Countless thousands of former Los Angeles gang members have had their lives transformed -- in some instances, literally saved -- thanks to Homeboy Industries, the world's largest gang rehab and re-entry program. Yet ministry is not about saving the world or saving people, says the organization's founder and executive director, Father Gregory Boyle.
Ministry aimed at saving people and the world instead leads to burnout, he said."If the intent is to save people, or even to help people, then it works that way," Boyle said. "You're going to be depleted."
For Boyle, ministry is never about depletion.
"It used to be, when I used to think my job was saving lives," he said. "But now I think saving lives is for the Coast Guard.
"Our choice always is the same: save the world or savor it. And I vote for savoring it. And, just because everything is about something else, if you savor the world, somehow -- go figure -- it's getting saved."
Read more from Fr. Gregory Boyle » |
| | FROM OUR ARCHIVE: CLERGY BURNOUT |
An Alban author reflects about her research into burnout in congregations and why developing teams may help sustain vital, vibrant ministry.
Read more from Lynne Baab » |
| Is what you are experiencing actually burnout? Or could it be, wonders a Lutheran pastor, a calling to something more? Read more from Karen Minnich-Sadler » |
Beating Burnout in Congregations by Lynne M. Baab
"I can only shake my head in the face of the irony that all too often the very place where we look for life and health, the very place where we expect to nurture and deepen a loving relationship with God, can cause so many to experience the exact opposite." So remarks author Lynne Baab in this timely and discerning examination of burnout in congregations.
What is burnout? What causes congregation volunteers to burn out? Why is unpaid service sometimes life giving and other times just another frantic commitment? How can congregations become oases of peace and nurture while still carrying out their mission and ministry? How can we recognize holy moments in the presence of God if we are moving so fast that life passes by us in a blur? How can leaders make congregations healthy places to serve?
After reflecting on these important questions and dozens of interviews with congregation volunteers, Baab suggests, "We must not fear burnout; instead, we need to do a better job coming alongside people as they experience burnout, and help them figure out what they are learning."
Learn more and order the book » |
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