The first is an article from David Yearick, Dealing with Personal Burnout in Ministry. He has pulled great insight and information together all in one article. With 39 years experience pastoring behind him when he wrote this article, he has something to say.
http://www.crosswalk.com/pastors/11554195/
The second is an article titled Start a Christian Coaching Ministry by Dr. Tom Cocklereece. It deals with introducing coaching to your church. While it may not be the direct purpose of his article, three things strike me as relevant to dealing with burnout in ministry leaders.
- Establish a budget - Absolutely necessary. Put aside the dollars to provide for coaching senior staff especially. Avoiding burn0ut in the first place is money well invested. Don't wait until a leader runs into trouble and then dump them. Make leadership coaching a part of your strategic culture. And remember, this is an investment in the future of your church. It is not like buying a new stove for the church kitchen. Budget more. Your investment will be returned many fold.
- Provide coaching for ministry staff - I emphasize the senior leadership be coached by a professional coach. This means that those who lead will benefit personally and professionally from coaching. This is where trained, professional, external coaching is valuable. They hold no vested interest in your organization and can coach objectively. The senior leadership can speak openly and strategize privately and confidentially.
- Provide Christian executive coaching to business people in the church - Emphasize the value of coaching to marketplace leaders. This is not the time for the pastor to be territorial. Point these people to professional leadership and executive coaching. The church doesn't have to pay for it, but can certainly promote it. Again, the benefit will be felt.
For Tom's full and practical article on introducing coaching to your church.
http://www.renovacoaching.com/files/Start_a_Christian_Coaching_Ministry.pdf
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