunately, there are several reasons why we’re afraid or unwilling to take this steps.  Today we’ll deal with the reasons:

• We’re selfish.  Let’s face it.  In every one of us there is a part that wants recognition.  Even a pastor I know said that he deals with wanting to be recognized very often.  How do we deal with this?
• We’re afraid.  What will happen if I’m not in control of this ministry?  What happens if the person I’m trying to raise up fails miserably?  What if….?  How do we get rid of the what if’s?
• We don’t know how.  We may think we are “leaders,” but the only leading we’re really doing is getting people to follow us.  We’re neglecting to teach, train, equip and get people to lead after us.  Leaders create leaders, not followers.
• We don’t have the right people in which to pass on leadership.  This one is tricky.  It seems like it’s beyond our control.  But have we prayed to God to bring us the right person?

I’ve dealt with all of these reasons in my own life and it’s just recently that God has been leading me through other leaders to do things differently.  As Paul is writing to Timothy in his second letter addressed to the young pastor, he says this,

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

Paul is passing on the mantle to Timothy to pass on to those he ministers to.  Moses passed on the mantle to Joshua.  Elijah to Elisha.  Jesus to the disciples.  That is what we’re to do as well.  We’ll spend the rest of the week answering the questions of why we don’t want to do this, dealing with why we need to, how to change our attitudes, and how to practically do these things.

I was very, very fascinated by this post at Church Relevance today.  (Thanks for giving the heads up!)  The thing that intrigued me most was what the atheist in the book had to say about the churches that he visited, in particular, this thought:

What does the way Christianity is practiced today have anything to do with the handful of words and deeds uttered by a man who walked the earth two thousand years ago?

Wow.  If those who we are so desperately trying to reach see an inconsistency about how we live and what we believe, we need to start really thinking about how we live.

It was also interesting to hear the thoughts about how the super-polished music and media didn’t do much for him, even distracted him a bit.  I’m all for excellency in everything you do in the church, but excellency is different than perfectionism.

I’m definitely going to have to check this book out.