Dec
15
2010

Surviving Church Burn Out: Everything Isn’t Terrible

An article by Ed

I tried to avoid the word “never” when I spoke about my future in the church. I knew I couldn’t return to the same kind of church and ministry that I’d come from, but I also knew that church did many things well. There were a lot of good people seeking God, and I couldn’t overlook that.

Everything wasn’t terrible.

The same is true for just about every other church out there. We may pick apart the service, the wastes of money and time, and the poor management of volunteers, but many churches are filled with good people who desire to worship God and serve others in community.

I’m thankful for that, even if the system itself is deeply flawed sometimes.

Though we’d always had some kind of small group or prayer group to meet with during the years following my burn out, I took my first tentative steps back into a more organized church through the large old doors of the Episcopal church in our small Vermont town.

Though the sermons didn’t teach me much more than Larry the Cucumber’s one-line lessons on Veggie Tales, I found a meaningful space to worship God with others. I was forced to stop, to wait, to pray, and to prepare myself to receive communion.

We weren’t quite regular, but I began to rethink church and my place in it. Though I had some legitimate reasons to be wary of church, I began to look at its dynamics, virtues, and faults with fresh eyes. Here’s what I saw:

Not Every Church is Dysfunctional

Some churches are healthier than others, and there usually are good things going on in even the most unhealthy churches. However, when you gather a bunch of people together and form an organization, problems will emerge because everyone has an opinion about the color of the carpet, the length of the sermon, or the places we should serve.

Not Every Church-Attendee is Unsympathetic

As I shared my own story and struggles, I met many other Christians who have seen the same problems with the church. Some of them had to get out, while others worked within trying to make it better.

At the beginning of my crash, I didn’t realize there were so many sympathetic folks right in the church. Mind you, there were plenty in the church machine up to their necks who couldn’t reconcile themselves to my distance from the church. However, I met many church-attending Christians who were willing to walk with me during my time of healing and restoration.

God is in the Resurrection Business

While I couldn’t see myself returning to regular church attendance, God has gently guided me back to meaningful Christian community over the years. It has been a process, and I trust it will be different from everyone. So much depends on the kinds of churches in your area.

However, God can change us and the people around us. Don’t give up. He can heal our weariness, pain, and frustration. If you don’t have a physical group of Christians to encourage you, I encourage you to continue asking God to lead you to the right people at the right time.

Don’t Give Up

It was hard to confront my doubts about the church, walk down the red carpet of the Episcopal church, and settle into a cold wooden pew. I was uncomfortable, critical, and a little confused. However, as I tried to sort out the parts of church that I could hold onto, I found that God still had a plan for me in a Christian community.

When God is able to work in the lives of people, miracles can happen. He can heal you, me, and even our communities.