Nothing breaks my heart like hearing from a pastor who is staring down the barrel of a bad case of burnout.

And unfortunately, it seems like there are more and more of them these days.

In fact, not long ago I read a New York Times article that declared…

“Members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension and depression at rates higher than most Americans. In the last decade, their use of antidepressants has risen, while their life expectancy has fallen. Many would change jobs if they could.”

This article bothered me tremendously – mainly because I KNOW it’s true!

In fact, I’d be hard-pressed to find a room large enough to seat all of the pastors I’ve talked to over the last few years who shared a similarly negative experience.

Here are a few statistics I found at a website called “Pastor Burnout” (just the fact that there’s a website about this should be a red flag):

• 13% of active pastors are divorced.
• 25% of pastors’ wives see their husband’s work schedule as a source of conflict.
• 33% felt burned out within their first five years of ministry.
• 33% say that being in ministry is an outright hazard to their family.
• 40% of pastors and 47% of spouses are suffering from burnout, frantic schedules, and/or unrealistic expectations.
• 45% of pastors’ wives say the greatest danger to them and their family is physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual burnout.
• 45% of pastors say that they’ve experienced depression orburnout to the extent that they needed to take a leave of absence from ministry.
• 50% feel unable to meet the needs of the job.
• 52% of pastors say they and their spouses believe that being in pastoral ministry is hazardous to their family’s well-being and health.
• 57% would leave the pastorate if they had somewhere else to go or some other vocation they could do.
• 75% report severe stress causing anguish, worry, bewilderment, anger, depression, fear, and alienation.
• 80% of pastors say they have insufficient time with their spouse.
• 80% believe that pastoral ministry affects their families negatively.
• 1,500 pastors leave their ministries each month due to burnout, conflict, or moral failure.
• Doctors, lawyers and clergy have the most problems with drug abuse, alcoholism and suicide.

How can this be?

As church leaders, you and I have the unique opportunity to cooperate with God to transform people’s lives and make a difference for eternity…

So why are you so tired, stressed and unfulfilled?

God never promised that ministry would be easy, but you probably didn’t think it would be miserable either!

What if I told you that your obedience to one specific Biblical command holds the key to reduced stress, increased efficiency and renewed enjoyment of your life and ministry?

Over the years, working with thousands of pastors, I’ve uncovered one recurring sin issue in those who are on the brink of depression, burnout and/or ministry failure:

They are disobedient to God’s command to honor the Sabbath!

Whether it’s a prideful choice or by misunderstanding, the sin of breaking the Sabbath has painful consequences to you, your family, your church and your contribution to God’s Kingdom.

I want to help you get back on track toward health and obedience this week by giving you HALF OFF my resource, “The Power of the Sabbath.”

In this three-hour resource, you’ll learn:

• The key to lowering your stress level
• How honoring the Sabbath will increase your ministry efficiency and effectiveness
• Why your current weekly routine may be stealing your joy in life and ministry
• The true, Biblical definition of the Sabbath (and the misconceptions that keep us from obedience)
• The surprising truth about accomplishing more by doing less
• The three approaches to the work week and God’s arithmetic for maximum fruitfulness
• One surefire tactic to help you overcome physical and mental burnout
• How to protect your body and succeed in ministry for the long haul
• Why your current “day off” fails to fully recharge you for the week ahead
• How your obedience on the Sabbath prepares you to experience God’s blessing in your life
• …And much more!

Overall, the goal of this resource is to help you avoid becoming a statistic!

And this week only…

Click here to download your copy of “The Power of the Sabbath” for HALF OFF
(this is a private link for blog readers only)

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.