Burnout: Three Dimensions One Experience
Steve Vensel May 18 2010 - No Comment
As I’ve worked with and cared for pastors over the past twenty five years, one of the particularly nasty hazards is that of “burnout.” In spite of the popularity of the term, most people are unaware of the complexity of the problem and often fail to recognize it soon enough to make a difference. Burnout is a particularly sneaky assassin, and although it has the destructive force of an IED, it usually approaches from behind and strangles the love out of its victim. Yeah, that’s not a typo, it’s a love killer as well as a ministry ender.
Ministry takes place within a spiritual economy of personal sacrifice that is relationally, physically and emotionally demanding. Burnout is always directly related to the larger work environment and is always in response to relationships and stressors. There is no single cause of burnout. The research has found that (more…)
Mobbing
Steve Vensel March 23 2010 - 9 Comments
But they all cried out together, “Away with this man…” – Luke 23:18
Since this is my first blog entry, and hopefully not my last, I guess I should give a very short introduction. I’ve been a practicing counselor for 30 years; I’ve served twenty of those years in church and para-church ministries; I have always provided services to pastors and their families for no fees; Steve Brown was my pastor for many years; I am the Executive Director of PastorServe South Florida – a ministry to care, support, counsel and love on pastors; I’m also a doctoral student researching clergy stress, burnout and mobbing. Mob what?
The fact that you are reading a blog for pooped pastors means that you may well have experienced something that until fairly recently has not had a name attached to it. Its a devastating experience that often results in pastors leaving the ministry. Its called mobbing. Although this may not sound familiar, every pastor I talk too tells me they have either been mobbed or know a dozen other pastors that have experienced it.
Mobbing is (more…)
