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ABSTRACT
The risk of burnout in pastoral ministry is more than a myth! A number of empirical studies have concluded that like other helping professionals, Christian ministers in pastoral roles are at risk of burnout. We have consequently seen an intensification of clergy burnout discourse in the last three decades. However, much of the existing literature on clergy burnout is presented through the lens of burnout psychology with little or no reference to Scripture. This article takes a practical theological approach and traces pastoral ministry associated stress and risk of burnout to Moses' experiences in Exodus18:13-27 and Numbers 11:11-17 using a burnout theoretical framework. The author illustrates that Moses was both anointed and human—and was therefore predisposed to the risk of ministry-associated stress and burnout. Drawing from Yahweh's intervention in Moses situation, the article concludes by demonstrating that Yahweh is the architect of the principle of self-care in pastoral ministry.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1 Cole, New American Commentary Volume 3B.
2 Informal phrase for suffering an emotional breakdown under pressure.
3 Ben-Hur and Jonsen, “Ethical Leadership.”
4 Landis, Hill and Harvey, “Synthesis of Leadership Theories and Styles”; Wolak, Religion and Contemporary Management.
5 Maslach and Leiter, “Understanding the Burnout Experience.”
6 Swinton and Mowat, Practical Theology.
7 Harrison, “Moses Definition and Meaning.”
8 Ganzevoort and Roeland, “The Praxis of Practical Theology”; Miller-McLemore, The Willey-Blackwell.
9 Miller-McLemore, The Wiley-Blackwall, 269–78; Mclendon, “Current Issues in Pastoral Theology.”
10 Mclendon, “Current Issues in Pastoral Theology,” 1–8.
11 Barbara J. McClure, “Pastoral Care,” 269.
12 Lartey, Pastoral Theology, 3.
13 Lapsley, “On Defining Pastoral Theology.”
14 Sanders, “Pastoral Theology and Corpse Care.”
15 Patton, From Ministry to Theology; Lynch and Pattison, “Pastoral and Practical Theology”, 408–26.
16 Bruce Rogers-Vaughn, “Powers and Principalities”; Ryan LaMothe, “The Least of These.”
17 Lynch and Pattison, “Pastoral and Practical Theology”, 410.
18 Cahalan and Mikoski, Opening the Field of Practical Theology.
19 Swinton and Mowat, Practical Theology; Ward, Introducing Practical Theology.
20 Swinton and Mowat, Practical Theology; Ward, Introducing Practical Theology.
21 Miller-McLemore, The Willey-Blackwell, 5.
22 Ballard, “Bible in Theological Reflection.”
23 World Health Organization International, “Burn-out an Occupational Phenomenon.”
24 Sanford, Ministry Burnout; London and Wiseman, Pastors at Greater Risk.
25 Chandler, “Pastoral Burnout.”
26 Edelwich and Brodsky, Burn-out: Stages of Disillusionment, 166.
27 Freudenberger and Richelson, High Cost of High Achievement.
28 Malakh-Pines and Aronson, Career Burnout, 11–13.
29 Brill, “Need for an Operational Definition.”
30 Demerouti and Bakker, The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory.
31 Freudenberger, “Staff Burn-Out”; Maslach, “Client Role in Staff Burn-Out”; Cherniss, Staff Burnout; Weber and Jaekel-Reinhard, “Burnout Syndrome”; Maslach and Leiter, “Early Predictors.”
32 Freudenberger, “Staff Burn-Out,”159–165.
33 Maslach, “The Client Role,” 111–24.
34 See also Maslach and Leiter, “Early Predictors,”498–512; Montero-Marín et al., “A New Definition”; Weber and Jaekel-Reinhard, “Burnout Syndrome.”
35 Montero-Marín et al., “A New Definition.”
36 Samushonga, “Exploring the Correlation.”
37 Maslach and Leiter, “Understanding the Burnout Experience.”
38 Maslach and Jackson, “Measurement of Experienced Burnout”; Maslach, Schaufeli and Leiter, “Job Burnout.”
39 Brenninkmeijer and Van Yperen, “How to Conduct Research.”
40 Francis et al., “Assessing Emotional Exhaustion”; Joseph et al., “Relationship Between Personality, Burnout, and Engagement”; Durkee-Lloyd, “Relationship Between Work-related Psychological Health.”
41 Francis and Crea, “Work-related Psychological Health.”
42 Joseph et al., “Relationship Between Personality,” 276–88; Francis and Crea, “Happiness Matters.”
43 Fichter, “The Myth of Clergy Burnout.”
44 Samushonga, “Exploring the Correlation,” 3.
45 Francis, Laycock and Brewster, “Work-Related Psychological Wellbeing”; Francis and Crea, “Happiness Matters.”
46 Warner and Carter, “Loneliness, Marital Adjustment.”
47 Rodgerson and Piedmont, “Assessing the Incremental Validity.”
48 Golden et al., “Spirituality and Burnout.”
49 Chandler, “Pastoral Burnout.”
50 Küçüksüleymanoğlu, “Occupational Burnout Levels.”
51 Crea and Francis, “Professional Burnout among Catholic Religious Sisters.”
52 Adams et al., “Clergy Burnout.”
53 Francis, Laycock and Brewster, “Work-Related Psychological Wellbeing.”
54 Francis et al., “Happy but Exhausted?”; Francis and Crea, “Happiness Matters.”
55 Francis et al., “Happy but Exhausted?” 101–20.
56 Francis and Crea, “Happiness Matters.”
57 Henry, Mathew Henry’s Concise Commentary, 99.
58 Chandler, “Pastoral Burnout.”
59 Black and Rowley, Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 225.
60 Brenninkmeijer and Van Yperen, “How to Conduct Research.”
61 Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament.
62 Brueggemann, “The Book of Exodus.”
63 Mental breakdown.
64 Black and Rowley, Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 226.
65 Henry, Mathew Henry’s Concise Commentary, 1999.
66 Mainelli, “Numbers,” 166.
67 Stubbs, Numbers.
68 Sommer, “Reflecting on Moses.”
69 Sommer, “Reflecting on Moses,” 611.
70 Maslach and Jackson, “Burnout in Organization Settings.”
71 Maslach and Leiter, “Understanding the Burnout Experience.”
72 Sommer, “Reflecting on Moses,” 611.
73 Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament.
74 Ziguras, Self-care Embodiment, 3.
75 Patton, “Some Theological Reflections.”
76 Oswald, Clergy Self-Care.
77 Gates, “Self-Care: A Christian Perspective.”
78 Anderson, A Theology of Personal Empowerment; Gates, “Self-Care: A Christian Perspective”; Leanna K. Fuller, “In Defense of Self-Care.”
79 Fuller, “In Defense of Self-Care,” 5–21.
80 Patrick, “Christian Living.”
81 Rubin, Compassion and Self Hate, 39.
82 Patrick, “Christian Living.”
83 Bledsoe and Setterlund, “Thriving in Ministry.”
84 Miller-McLemore, Revaluing Self-care.
85 Steinborn and Huestegge, “A Walk Down the Lane Gives Wings.”
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Hartness M. Samushonga
Hartness M. Samushonga is a ministry practitioner, practical theologian and ministry consultant with many years of ministry and corporate leadership and management experience. His academic interests include: leadership and management, pastoral ministry, bivocational ministry, burnout, diaspora missiology and multi-cultural ministry. Hartness is a church-planter and founder of Bivo Support UK, an organisation that provides bivocational ministry focused training and undertakes research in collaboration with other practitioners and academics around the globe.