Ep 067: Beyond Burnout: Growing a Healthy Soul, with Ian Borkent
Mar 7, 2024
auto_awesome
Pastor Ian Borkent discusses pastoral burnout, the need for congregation support, avoiding bigness obsession in churches, and the five-fold ministry gifts. They touch on Bunjee Cord Leadership, asking for help, and the discomfort of not doing everything.
Recognize early signs of burnout and prioritize emotional well-being for pastors.
Embrace the five-fold ministry model to distribute responsibilities effectively and foster a collaborative church environment.
Deep dives
The Shift Towards Secularization in Dutch Churches
The spiritual climate in the Netherlands reflects a shift from Christianization to secularization over the past few decades. While the older generation had more exposure to Christianity, the current generation is more open but less familiar with religious concepts. This shift presents both challenges and opportunities for churches in the Netherlands, as they adapt to engage with a more secular and open-minded population.
Importance of Addressing Emotional Health in Ministry
Pastors, like many individuals, often neglect their emotional well-being, leading to potential burnout. A personal experience with burnout prompted Ian Borkant to start 'Grow a Healthy Soul' to raise awareness and help leaders prevent emotional crises. Recognizing the need to connect with emotions, Ian emphasizes self-reflection, deep breathing, and journaling as tools to maintain emotional health.
Recognizing the Signs of Burnout in Ministry
Ian highlights the common challenge of distinguishing between exhaustion and burnout, emphasizing the importance of listening to physical warning signs. Ignoring early indicators can lead to heightened emotional and physical distress. By acknowledging these signs and seeking support, pastors can proactively address burnout and prioritize self-care to prevent future emotional crises.
Embracing Diverse Ministry Functions to Prevent Burnout
Shifting away from traditional hierarchical structures, Ian advocates for understanding individual ministry gifts within the five-fold model. By recognizing and prioritizing unique motivational gifts, such as apostolic and teaching roles, churches can distribute responsibilities more effectively. This approach fosters a collaborative ministry environment, minimizing dependency on a singular leader and promoting holistic church health.
Ian Borkent is a pastor in the Netherlands who walked through a season of ministry burnout and now helps pastors address this issue in their own lives through the ministry of Grow a Healthy Soul.
In this episode we’ll talk about the causes of pastoral burnout, how to avoid it, and how to recruit church members to the task of helping pastors by employing the five-fold ministry gifts.
Karl Vaters talks with Ian Borkent about how congregation members have a calling to help their pastor, including what pastors can do to let congregation members know they need their help.
They also talk about Bunjee Cord Leadership, plus the importance of simply asking for help, and working through the discomfort of not doing everything.