Sample Chapters

Introduction

And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, ‘I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.’

The Flame That Inspires, Not Consumes

There is a fire that calls us—a divine flame igniting our passion for ministry, which, if left unchecked, threatens to reduce us to mere ashes. In Exodus 3:2, we read how Moses encountered a burning bush. This image lies at the very heart of our journey. The bush burned with an intensity that drew Moses near, yet its leaves remained green and its purpose intact. It provided both light and heat without being consumed. Similarly, our calling to ministry is meant to be a sustaining fire—bright and fervent, drawing others toward the light of Christ, yet never so overwhelming that it destroys our very essence.

I pray that in the pages that follow, you will discover how the divine flame of ministry can be maintained without being consumed by the fire. We embark on this journey with the understanding that, like Moses, we are called to be “on fire” in our calling, letting our light shine forth without being consumed by the burdens of our labor.

Ministry is a calling like no other. It is sacred work—demanding yet deeply fulfilling, exhausting yet profoundly rewarding. However, those called to serve often find themselves burning out, drained by the very fire that once fueled them. “Burning But Not Consumed: Rekindling the Fire of  Your Calling” is an invitation to reflect, reorient, and reconnect with the passion that initially drew you into ministry. It is not just a book; it is a guide, a conversation, and, above all, a call to realign with the sustaining presence of God. This book is for pastors, ministry leaders, and anyone involved in spiritual service who has ever felt the weight of burnout pressing in. If you have encountered creeping exhaustion, emotional drain, or spiritual numbness that can come with prolonged ministry, you are not alone. Ministry burnout is not a sign of weakness; rather, it is a signal that something needs to be reconnected. The good news is that burnout is not the end of the road; it is an opportunity for renewal.

Throughout this book, we will explore the biblical, theological, and practical foundations of sustaining ministry without being consumed by it. The journey begins with an honest look at the dangers of overextending oneself in ministry, drawing wisdom from Moses, who was warned by his father-in-law, Jethro, against carrying the burden of leadership alone. It continues by examining the dangers of strange fire—the type of ministry fueled by human effort rather than divine sustenance. We will consider the signs of burnout, the factors that contribute to it, and how misunderstanding our calling, work, and rest can lead to spiritual exhaustion. As you read, you will be encouraged to rethink your theology of work and Sabbath. Ministry is a marathon, not a sprint, and God’s design for work has always included rhythms of rest. Too often, ministry leaders take pride in overworking, believing that sacrifice and exhaustion are marks of faithfulness. But the truth is, God does not call us to burn out for Him; He calls us to be sustained by Him. The fire of ministry should refine and illuminate, not destroy. Like the burning bush Moses encountered, our calling should be ablaze with divine presence, yet never consumed.

The heart of this book centers on reorientation and reconnection: reorienting your understanding of calling, work, and rest, and reconnecting with God, yourself, and others in ministry. You will be encouraged to develop sustainable spiritual practices, including meditative prayer, Sabbath-keeping, and peer support through what I term a “Fellowship of the Cross.” You will discover how to reignite the flame of your calling when you begin to question it, cultivate resilience, and maintain an eschatological hope that anchors you through every challenge. Each chapter should be read reflectively, allowing space for personal examination. You will find biblical examples from the English Standard Version (ESV) woven throughout, drawing from figures such as Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, Paul, and Jesus Himself, who modeled resilience in ministry. Additionally, insights from contemporary leaders and research on ministry burnout will provide practical guidance for navigating the unique challenges of spiritual leadership. This book is best read in a group. Ministry is never meant to be a solo endeavor, nor is reconnecting to your calling. Consider reading this with a peer group or discussing it with fellow ministry leaders. Healing occurs within a community, and resilience is reinforced through shared experiences.

Most importantly, read this book with an open heart. Some truths expressed in this book may challenge long-held beliefs about work and ministry. Others may affirm what you already know but have struggled to put into practice. Regardless of where you are in your journey—whether just beginning, in a long season of service, or contemplating whether to continue—this book reminds you that you were never meant to carry the burden of ministry alone. You were never called to burn out; you were called to burn on. Let this book be a guide to rediscovering the joy, purpose, and sustainability of your calling. As you embark on this journey, may you find renewed strength, rekindled passion, and the assurance that the One who called you is faithful to sustain you.

Chapter 1: Burning On and Burning Out

Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. — Exodus 18:17-18

Moses is one of the most recognizable figures in biblical literature. His prophetic ministry and pastoral leadership serve as models for teaching and leading a congregation. One might say that Moses led a megachurch of two million for forty years. Like today’s pastors, he mediated disputes, proclaimed God’s word to His people, engaged in building projects, moved the congregation, performed intercessory prayers, and, as evident in Psalm 90, presided over funerals while providing comfort to those grieving their loss. However, a critical moment in Moses’ pastoral ministry occurred about three months into his new church plant. In Exodus 18:17-18, Moses was in the wilderness with the Israelites, adjudicating their disputes from morning to night. His father-in-law, Jethro, observed what Moses was doing and advised him that the way he was leading was not good for him or the people.

Jethro sees immediately that Moses is committed to an unworkable practice. Moses cannot handle the heavy docket. We do not know whether Moses is so concerned with control that he wants to handle all the cases himself or if he is unreflective and has never thought about a more workable, practical system. Moses seems not to have much common sense about administrative matters. But then, such dominating figures often do not. Jethro fears for Moses that he will “burn out”; Jethro’s solution is that Moses must learn to delegate.¹

Moses’ encounter with the burning bush (Exodus 3:2) remains one of the most vivid images of divine call and sustaining power. There, amid a blaze that sparked awe yet left the bush intact, God revealed a truth to Moses: He was to be on fire for His calling without being reduced to ashes. Like that sacred flame, our ministry is meant to be intense and inspiring, a fire that draws people to God, but it should not consume us. In our modern context, pastors are called to lead large, dynamic congregations, mediate conflicts, comfort the grieving, and shepherd diverse communities. Yet, as we see in Moses’ own experience with overwhelming administrative burdens, the fire of ministry can reduce us to ashes if we do not learn to delegate and protect our inner flame. When we ignore the rhythm of rest and work, failing to balance our calling with self-care, our passion can lead to burnout and a disconnect from our sense of calling. When our fire burns too fiercely, it consumes that which makes it life-giving.

Before working in full-time ministry, I was bi-vocational, meaning that while serving part-time at the church, I also worked full-time at a copier company in Dallas, Texas. I was a technician for several years before being promoted to a mid-level management position. It was the early 1990s, the industry was growing rapidly, and the company grew along with it. Color print technology had become available without the need for an expensive printing press. I worked long hours and occasionally on weekends. There were times when, as a technician, I was on-call, meaning that if someone needed service after normal business hours, they could call a service line and I would answer and repair their equipment. This encroached on my personal time during weekends. However, I was additionally compensated for working on-call hours. I was promoted to supervisor and then, shortly thereafter, to service manager. As the service manager, I no longer had to be on-call, but as long as one of my employees was working, I was working. However, being a technician was more rewarding than being a manager. As a technician, I received immediate rewards for my labor. When I arrived, the equipment was broken; by the time I left (most of the time), it was working. There’s something to be said about working with your hands and witnessing the benefits of your labor. It provides instant gratification. In contrast, as a manager, I made daily decisions, but I wouldn’t see the results on the profit and loss statement for several months or sometimes longer. This is one of the challenges of middle management in Corporate America. The pay is better, but the tangible reward of feeling like you’re making a difference is, at best, delayed if it’s noticed at all. I was passionate about what I did because I saw my efforts lead to my advancement in the company. I was promoted three times in two years. My salary doubled, I had a company car, an expense account, bonuses, and I earned a company-sponsored vacation annually for meeting the goals set for my teams. I felt I was good at what I was doing and took pride in my work. I was on fire for the company.

I answered my call to the ministry in 1995 and began serving at my church as a preacher and teacher of biblical studies. I attended funerals, made hospital visits, and performed wedding ceremonies and baby dedications. I viewed ministry as a way to connect with God and humanity after a week in the corporate world. The two provided a necessary balance in my life. As exhausting as my secular job was, serving in the ministry replenished what the corporate world had depleted. Serving in ministry made me a better employee, allowing me to enjoy a comfortable life. I was burning the candle at both ends, working at my job and in church. I was passionate about the company and the ministry.

There is nothing quite like the excitement of having a passion for your profession. It is a beautiful thing when your profession is where passion, purpose, and pay are in divine synchronicity, and you experience a life equilibrium or what Brueggemann refers to as being “securely oriented” in work, life, and calling.² You feel you are making a difference, being rewarded for your hard work, being recognized for your efforts, and being compensated fairly for your contributions. I have friends in nursing who share how they graduated from nursing school, ready to save the world. Others in law enforcement graduated from the academy with a desire to protect and serve, fueled by a passion for their work. I also have friends who graduated from seminary and entered full-time ministry, serving at a church or religious nonprofit organization. Some leave the seminary with the goal of working for companies that provide services such as technology, finance, and legal support to churches and non-profit organizations. They all began with passion and an unbridled belief that anything is possible. Every day, we wake up to make a difference in the lives of others. We may feel physically exhausted at times, but we experience a strong sense of personal accomplishment. We are driven, and our passion ignites within us, showing outwardly, yet we are not overwhelmed by it.

When the Flame Begins to Flicker

There is a rhythm of life that allows us to work, rest, and play without feeling depleted from work, restless while resting, or guilty while engaging in recreational activities. It is a delicate balance that tips when work fails to yield the expected reward. This imbalance occurs gradually; one thing leads to another, and before long, everything feels different, and our disposition shifts because labor no longer produces the anticipated outcomes.

In 2002, a change in leadership at my job with the copier company transformed the company culture. My responsibilities changed, my workload shifted, and I no longer felt a sense of personal accomplishment. This marked the start of the winds of change that caused my flame to flicker. When our sense of personal accomplishment diminishes, we begin to tread the path towards burnout. Personal accomplishment is crucial, as it is one of the key factors in burnout and a disconnection from our calling.

The Maslach Burnout Inventory – Human Service Survey (MBI-HSS) is a tool designed to assess burnout among individuals working in human service fields, such as healthcare, social work, ministry, and education. Developed by Christina Maslach and Susan E. Jackson, it is part of the broader Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) series, which is widely acknowledged in the study and measurement of occupational burnout. It addresses three key dimensions of burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization (or cynicism), and reduced personal accomplishment. These dimensions are interconnected and cyclically influence one another. Emotional exhaustion typically emerges first, characterized by overwhelming fatigue and emotional depletion resulting from constant work demands. As this exhaustion intensifies, individuals begin to detach emotionally, leading to depersonalization, in which they develop cynical attitudes toward colleagues or clients and become less empathetic.

I recall a time in ministry when we had a series of funerals in rapid succession. I was sitting in a church van with other ministers, waiting for the curator of the veterans’ cemetery to escort us to the designated location for the interment services. The person had passed away weeks earlier, and this was the earliest the cemetery could accommodate the burial. I distinctly remember looking at the hearse in front of us, thinking to myself, “Who is this again we are burying?” I had attended so many funerals that I lost track of the families I was there to serve. I did not know it at the time, but this marked the beginning of detachment. I have seen ministers fall asleep during funerals and take phone calls during hospital visits. When you talk to them, their disposition screams “Go away,” although their mouths say, “Come on in.” This detachment, in turn, diminishes engagement and exacerbates exhaustion. The combination of increased emotional exhaustion and depersonalization leads to compassion fatigue. It is a common condition among caregivers, healthcare workers, and other helping professions, such as social workers, first responders, counselors, and therapists. It occurs when someone becomes emotionally drained from constantly empathizing with the pain of others, and as a coping mechanism, they begin to emotionally distance themselves. When this happens, the caregiver may find they are not present, even in the company of those they are serving. You are there, but you are thinking about the next thing. As emotional exhaustion and depersonalization take hold, individuals may feel ineffective and inadequate in their roles, leading to a diminished sense of personal accomplishment. This feeling of reduced competence then further fuels emotional exhaustion, creating a negative cycle where each dimension amplifies the others, deepening the overall detachment. I was emotionally exhausted from working in Corporate America, yet I maintained a strong sense of personal accomplishment while serving in the ministry, which kept me from becoming disengaged by a heightened sense of depersonalization. This high sense of personal accomplishment prevented me from being detached. However, this changed as circumstances at work evolved. I was on a path to burnout, but I didn’t recognize the signs or symptoms and, therefore, misdiagnosed my cynicism as job dissatisfaction. When those in caring professions lose their sense of personal accomplishment, the flame begins to flicker as the air that once provided the oxygen to sustain it now makes it struggle to remain ignited under the strain of the winds of change.

In 2007, I was offered the opportunity to work at the church as a full-time employee. At that time, serving in ministry replenished me spiritually and emotionally after the corporate world had drained my resources. I believed I would be working in a place that continually revitalized me. However, the joy soon turned into a job. Unlike in the corporate world, there were no clearly defined hours for when work started or ended. I worked most weekends and sometimes at night. Calls came at all hours for hospitalizations, sickness, and bereavement, and unlike in the corporate world, there was no extra compensation for being called after hours. Additionally, the issues I had to mediate were more emotional, making it spiritually more taxing than my corporate job. It was equally physically exhausting because the work hours were more erratic.

In retrospect, I did not realize that you do not have to work in ministry full-time to serve in ministry. You can have a ministry wherever you work. Sometimes, God allows us to be His light in dark places so that others can be drawn to Him through us. Just imagine a world without Christian police officers, firefighters, nurses, doctors, teachers, roofers, or bill collectors. You can minister at your workplace, of course, within company guidelines, or serve at your local church as a volunteer or on a part-time basis. I thought that working in full-time ministry meant I could do what I love all the time. Many people feel this way when they start working in ministry or any caring profession. Those in caring professions, who provide physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual care for others, often feel disappointed when they discover that the work is not as rewarding as they expected. When this happens, “A crash occurs, and the stress level goes up for the novice when the expectations, often unarticulated, are battered and broken,” which increases our emotional exhaustion as our sense of personal accomplishment declines.³ This causes the flame ignited during the call to ministry to flicker.

In 2017, there was a change in leadership at the church. Our beloved Senior Pastor passed away, but he left a pastor in his stead, ensuring no gap in pastoral leadership. However, from my previous experience in the corporate world, I have found that whenever there is a change in leadership, the culture changes as well. Sometimes, the change is for the better and sometimes for the worse, but things will undoubtedly be different. My position changed as I transitioned from serving in pastoral care to technology. This seemed like a logical solution since I came from the technology sector, but I had been away for nearly ten years, and it was no longer the world I remembered. I believed this was what my church needed, so I served in whatever capacity was required. During this time, my wife and I welcomed a new baby girl, and we were also trying to buy a house. Additionally, I was still grieving the loss of my mother and father in the years prior. Also, the passing of our Senior Pastor affected me more than I thought. I did not realize it at the time, but I had combined two major professional stressors, technology and ministry, into one job. It merged the frantic pace of technology with the erratic uncertainty of ministry. Given all that, along with being a full-time student, a new dad, a new husband, shopping for a home, and grieving the loss of my parents, the flicker eventually flamed out.

When the Flicker Flames Out

There is a stress level test called the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS), developed by psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe in 1967. This scale assesses stress levels based on life events, assigning point values to significant life changes under the premise that the more major the event, the greater the potential for stress-related health issues. For instance, the death of a spouse is assigned 100 points, while events like getting married or buying a home receive 50 and 30 points, respectively. To calculate your stress level, you add up the points for the life events you’ve experienced within a specific time frame. I took one as part of a class project in seminary, and needless to say, I did not score well. I was grieving, had a newborn at home, commuted twice a week, 100 miles (one way) to seminary, and worked full-time at the church as the leader of technology, while also performing ministerial duties such as preaching, teaching, attending funerals, and making hospital visits. I had more on my plate than I could handle.

Life is a series of events, some good, some bad, and some just ordinary experiences. We are not so naïve as to believe that every day will be good. We can expect some bad days mixed in with the good, or some challenging times interspersed with the easier ones. But when we encounter distressing life events in rapid succession, it takes a toll on our emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being. All of life’s stressors converged on me at once. It was not long before the pastor received complaints about my attitude, and my wife was questioning who I was and what had happened to the man she married. At first, I thought it was everyone else, but during lunch with my colleague, he brought to my attention what I hadn’t seen. He noticed I was not the same person he had known in 2002. I wasn’t as relaxed and confident. I seemed rattled, and I was always known as a guy who was “well-kept,” meaning I prioritized my appearance, but when we had lunch, he said, “Man! You’ve really let yourself go.” I began to think that they couldn’t all be wrong. Maybe there is something wrong with me. I Googled “burnout symptoms” and found that I exhibited most, if not all, of them. How did I get here? What can I do about it? Is burnout biblical? I began researching my issue in search of solutions not only for myself but also for others like me.

What Happened to the Fire?

That is my story, but this book is not about me; it is about the reader. You might be experiencing burnout, or you would not be reading this book. Perhaps someone close to you believes you may be struggling with burnout and suggested this book. Alternatively, you might be reading this book as a preventive measure. Regardless, identifying your problem is the first step toward your journey to recovery and resilience. Scovholt contends that “naming a problem gives the person a chance to address it and limit its negative consequences.”⁴ This book is intended for the person who has just graduated from seminary, armed with knowledge of theology, Scripture, biblical languages, hermeneutics, and homiletic training, only to find their skills undervalued and unappreciated by their church. It is for those who feel voiceless and excluded from workplace conversations where decisions are made. When you are invited to meetings, it often seems that the decisions were finalized before your arrival, making your invitation feel like a gesture of inclusion rather than genuine involvement. The community you serve expresses appreciation, but you also sense an air of entitlement. They thank you, but some also feel it is your job, making genuine appreciation elusive and positive feedback rare. Furthermore, for many, ministry is not a high-paying career. Salaries are only marginally higher than those of other overworked, underappreciated, and underpaid professionals, such as schoolteachers. However, public school teachers typically enjoy better work benefits than those in ministry, including summers off and a paid retirement plan after 20 or 30 years of service. You worked diligently to earn your seminary degree, yet find it challenging to pay your bills and maintain a quality of life that is just below lower-middle-class and just above upper-class poverty.

This book is also for the pastor who feels overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated. The expectations are high while the compensation is low. They want you to have a family, but they also expect you to dedicate your time to serving their needs. One paradox of some Protestant churches is that they seem to want their pastor to be accessible, like a priest, but also to be married with a family and to have other responsibilities, like a pastor. They expect the pastor to be always available, always reachable, always at the church, with no other interests outside of serving the church.

As a pastor, you may be trying to discern if this is what God wants from you, because surely, God knows how you feel, and you are contemplating quitting. A qualitative study highlighted that “four out of five pastors (80%) leave ministry within the first five years.”⁵ Similarly, statistics reveal that “80% will not be in ministry ten years later, and only a fraction make it a lifelong career. On average, seminary-trained pastors last only five years in church ministry.”⁶ The data shows that many leave the ministry after 3 to 4 years of service, and you fear you may be joining their ranks soon.

This book is for the missionary who finds themselves caring for a community’s spiritual, physical, and mental needs. You walk a fine line of culture and community, always aware that you are considered an outsider, yet included and tolerated because they appreciate the good you can do. You never intended to be a pastor, but that is precisely what you have become. You are responding to the call at all hours, mediating needs like Moses, yet there is no Jethro to provide advice or anyone to delegate responsibilities. You love the work, yet you feel it is taking a toll on you. The fire of ministry burns, but it consumes you spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

This book is for the chaplain who provides spiritual care to those who approach you only in times of need. Unlike pastoral ministry in a church, chaplaincy is typically called in when circumstances have deteriorated, and recipients feel they have no other options. Chaplains accompany people who exist perpetually on the margins of life. They work in prisons, hospitals, college campuses, and with military veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). They are found in shelters and centers aiding victims of sexual abuse and/or human trafficking. There are no pastor appreciation celebrations and few, if any, invitations to life’s joyful occasions, such as a baby dedication or a wedding. You consistently invest in others, but rarely receive support in return, and now you find yourself running on empty.

This book is also for the layperson who serves at a church, whether on a volunteer basis or as a paid employee. You love your church because it is where you were spiritually formed. You want to give back to the place that has nurtured you so much. You serve in any capacity needed, but when you make suggestions, your words often fall on deaf ears. Before long, your responsibilities multiply, leading you to work more and worship less. You do not mind serving, but the growing frequency of your commitments and the increasing variety of ministries and duties leave you feeling overcommitted, overwhelmed, and underappreciated. Lately, you receive more criticism than praise, and you feel that your efforts do not matter, as the areas you believe could improve remain stagnant. The suggestions you provide to enhance the situation go unheeded. You love your church, but you begin to question if it is where you truly belong and wonder if it may be time to worship and serve elsewhere. I had the pleasure of meeting a young lady who previously served on the production team at a local mega church. We met at a technology conference for churches where the sponsoring company employed her. When I asked why she chose to resign from her church position to work for a technology company, she said, “I got tired of going to work every Sunday. I wanted to go back to going to worship every Sunday.” It happens; when it does, a few questions arise. How did I get here? What happened to the fire? What do I do now?

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus invites us to rest rather than endure weariness (Matthew 11:28-30).

Come to me, all weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

In this passage, Jesus’ “invitation extends to all who are burdened” and offers rest and relief to those who are weary.⁷ It resonates with the need for solace and comfort in times of distress and exhaustion, which is often crucial for addressing burnout. Additionally, Paul the Apostle wrote in his letters about the hardships and challenges he faced in his missionary work and ministry. In 2 Corinthians 11:24-28, he recounted some of his sufferings in service to Christ.

Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.

This passage depicts the hardships and challenges the Apostle Paul encountered in his ministry. It details his physical suffering, persecution, and the emotional burden of caring for the well-being of the churches. Although these passages do not directly mention burnout, they highlight the physical and emotional toll that intense commitment and dedication to the ministry can impose on an individual. While the Bible does not explicitly speak of burnout in the contemporary sense, it addresses human struggle, fatigue, and the need for rest and support during challenging times, which remains relevant to the broader discussion of work-life balance, self-care, and having a healthy sense of calling.

The concept of burnout, as we understand it today, is a psychological term identified in the 1970s by American psychologist Herbert J. Freudenberger, who details his findings in his book Burnout: How to Beat the High Cost of Success. His research stemmed from his treatment of patients in caring professions, such as doctors, nurses, teachers, clergy, counselors, and therapists. He defines burnout as “someone in a state of fatigue or frustration brought about by devotion to a cause, way of life, or relationship that failed to produce the expected reward.”⁸ Those serving in caring professions are initially driven by a noble motivation to improve others’ quality of life. Still, they have reached a point where the work outweighs the reward. One day, as he traveled to his office in New York City, he noticed that some buildings had caught fire while their structural integrity remained intact. These buildings exhibited an outward façade of functionality, yet they were non-functional because the inside had been burned out. Freudenberger contends that “under the strain of living in our complex world, their inner resources are consumed as if by fire, leaving a great emptiness inside.”⁹ This is what happens to a person whose devotion to a certain cause or profession does not yield the expected outcome. He also believes that “burn-out was robbing our society of what it could least afford to lose: high-achievers.”¹⁰A study performed by the Mayo Clinic shows that if burnout is untreated, it may harm a person’s physical and mental health and lead to “fatigue, insomnia, sadness, anger, irritability, alcohol or substance abuse, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and a vulnerability to illness.”¹¹ Freudenberger also notes that other physical ailments, such as “headaches, colds that linger, and backaches,” are the body’s way of saying something is wrong. Burnout may also lead to depressive-type symptoms such as fatigue, loss of appetite, isolation, and irritability.¹² In burnout, however, “the depression is usually temporary, specific, and localized.”¹³

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, burnout has become a catchphrase for those who are overworked, particularly individuals in caring professions that require “the intense giving of oneself to enhance the lives of others.”¹⁴ The term “compassion fatigue” is well-known and frequently referenced, especially among hospital and hospice caregivers, who were particularly impacted during the pandemic. Indeed.com, a prominent online job search platform, conducted a 2021 survey comparing subscribers’ burnout levels before and during the pandemic. The study revealed that during the pandemic, 59% of respondents reported feeling the effects of burnout, compared to 43% before the pandemic.¹⁵ Although the Indeed.com research did not target a specific occupation or industry, it underscores the increased prevalence of burnout in the workforce. The study outlines several critical causes of burnout, including “the lack of work-life balance, being unable to disconnect from the office, an inability to take time off, and the lack of boundaries.”¹⁶

Burnout, however, is more than just being overworked and underappreciated. It is a state of mental and physical fatigue caused by the feeling that one’s profession is no longer meaningful. Those who work in caring professions are at risk of “meaning burnout” and “caring burnout.”¹⁷ Meaning burnout occurs when caring for others no longer provides the practitioner with a sense of purpose or fulfillment. Caring burnout is the inability to emotionally connect with the next client due to energy depletion, as practitioners have not fully disengaged and recharged emotionally, physically, and mentally before engaging with another client. This condition is also referred to as compassion fatigue. Exposure to these two different forms increases the likelihood of experiencing burnout and diminishes effectiveness in professions that require high levels of attentiveness.

Freudenberger defined clergy as those who work in a local church or parish. Pastoral ministries require individuals in these settings to address the spiritual needs of people who are grieving the death of a loved one, experiencing spiritual or emotional trauma, or facing physical or spiritual ailments. Positions in pastoral ministries include, but are not limited to, senior pastor, lead pastor, youth pastor, bereavement care minister, and counseling minister. Other caring professions that involve pastoral care include chaplains—hospital, hospice, police, prison, etc., who share similar experiences with church pastoral care staff. Due to the unique relationship between this occupation and the Christian concept of calling, burnout takes on a spiritual dimension, leading to a disconnection from work and a disorientation regarding one’s calling.

A study published in Pastoral Psychology compared burnout levels among clergy with those in other caring professions and found that “clergy scores were marginally better than those of police and emergency personnel, similar to those of social workers and teachers, but worse than those of counselors.”¹⁸ Clergy members stand out because their job descriptions often lack clear boundaries. The individuals they serve are typically also those they know personally, making it challenging to fully disengage and recharge emotionally and mentally before engaging with another. Pastoral ministry duties expose practitioners to people suffering from mental health disorders. Research indicates that “one-quarter” of those experiencing mental health issues sought treatment from a clergy member before visiting a counselor, therapist, or psychologist.¹⁹ Although this trend has decreased in recent years, many individuals grappling with mental illness still tend to seek help from a clergy member before consulting a healthcare professional.

While clergy members showed lower burnout levels than police and emergency personnel, the research suggests another factor to be considered. Generally, when non-clergy individuals leave work, brief relief helps them distance themselves from daily occupational stressors. This time away allows for separation from job duties, replenishing what the daily responsibilities have taken. Such brief relief enables them to return repeatedly to a profession that often demands more than it gives. In contrast, those in pastoral ministry are frequently called to accompany others through the best and worst days of their lives. The distinction between patient and practitioner is less pronounced than in other caring professions because practitioners are personally involved in recipients’ lives, often for many years. Moreover, the boundaries of when a minister is on or off duty are blurred, as they may be called at a moment’s notice to be present with a family or congregant in their time of grief. The inherent lack of boundaries in this profession creates no clear distinction between being and doing. Additionally, those in other caring professions may turn to church or religion for spiritual restoration and to reaffirm their sense of meaning. For those serving in ministry, however, the place of restoration is also where depletion occurs. While others may find the church a source of renewal, for pastoral workers, it is also a site of employment. This duality prevents those in pastoral ministry from fully disengaging from their job responsibilities and receiving spiritual recharge. The continual drain on their spiritual well-being leads to a caring deficit. When caretakers for others lack care for themselves, they can become unable to care. Scovholt likens this to the shoemaker with no shoes and asserts that “the inability to care is the most dangerous signal of burnout.”²⁰

In other caring professions, a career change might be advisable, but this is more complex in pastoral ministry. The workplace also serves as the venue for family worship. An occupational shift represents more than just a new career path; it disrupts family dynamics and leaves those in pastoral roles disoriented. They may begin to question their calling, service to the church, and sense of self. Research conducted by the Barna Group in March 2022 indicated that the number of pastors considering leaving full-time ministry increased by 13% from 2021. Of the respondents who had considered quitting full-time ministry, 59% cited the immense stress of the job as their reason. Others cited reasons such as “feeling lonely, isolated, unhappy with the role’s effect on their family, and not satisfied” with their job.²¹

Another factor unique to pastoral ministry is the imposition of unrealistic internal and external expectations. Those who work in pastoral ministry often shift from religious duties to administration, making decisions that are not always clearly right or wrong, leaving them vulnerable to criticism. Additionally, those who serve in a pastoral position, such as lead pastor, senior pastor, or assistant pastor, have roles subject to each congregation member’s interpretation. This may include closely observing their spouse and children, “for whom congregants may have high or even unrealistic expectations.”²² A unique reality is that some expectations in pastoral ministry are self-imposed. For some pastors, there is an innate need to work harder than everyone else in the congregation. According to research, when compared to other professions, those who work in ministry “averaged more work hours per week than other managers and professionals.”²³The need to work harder is exacerbated by factors such as being a woman in ministry, and you are working twice as hard to be recognized half as much, or a young pastor who feels they must prove themselves to the church elders. The need to work harder to prove one’s value is what Murray Bowen calls “over-functioning,” and it is the response to the anxiety of the position.²⁴ Overfunctioning is a behavioral pattern in a family system in which an individual takes on a disproportionate amount of responsibility, often at the expense of others. This person becomes overly focused on managing and solving problems and making decisions for others. Overfunctioning can lead to others’ underfunctioning, fostering dependence on the overfunctioner and relinquishing their responsibilities. In pastoral ministry, the pastor may become emotionally triangulated into the parishioner’s relationships with God and family within the congregational setting.

Emotional triangles are another component of Murray Bowen’s Family Systems Theory. An emotional triangle describes a unit of interaction within a social system, referring to a relationship pattern involving three individuals. Triangles serve as a way for some to manage their anxiety and balance their relationships, but they also contribute to the dynamics of overfunctioning and underfunctioning. In an emotional triangle, Person A may have a conflict with Person B. To manage the tension and discomfort in this relationship, Person A may involve a third party, Person C, to reduce anxiety. This involvement creates temporary relief from the stress between A and B. However, the introduction of the third person shifts the focus of the emotional dynamics. When this occurs in a family system, the original issues between A and B are not fully addressed. According to Creech, when this happens in a congregational setting, whereby an underfunctioning congregant triangulates the overfunctioning pastor and takes on the role of Person C, “we pastors can easily find ourselves in a Moses-like predicament, where congregations expect us to be professional Christians, mediating for them with God.”²⁵

In the book Resilient Ministry: What Pastors Told Us About Surviving and Thriving, Bob Burns, Tasha Chapman, and Donald Guthrie discuss the self-imposed pressure on pastors to overfunction in their roles.

While studies we referenced earlier show that pastors work every bit as hard—if not harder—than other professionals, the anxiety that pastors carry of having to demonstrate that they are “earning their keep” is pervasive. One of the pastors put it this way:

“One of the things I’ve been sucked into is the thought, if I spend more time in prayer [in the morning], all the men that I’m working with who are already off to work, they’re going to think, ‘You know pastors. They are in control of their schedule.’ So, I’m going to get up [and get to work] as early as they do. I feel guilty if I’m not at my desk doing something concrete by 8 a.m.”²⁶

The results remain consistent regardless of whether expectations are imposed externally or internally. To fulfill their occupational responsibilities, individuals serving in pastoral ministry often sacrifice their physical and emotional well-being for the sake of their ministry. These expectations contribute to the various demands faced by those in pastoral ministry, ultimately leading to burnout. Those experiencing burnout often feel disillusioned with a life that fails to provide the anticipated rewards. In pastoral ministry, burnout often leads to feelings of disconnection from one’s work and confusion about one’s calling. While burnout is not officially recognized as a medical condition, this occupational phenomenon can negatively affect society’s overall well-being. Professionals in caring roles are particularly vulnerable, as they are exposed almost exclusively to the challenging aspects of life, including death, illness, disease, poverty, family dysfunction, abuse, and mental health struggles. Caregivers navigate the daily challenges of trauma alongside those they serve. Prolonged exposure to the trauma of others inevitably affects the caregiver’s well-being. Furthermore, burnout poses an additional challenge to individuals’ sense of calling in pastoral ministry. Clinical approaches to restoration and recovery offer only temporary relief for this occupational phenomenon in pastoral ministry.

1. Leander E. Keck, ed., Genesis–Deuteronomy, The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, vol. 1, (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015), 395.
2. Walter Brueggemann, Praying the Psalms: Engaging Scripture and the Life of the Spirit, 2nd ed. (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2007), 3.
3. Thomas M. Skovholt and Michelle Trotter-Mathison, The Resilient Practitioner: Burnout and Compassion Fatigue Prevention and Self-Care Strategies for the Helping Professions, Third edition (London: New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2016), 53.
4. Skovholt and Trotter-Mathison, The Resilient Practitioner, 102.
5. “Pastors Under Stress,” Soul Shepherding, accessed March 2, 2025, https://www.soulshepherding.org/pastors-under-stress.
6. Trisha R. Peach, Burnout, Timeout, and Fallout: A Qualitative Study of Why  Pastors Leave Ministry, (PhD diss., Bethel University, [Year]), accessed March 2, 2025, https://spark.bethel.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1804&context=etd.
7. Leander E. Keck, ed., Matthew and Mark, The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, vol. 8 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007), 275.
8. Herbert J. Freudenberger and Geraldine Richelson, Burn Out: How to Beat the High Cost of Success (Toronto: Bantam Books, 1981), 13.
9. Ibid., xv.
10. Ibid., xvii.
11. “Job Burnout: How to Spot It and Take Action,” Mayo Clinic (Nov. 30, 2023), accessed July 31, 2023, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642.
12. Freudenberger and Richelson, Burn Out, 66.
13. Ibid., 67.
14. Thomas M. Skovholt and Michelle Trotter-Mathison, The Resilient Practitioner: Burnout and Compassion Fatigue Prevention and Self-Care Strategies for the Helping Professions, 3^rd ed. (New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2016), xvii.
15. Jack Kelly, “Indeed Study Shows that Worker Burnout Is at Frighteningly High Levels: Here Is What You Need to Do Now,” Forbes (April 5, 2021), accessed July 31, 2023, https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/04/05/indeed-study-shows-that-worker-burnout-is-at-frighteningly-high-levels-here-is-what-you-need-to-do-now/?sh=5295c5e223bb.
16. Kelly, “Indeed Study.”
17. Skovholt and Trotter-Mathison, The Resilient Practitioner, 108.
18. Christopher J. Adams, “Clergy Burnout: A Comparison Study with Other Helping Professions,” Pastoral Psychology 66, no. 2 (April 1, 2017):1, accessed July 31, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-016-0722-4.
19. Phillip S. Wang, Patricia A. Berglund, Ronald C. Kessler, “Patterns and Correlates of Contacting Clergy for Mental Disorders in the United States,” Health Services Research 38, no. 2 (April 2003), accessed August 28, 2023, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12785566/.
20. Skovholt and Trotter-Mathison, The Resilient Practitioner, 137.
21. Barna Group, “Pastors Share Top Reasons They’ve Considered Quitting Ministry in the Past Year” (April 27, 2022), accessed July 31, 2023, https://www.barna.com/research/pastors-quitting-ministry/.
22. Adams, “Clergy Burnout,” 1.
23. Jackson W. Carroll and Becky R. McMillan, God’s Potters: Pastoral Leadership and the Shaping of Congregations, Pulpit & Pew (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006), 103.
24. R. Robert Creech, Family Systems and Congregational Life: A Map for Ministry (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2019), 22.
25. Creech, Family Systems and Congregational Life, 68.
26. Bob Burns, Tasha Chapman, and Donald Guthrie, Resilient Ministry: What Pastors Told Us about Surviving and Thriving (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2013), 63.

Chapter 2: Strange Fire

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. — Leviticus 10:1-2

Nadab and Abihu were Levitical priests of the Aaronic priesthood. The King James Version says they brought “strange fire,” whereas the English Standard Version uses the term “unauthorized fire.” The inference is the same. The sons of Aaron were trying to do the right thing, but they did it the wrong way. They were not following what God had commanded, and therefore, they were consumed by the fire. When we attempt to fulfill our calling in ways that contradict what God says, we become consumed by the fire. The unauthorized or “strange fire” represents the misunderstanding of our calling and its relationship to rest and work. Without a proper understanding of the theology of calling, Sabbath rest, and work, we risk being consumed by the fire of ministry. This leaves us feeling disoriented about our calling and disconnected from our service. We must identify the “strange fire” that hinders us from thriving and causes us to disconnect from our sense of calling.

Burnout In Ministry

Burnout is an occupational phenomenon that profoundly affects the workforce. This phenomenon also pertains to secular occupations such as teaching, healthcare, and counseling, prompting many to propose clinical solutions. Numerous publications on burnout, both secular and religious, offer solutions tailored to career-driven overachievers who need to learn how to rest and recuperate. Their approach tends to be more clinical and psychological rather than theological or spiritual. Suggestions often emphasize reducing anxiety levels by practicing mindfulness, which involves focusing on breathing and calming oneself before reacting to high-pressure situations. Yoga and meditation are also suggested as remedies for burnout. Some advise taking a vacation, whether it is a local getaway or a “staycation.”¹  Practicing good sleep hygiene, such as avoiding television or reading in bed, disconnecting from illuminating screens like smartphones and computers several hours before bedtime, and refraining from caffeinated products six to eight hours before sleep, is also recommended for alleviating burnout. Freudenberger offers a list of solutions he labels false cures and another list of real cures. False cures involve “using any means we have at hand: alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex, excessive work, sports or games”² to find joy because individuals feel distressed about their work. The issue with false cures is that they are often self-prescribed by the individual, who unknowingly opts for a remedy that worsens their situation. Real cures focus on fostering closeness with oneself and others, which is beneficial in many caring professions.  A spiritual dimension, however, must also be acknowledged in pastoral ministry. Closeness to oneself and others should be accompanied by intimacy with God and guidance toward wholeness.

Others offer anecdotes about burnout that address the work environment. In Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter’s The Truth about Burnout: How Organizations Cause Personal Stress and What to Do about It, they contend that burnout is not a problem with the individual but the work environment. Their theory is that “burnout is not a problem of the people themselves but of the social environment in which people work.”³ Their main argument is that burnout is “not a trivial problem but an important barometer of a major social dysfunction in the workplace.”⁴ The authors believe that the financial cost of the emotional strain the work environment imposes on employees necessitates improving working conditions. Maslach and Leiter contend that individuals need not change; their work environment needs to change. They seek to drive organizational change in that industry by encouraging organizations to re-evaluate their work ethos and adjust their work environments to improve employee health and company efficiency. In contrast, Scovholt argues against solutions that demand changing the work environment at an organizational or institutional level. He agrees that this approach has merit but contends that “it is also myopic and dangerous for practitioners.”⁵ He argues that changing the work environment may require altering the fundamental operational structure of a company or an entire industry, which is often beyond workers’ control or influence. Amy O’Hana, writer of Beyond Burnout, What to Do When Your Work Isn’t Working for You, believes that changes should be made to the employees’ work environment by focusing on what they can control. She suggests working on projects that bring the most joy before engaging in other tasks, or writing a “love letter to your work,” placing photos of loved ones in your workspace, and envisioning the joy of completing your project before it is finished.⁶ While all these solutions have merit, they remain more clinical and psychological than theological or spiritual. They do not consider the spiritual nature of calling or address the unique dynamics of working in pastoral care ministry.

In Lost Connections: Why You’re Depressed and How to Find Hope, Johann Hari argues that anxiety and depression are not caused by neurological or chemical imbalances, but rather by an imbalance in life. He contends that anxiety and depression can stem from external sociological factors as well as internal biological ones. He affirms and asserts that depression is “a problem not with your brain but with your life.”⁷ Hari refers to these life problems as “disconnections.”⁸

Although the focus of this book is reconnecting to your calling after burnout rather than depression or anxiety, individuals suffering from burnout often experience symptoms akin to depression and frequent anxiety. O’Hana also links burnout with a sense of “disconnection,” suggesting that those experiencing burnout typically feel disengaged from their work.⁹ Both burnout and depression are associated with a type of disconnection in different aspects of life. When the disconnection is occupational, especially for those involved in pastoral care ministries, it results in disorientation for the worker. In pastoral ministry, the vocation is connected to a sense of calling and being, which adds a spiritual dimension to their disconnection. This disconnect can lead to disorientation and raise questions about a person’s calling and purpose. In pastoral ministry, burnout encompasses not only work-related issues but also life-related ones, incorporating both occupational and family environments. It involves a sense of being, doing, and calling. The challenge of burnout in pastoral ministry lies in the fact that religion “offers a rich structure of beliefs that provide meaning and purpose,” which helps practitioners recover from burnout.¹⁰  Other caring professions may also rely on religion to offer a sense of purpose beyond their daily work. For those in pastoral ministry, their profession “affects and defines all areas of life. Work, family, and personal responsibilities blur together through the week.”¹¹ This ultimately leads to a disconnection from self and their sense of being. Spiritually, this creates disorientation for the worker, placing them at a crossroads of calling and commitment. This represents a vulnerable moment for those serving in pastoral ministry that cannot be resolved through clinical or psychological means.

In Praying the Psalms: Engaging Scripture and the Life of the Spirit, Walter Brueggemann argues that the Christian’s “life of faith consists in moving with God in terms of being securely oriented, painfully disoriented, and surprisingly reoriented.”¹² Being securely oriented means being settled in life, with everything proceeding according to plan, and God presiding over a person’s life from heaven without intruding. He describes being painfully disoriented as an experience in which someone feels “overwhelmed, nearly destroyed,” and driven to “the edge of humanness.”¹³ Being reoriented involves experiencing a newness of life after being nearly destroyed and brought to the limits of humanness. According to him, reorientation is a process described as follows;

This is not an automatic movement that can be presumed or predicted. Nor is it a return to the old form, a return to normalcy as though nothing had happened. It is instead “all things new.” And when it happens, it is always a surprise, always a gift of graciousness, and always an experience that evokes gratitude.¹⁴

Brueggemann refers to this as a surprisingly reoriented process, meaning that God provides the reorientation as a gracious gift to those who serve Him. Recovering or reaffirming one’s sense of calling is a process that is divinely initiated and orchestrated. Those whom God has called participate in rediscovering their sense of meaning and purpose. Theologically, the disconnection caused by burnout in pastoral ministry cannot be resolved by clinical means but must involve divine intervention, supported by Scripture and encouraged by a peer group. The strange fire that affects pastoral ministry and leads to burnout stems from a misunderstanding of the theology of calling, the Sabbath, and work. When properly managed, these elements establish a balance that allows those in ministry to shine brightly without burning out. Without a solid theological foundation in these areas, a person can easily become unbalanced, disoriented, and disconnected from their calling to serve in pastoral ministry.

The Flame of Calling

I have been around long enough to know there is no set pattern for how people are called. Some have had life-altering experiences and feel called; others have an innate sense that God has called them to a particular service. Some have had theophanic encounters, meeting God in a very real and tangible way. Others find themselves serving in ministry and then discover their calling. The nebulous nature of the call sometimes raises questions about whether one is actually called, especially during times of adversity. The thought is that if God called me to do it, surely things should go smoothly with few interruptions or disappointments along the way. To properly understand our calling, we must comprehend the concept of calling and what it means to be called by God.

The concept of calling is fundamental to Christian belief and encompasses a primary and a secondary calling. The primary calling is to become followers of Christ. This calling is found in Matthew 4:18-22, where Jesus calls his disciples, Peter and Andrew, to follow him and become fishers of humankind. This call contains both a command and a promise. The command is to “follow me,” and the promise is “I will make you fishers of men.” In this passage, the imperative precedes the indicative, meaning that Jesus calls the disciples to both follow him and “participate in the divine mission to humanity.”¹⁵ The primary calling entails how those who are called to follow Christ should live, speak, and act for the cause of Christ. The secondary calling leads to what may be described as “callings,” whereby we feel compelled to serve Christ in specific services or vocations, such as “the practice of law or art history.”¹⁶ The primary calling precedes the secondary calling, guiding Christians in their service or vocation. However, our sense of calling can be distorted by a dual view of vocation and calling. We see it expressed in occupational terms like full-time minister and bi-vocational minister, as if those who are not church employees cannot serve God through another vocation. Terms like part-time and full-time ministry are used to classify occupational tax liabilities but do not indicate a person’s engagement in service to the kingdom of God. The word vocation comes from the Latin word vocare, meaning “to call or summon.” Our vocation should not be viewed as separate from our calling, but rather as a product of our primary calling to follow Christ and our secondary calling to serve him. A vocation does not mean we are only called to work and serve; it also encompasses a sense of being. In The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, Volume 1, Genesis – Deuteronomy, the commentator discusses the call of Moses and its relation to our calling as Christians regarding vocation.

This extended narrative invites reflection upon the nature of vocation and the power of “call” in the life of faith. An uncalled life is an autonomous existence in which there is no intrusion, disruption, or redemption, no appearance or utterance of the Holy. We may imagine in our autonomous existence, moreover, that no one knows our name until we announce it, and no one requires anything of us except for which we volunteer. The life of Moses in this narrative, as the lives of all people who live in this narrative of faith, is not autonomous. There is this One who knows and calls by name, even while we imagine we are unknown and unsummoned. ¹⁷

One of the misconceptions of calling to serve God is the notion that we are also called to sacrifice our families on the altar of ministry. I have witnessed ministers spending far too much time with the church than with their families. Some, both clergy and laity, believe this is the way it is supposed to be. However, this notion contradicts Scripture.  God does not call us to sacrifice our family on the altar of ministry. The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 7:32–34 (ESV), writes that “the unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided.” Paul’s point is not to condemn marriage, but to highlight that singleness allows for an undivided devotion to ministry. Yet he carefully balances this by affirming that marriage and family are also divine callings. He urges, “Let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him” (1 Corinthians 7:17), and commands, “The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband” (1 Corinthians 7:3). Elsewhere he warns against neglecting family care: “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8). Paul teaches that faithfulness in family life is not contrary to service to God—it is part of it. Singleness may offer unique freedom for ministry, but marriage and family are also sacred trusts in which the believer must reflect Christ’s love and faithfulness.

In this light, Jesus’ challenging statements—“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62), “Leave the dead to bury their own dead” (Luke 9:60), and “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword… a man’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:34–36)—must be understood in context. Jesus does not advocate hatred or abandonment of family, but rather the reordering of priorities: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). His words confront the first-century Jewish honor–shame culture, in which family loyalty defined identity and status. To follow Christ, therefore, often meant enduring the shame of rejection or division within one’s household. In Luke 12:51–53, Jesus forewarns that faithfulness to Him would cause conflict even among close kin, for allegiance to the Kingdom transcends all earthly bonds. Yet His intent was not to destroy family, but to redefine true honor and obedience to God, even at the expense of social acceptance.

Scripture, however, consistently emphasizes that spiritual leadership and discipleship begin in the home. The Lord commanded Israel: “These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children” (Deuteronomy 6:6–7). Joshua likewise declared, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). God commended Abraham, saying, “I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord” (Genesis 18:19). In the New Testament, Paul echoes this divine pattern: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Church leaders are likewise required to “manage their own households well… for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” (1 Timothy 3:4–5; see also Titus 1:6). Peter exhorts husbands to “live with your wives in an understanding way… so that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7). These passages show that serving God faithfully includes shepherding one’s family spiritually, for the home is the believer’s first ministry.

Throughout church history, however, some individuals have exemplified exceptional expressions of Christ’s call to “forsake all.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in The Cost of Discipleship, wrote, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”¹⁸ For Bonhoeffer, this death meant surrendering self-will and worldly attachment, not the abandonment of legitimate duties. He condemned “cheap grace”—grace without obedience—and called believers to embrace “costly grace,” which demands self-denial and total devotion to Christ. Yet Bonhoeffer did not teach that discipleship justifies neglecting family or vocation; his own life, marked by integrity and service, reflects the balance between radical faith and moral responsibility. Similarly, Francis of Assisi embodied an extraordinary calling to material and social poverty, taking Jesus’ words—“sell all that you have and give to the poor” (Matthew 19:21)—in their most literal sense. He even renounced his father’s wealth to live among the poor. Yet Francis himself acknowledged that such a path was not for everyone, emphasizing detachment from worldly possessions and self-will rather than universal abandonment of family or home.

Both Bonhoeffer and Francis thus represent exceptions of radical vocation, not prescriptions for all. Their lives testify that some are called to extraordinary sacrifice to bear witness to Christ’s supreme worth. But for most believers, discipleship is lived out in the daily faithfulness of home, work, and community. Scripture upholds both forms of obedience—the radical renunciation of a few and the steady devotion of the many—under the same lordship of Christ. As Jesus Himself taught, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Whether through the quiet ministry of family life or the public witness of radical poverty, the disciple’s task is the same: to love God above all, and to let that love transform every other relationship and responsibility. We are not called to sacrifice our family on the altar of ministry.

The Christian concept of calling holds that Christians have a unique purpose and role in God’s plan. The calling is not “either, or” but “both, and.” It goes beyond career choices or personal aspirations, encompassing a deeper understanding of how one’s life is dedicated to serving God and others. This concept includes, but is not limited to, divine purpose, spiritual gifts, service in ministry, alignment with faith, listening and discernment, and having an eternal impact. Divine purpose is the belief that God has a specific purpose for each person, which is not solely about vocation but also includes how one lives out their faith, interacts with others, and contributes to the well-being of society. Christians possess unique gifts, talents, abilities, and qualities to fulfill their calling. Each individual utilizes these gifts to contribute to the church’s growth and the world’s betterment. Service and ministry involve serving others and can take many forms, from traditional roles such as pastors and missionaries to everyday acts of kindness, compassion, and support. It encompasses the idea of being an instrument of God’s love and grace. Alignment with faith involves harmonizing a Christian’s life choices and actions with their beliefs. It is about striving to live by Christian values and principles, regardless of the specific service or profession one engages in. Listening and discernment are key to discovering one’s calling, requiring prayer and reflection. This entails seeking God’s guidance to understand how best to use one’s gifts and abilities in accordance with God’s desires. Having an eternal impact is the expected outcome of Christians fulfilling their calling. It is not only about success or achievements in this life but also about contributing to God’s kingdom and drawing others closer to Him. Calling is about recognizing that life has a purpose beyond personal goals and ambitions. It involves using unique gifts to serve God and others while living a life that reflects the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. Calling is “not only a matter of being and doing but also by becoming what we are not yet but are called by God to be.”¹⁹The concept of calling is indispensable to our understanding of work and the Sabbath. It is foundational for establishing a rhythm of work and rest that fosters resilience.

The concept of calling is twofold. We are called to follow Christ (primary), and we are called to serve Him (secondary). There is only one primary calling, but many secondary callings can arise as God may call the same person to serve in multiple capacities. The secondary calling is where many Christians miss the mark because it involves our service to the Lord and is shaped by our work ethic. Our work ethic, however, is often developed without a proper understanding of the Sabbath. Once we receive the spark of the calling to serve, we must safeguard our flame as we navigate the challenges of ministry. We protect our flame through the spiritual practice of Sabbath.

The Flame of Sabbath

My earliest understanding of the Sabbath came as a child growing up in a Christian home in North Little Rock, Arkansas, during the 1970s. I was taught that the Sabbath was Sunday. I learned in Sunday school that ‘to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy’ was one of the Ten Commandments. In fact, it is in the top five, ahead of ‘thou shalt not kill’ and ‘thou shalt not steal,’ and those actions could send you to prison, so I thought remembering the Sabbath must be important. On Sundays, we got up early, went to Sunday school, and attended church. After church, we went home or to my auntie’s house, which was close by, for Sunday dinner. The dinner consisted of various foods like collard greens, cornbread, macaroni and cheese, candied yams, fried chicken, black-eyed peas with okra, or whatever Mom or Auntie could cook. The desserts varied greatly, including German chocolate cake, banana pudding, sweet potato pie, lemon meringue pie, strawberry cake, yellow cake with chocolate icing, which we called chocolate cake, and peach cobbler. After dinner, we would watch the football game. Back then, in our neighborhood, you were either for the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Dallas Cowboys; anything else was unusual. It was a day of leisure and family time, as most of my relatives and family friends worked factory jobs requiring them to work Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM. Sunday was a day for worship, family, and relaxation. On Saturday mornings, we woke up, ate breakfast, and watched cartoons. Mid-morning on Saturday, we watched Soul Train and American Bandstand, then did our chores and cleaned the house. Then we went outside to play while Mom did laundry and cooked Sunday dinner, because Sunday dinner was prepared Saturday afternoon. There was no cooking on Sunday because it was the Sabbath. Many stores were closed on Sunday, not just Chick-fil-A. There were items you could not buy on Sunday due to what they called Blue Laws, which prohibited the sale of certain products on that day. The only places open were a few restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, and movie theaters. Although these establishments were open, they closed early because it was Sunday.

This was my earliest understanding of the Sabbath, and what I did not know then is that it formed the first point of disconnection from who I am, what I am meant to do, and who I am called to be. I learned later that the original Sabbath was not Sunday; it was Saturday because God rested from His labor on the seventh day, which was the first Sabbath. However, early Christians did not reject Judaism but saw their faith as a fulfillment of Jewish Messianic prophecy. Therefore, they still honored the Sabbath, but Christian Jews in Jerusalem began to observe the Sabbath on the first day of the week (Sunday), “in which they gathered to break bread in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.”²⁰ Either way, I was taught that Sunday was the Sabbath and that the day was set aside for time with family, away from work, and for worshiping and praising God. This, however, was a poor understanding of the Sabbath. Without a proper theology of the Sabbath, our work ethic and our concept of calling or being called are misaligned, and we become disoriented in our call and disconnected from our service to God.

The origin of the Sabbath in the Christian faith is rooted in ancient Hebrew theology, in which the concept had multiple layers of significance intertwined with religious, cultural, and ethical characteristics. The foundation of Sabbath theology is rooted in the creation account in Genesis. According to Genesis 2:2-3, God rested on the seventh day after creating the world and all of creation during the previous six days. The Sabbath symbolizes God’s completion and rest and serves as a reminder of the divine order of creation.

While seven-day patterns of various sorts are present in ancient Near Eastern texts, no sabbath day, or seven-day week or seven-day creation account has been discovered. Yet, the writer highlights not individual days, but the seven-day pattern. This very temporal framework, a work/rest rhythm, inheres as a part of the created order of things. Creation thus has to do, not simply with spatial order, but with temporal order as well.²¹

Ancient cultures sometimes used seven-day patterns, but there is no evidence that they had a Sabbath day like the one in the Bible. What makes the biblical account unique is not the specific actions of each day, but the overall seven-day pattern itself. This pattern shows a built-in rhythm of work and rest that is part of how the world was designed. So creation isn’t just about organizing physical space; it’s also about organizing time and establishing a healthy rhythm for life. The Sabbath also shaped the identity of the Israelites as God’s chosen people. In the context of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11), observing the Sabbath connects to the covenant between God and the Israelites. Keeping the Sabbath serves as a sign of loyalty and obedience to God’s commandments and is a testament to God as Creator.

How is it that a covenantal work stoppage bears witness to this self-disclosing God? The answer is given in the motivational clause: Israel rests because God rests. This God is not a workaholic; Yahweh has no need to be more secure, more sufficient, more in control, or more noticed. It is ordained in the very fabric of creation that the world is not a place of endless productivity, ambition, or anxiety.²²

God did not create humanity simply to live, work, procreate, and die. The work-rest rhythm was not only for humankind but for all creation. Sabbath laws included provisions for rest for people, the animals, and the land. This emphasized the importance of rest, equality, and care for all creation. The Sabbath for the land, also known as the sabbatical year, was a commandment given in the Book of Leviticus (Leviticus 25:1-7). It instructed the Israelites to let their fields lie fallow and not plant crops every seventh year. This was a form of rest for the land and was intended to promote sustainability and social justice by allowing low-income people to access the land’s produce freely that year. The sabbatical year also had ecological significance, allowing the land to rest and lie fallow every seventh year, which helped maintain soil fertility, prevent soil erosion, and promote overall ecosystem health. It allowed the soil to recover and rejuvenate, improving crop yields in subsequent years. It was a sustainable agricultural management system that recognized the importance of caring for the land and its natural processes.

The liberty proclaimed is threefold. First, it means liberty for the man who has become dispossessed from his family inheritance of the land and who can now return to it. Second, it means liberty for every Hebrew slave who can become a free person once again. And third, it means liberty or release from the toil of cultivating the land, for the land is to lay fallow all year long and produce only what comes up on its own without any sowing, cultivation, fertilization, or harvesting.²³

The Sabbath provided a dedicated time for worship, reflection, and spiritual renewal. It was a day to set aside regular work and engage in activities that fostered a deeper connection with God and one’s spiritual life. The theology of the Sabbath in ancient Hebrew thought encompassed themes of “creation, covenant, freedom, justice, and spiritual connection.”²⁴  It emphasized the importance of rest, devotion, and ethical behavior within a community that revered God’s guidance and sought to live “in harmony with the divine and the world around them.”²⁵

During the time of Jesus, notable differences emerged between the practice of the Sabbath according to ancient Hebrew theology and the rabbinical interpretations of it. Ancient Hebrew theology viewed the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship, highlighting the “divine origin of the seventh day as a day of completion and rest.”²⁶ The focus was on abstaining from work and dedicating time to spiritual reflection and communal worship. In contrast, rabbinical law significantly expanded the definition of work prohibited on the Sabbath. Rabbinic interpretations included activities not explicitly mentioned in the Torah, aimed at safeguarding the day’s sanctity. For example, it was lawful to tie a knot in one’s sandal, but it was not lawful to tie a knot in a rope used to draw water. Any knot tied in rope, string, or garment was only lawful if it could be “untied with one hand.”²⁷ The interpretations outlined in the Mishnah led to a more detailed and comprehensive set of rules governing Sabbath observance.

By the time Jesus began his ministry, the oral law had developed within Rabbinical Judaism, containing interpretations, discussions, and applications of the written Torah, including regulations related to the Sabbath. In Rabbinical Judaism, the focus of the Sabbath was primarily on what one “may not do.”²⁸ In contrast, ancient Hebrew theology emphasized the written Torah itself, and the development of oral traditions and interpretations was not as formalized or extensive as it became in Rabbinical Judaism. The Gospels record Jesus’s interactions with religious leaders regarding Sabbath observance. In Mark 3:1-6, Jesus entered a synagogue on the Sabbath and encountered a man with a withered hand. The Pharisees watched to see if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath, which they considered a violation. Jesus challenged their view by asking whether it was lawful to do good or harm on the Sabbath, and then he healed the man’s hand. Jesus’ actions dictate that doing good and “saving life always take precedence over sabbath obligations.”²⁹

In Mark 2:23-28, Jesus and his disciples walked through grain fields on the Sabbath and plucked some heads of grain to eat. The Pharisees questioned them, as plucking grain was considered a form of reaping, which was not permitted on the Sabbath according to their interpretation. Jesus responded by citing David’s eating the bread of the priests in 1 Samuel 21:1-6, asserting that the “Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath,” meaning the principle of the Sabbath was to provide rest for humankind rather than to bind them with religious rituals. In John 5:1-18, Jesus healed a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years near the Pool of Bethesda. This healing occurred on the Sabbath, and the religious authorities accused the man of breaking the Sabbath laws by carrying his mat. Jesus defended the healing and asserted his authority as the Son of God, indicating that God’s healing work is not confined by their interpretation of Sabbath regulations.  Jesus also healed a man born blind by making clay from spittle and applying it to the man’s eyes (John 9:1-16). This healing also took place on the Sabbath, leading to a confrontation with the Pharisees, who viewed “kneading” clay as a work that violated the Sabbath.³⁰ This healing became a point of contention between Jesus and the Pharisees. In Luke and John of The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, the writer states,

The Sabbath law, the specifics of which were defined and promulgated by human beings within the religious establishment, does not have the ultimate say about Jesus’ activity in the world. If God is working, Jesus will keep working.³¹

Jesus challenged the rigid interpretation of Sabbath laws by emphasizing compassion, human need, and the higher principles of mercy and love. He sought to demonstrate that the Sabbath was not intended to be a burden but rather an opportunity to reflect on God’s care for humanity and engage in acts of kindness and restoration. Jesus’ actions on the Sabbath, such as healing the sick or restoring sight, were perceived as challenging traditional interpretations of the day. He prioritized human well-being and compassion over strict legalism. While rabbinical law focused on detailed interpretations and regulations concerning Sabbath observance, Jesus highlighted the Sabbath’s broader spiritual and compassionate aspects, confronting the religious authorities’ strict interpretations. This disparity in views regarding the Sabbath led to theological and practical differences in how it was understood and observed. The interpretations of rabbinical traditions were grounded in their definition of work rather than God’s definition of being. Abraham Joshua Herschel affirms,  “The Sabbath in the rabbinic interpretation was not so much a matter of ‘being’ as of ‘doing.’ It was defined in terms of work, of doing and not doing, with a long list of ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts.’”³²

My theology of Sabbath was shaped by my misunderstanding of Sabbath. I grew up with a rabbinic interpretation of Sabbath in that it consisted of a list of do’s and don’ts. It may not have been as extensive as differentiating between tying a knot in a shoe versus tying a knot in a rope, but there was clearly an unofficial list of things you can and cannot do. However, having a list of do’s and don’ts is not what it means to observe the Sabbath. When properly understood, the Sabbath is a time we set aside to connect with God and disconnect from work. A misunderstanding of the Sabbath ultimately leads to a flawed theology of work and our sense of being.

During the time of Jesus, the oral law dictated every aspect of Sabbath liturgy to the extent that, as stated by Alfred Edersheim, “If those rules were ever observed in their entirety, devotion must have been crushed under their weight.”³³Under the oral law, the Sabbath became a burden. The theology of the Sabbath in the Christian faith symbolizes God’s completion of work and serves as a covenant between God and the Israelites. The Sabbath represents freedom from slavery and emphasizes rest, equality, and care for all creation, including the land.

Sabbath assumes that without a deliberate intervention on the part of the community, wealth accumulates, and the poor are excluded. Sabbath is an act of resistance against these results of uneven and exploitative social arrangements that yield wealth for the few and poverty for the many.³⁴

During Jesus’s time, Rabbinical Judaism diverged from the ancient Hebraic theology of the Sabbath. Ancient Hebrew theology emphasized rest and worship, while rabbinical law broadened the definition of prohibited work on the Sabbath, resulting in a more comprehensive set of rules. Jesus challenged rigid interpretations of Sabbath laws and highlighted compassion, human need, and higher principles of mercy and love, prioritizing human well-being over strict legalism. It is not about what you do or do not do; it is about connecting with God, disconnecting from work, and protecting the flame of our calling. Guard your Sabbath with every fiber of your being because many have a misunderstanding and will unintentionally violate your Sabbath. It’s not a specific day, but it is an established time that works within your rhythm of work and rest. If the Sabbath were only on Sunday, those who work in the church would never observe it because Sunday is a workday. Whatever that day is for you, find it, enjoy it, cherish it, and protect it because when it is neglected, you are no service to yourself or others. We must have a proper understanding of the Sabbath before we can establish a proper perspective on work and its relation to what we do and who we are.

The Flame of Work (Serving)

The foundation for the theology of work lies in the Genesis creation narratives, where God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. God was already at work before humanity was created. He established rest for humankind before He established work. Work was not a consequence of humanity’s fall; it existed in the Garden of Eden before humanity fell. When properly understood, work reflects the image of God and provides purpose and fulfillment that is guided by a sense of divine calling. The concept of calling in Christianity involves a primary calling to follow Christ and a secondary calling to live for Christ. Calling is also essential to understanding work, balancing work and rest, and recognizing that life has a deeper purpose beyond personal ambitions. Life is about using one’s gifts to serve God and others, which offers eschatological hope in fulfilling a purpose greater than oneself.

Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance-era mathematician and astronomer who formulated the heliocentric model, proposing that the Sun, rather than the Earth, is at the center of the cosmos. This idea was controversial at the time because most people believed in the geocentric model, which placed Earth at the center of everything. When he published De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium in 1543, the Church did not immediately condemn it but viewed it as a useful mathematical model rather than a literal description of the universe. In the early 1600s, Galileo Galilei provided observational evidence supporting heliocentrism, and the theory became increasingly contentious. Some Church authorities opposed it because it contradicted specific biblical passages (Joshua 10:13; Psalm 104:5; 1 Chronicles 16:30; Isaiah 38:8) and undermined the long-standing Aristotelian and Ptolemaic models of the cosmos. In 1616, the Catholic Church officially declared heliocentrism heretical, arguing that it contradicted Scripture, and placed De Revolutionibus on the Index of Forbidden Books.  Many of us hold firmly to our work ethic, much like the Church clung to the geocentric model of the cosmos. For some, a theological description of work will provide a Copernicus-like revelation that reformulates all we know and believe about work and service. Our work ethic shapes our view of service in ministry. The principles behind our work ethic and our service to God are inseparable. There appears to be no philosophical or theological distinction between how we work at a job and how we serve God. For some, their secular employment serves as a form of ministry. Our philosophy and theology of work, however, have been shaped more by society and culture than by Scripture.

Ever since I reached the legal age to work, I have consistently held a job. I worked at a movie theater and a grocery store during high school. I worked at an airport gift shop in college, and by God’s grace, I have only been employed in three places over the past 35 years without a lapse in employment. I am grateful for that because I know it did not have to be that way. I believed I always had a strong work ethic. I showed up early and stayed late. I was taught from a young age that as an African American, I had to work twice as hard to be recognized half as much, so being good enough was not enough for me. In college, I balanced being a full-time student with a full-time job. When I worked at the copier company, I arrived early and stayed late because I wanted to advance within the company. I returned to school to complete my Bachelor’s degree while working full-time. I completed my Master’s of Divinity and Doctorate in Ministry while working full-time at the church. During that time, I juggled having a wife and two kids while commuting to the seminary twice a week, 100 miles one way. Throughout my career, there were moments when I was in school while managing a full-time job, a part-time job, and family responsibilities. Throughout my working career, I have worked a 24-hour shift at least three times. At times, I worked all week with 4 to 5 hours of sleep each night. I thought this meant that I was a hard worker and possessed a good work ethic. My mother and father were hardworking individuals as well. I come from a family of hard workers. I believed I had a good work ethic, or so I thought. Some may look at my work history, see reflections of themselves in it, and agree that these are traits of a strong work ethic. But after examining Scripture closely, I discovered that our upbringing and culture often mold our work ethic, but it has very little to do with Scripture.

The foundation of our secondary calling to serve God is rooted in the theology of work, which is found in the creation narratives in Genesis 1-2. The first narrative begins with the pre-existence of the celestial bodies and the terrestrial body before humanity inhabited it. The terrestrial body was in darkness and disarray until the breath of God intervened, bringing light and order. This initiated a series of developments within the creation narrative, categorized by a chronological measurement in days. Each day was initiated by divine actions whereby “God said” (Genesis 1:5, 6, 9, 14, 20, 24), and creation unfolded. The work was carried out over six days. On the sixth day, humanity was created and instructed to procreate and steward the earth (Genesis 1:26-30; 2:8–15). Genesis 2 presents an account that begins with the events of the seventh day, when God rested from all His work (Genesis 2:2). The seventh day was “blessed” and “sanctified,” indicating that it was a day set aside for rest. The seventh day was not merely a day off but a day that God intentionally designated for communion with the Creator. It was a day of rest, blessed by God and declared to be a time for God and creation to engage with one another. The divine act of blessing the Sabbath is an implicit assertion of God’s imparting power and potential to a particular temporal order, suggesting that humans honoring the work/rest rhythm can profoundly impact life itself (as can its neglect). Setting aside one day when humans focus not on their responsibilities and freedoms but on God’s order of life honors God’s overarching creative purposes and integrates oneself into them. It acknowledges that God is indeed the “Creator and provider of all things.”³⁵

Work is defined by its relationship to the Sabbath, which existed before human work was instituted. Following the chronological timeline of the first creation narrative, the first day began with darkness until God brought light. This means that the rhythm of life began each day with rest instead of work. When we awaken to a new day, God has already been at work. This reminds us that we are “a part of the creative process itself,” not co-creators with God.³⁶ We are not responsible for the world, but we have a responsibility to the world. Ontologically, humanity is first a part of nature; therefore, humanity’s dominion over nature is limited in that “matter cannot be subordinate to man for it is essential to man that he is matter.”³⁷ To coexist within the framework of the divine order of creation, humanity must not overestimate its value nor underestimate its contribution to the grand narrative of God at work in creation. This includes God working through the agency of human affairs. Humanity was created on the sixth day, and God established the Sabbath on the seventh day, which means that the “first full day on the planet as the human race was a day off…if we violate this order, we damage ourselves and deprive those we love.”³⁸ Humanity must take its contributions seriously without taking itself too seriously. God had already been at work before humankind participated. Humanity is allowed the opportunity to participate in God’s creative process. God entrusted Adam with the responsibility of caring for the garden, symbolizing that humanity was responsible for caring for creation (Genesis 2:15). In Genesis 3:19 and 23, however, labor became toil because humankind violated God’s standard and partook of that which was forbidden. After humanity began operating outside God’s design for work, labor became “more difficult and more energy has to be expended to gain a living from the soil.”³⁹ This is not to say that working within God’s divine design will not have obstacles and challenges.

Work was not the result of humanity’s fall in Genesis 3, as some may believe. Adam was given the occupation of what we know today as a farmer in Genesis 2:15: “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” The two active verbs in this verse are “to work” (‘âḇaḏ), which by implication means “to till,” and “to keep” (šâmar), which by implication means “to watch” or “to protect.” The notion that the institution of work resulted from the fall in Genesis 3 is dispelled by the pre-existence of labor in Genesis 2. As a result of the fall, labor was not cursed, but the ground from which humanity was created was cursed. As a result of the curse, the ground brought forth thorns and thistles as well as plants needed for food (Genesis 3:18). This means that God’s command to subdue the earth will be more challenging to fulfill. The ground was redeemed, however, after the flood in Genesis 5:29.

And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.

Noah’s name means “relief” in that, as the new Adam, he brings relief to the toil of labor. God blesses Noah and his family in Genesis 9:1,“And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.’” This blessing “pertains to both nonhumans and humans in this text. God’s post-flood blessings begin to take effect amid the world of the curse in all its aspects, hence ameliorating the effects of the curse.”⁴⁰ Work is not punishment; though at times it may feel that way, when properly understood, it is a means by which humanity reflects the image of God as creator, inventor, and producer of valuable things. Labor is sometimes strenuous, but it was designed to be manageable and existential, giving human beings a sense of purpose and fulfillment. O’Hana affirms,

God created you with the need for achievement and accomplishment and gave you the drive for productivity and generativity. He knew that your labor would bring you stress and pain but could also bring you great satisfaction. ⁴¹

Jesus is the expressed image of God in human form, but he was also a laborer. In Mark 6:3, Jesus is referred to as the son of a “carpenter,” which is the Greek word tektōn meaning “a craftsman” or “skilled laborer.” It is from this word that we derive the terms technology and technician. As a craftsman, Jesus’s “job fits well within the call to ‘cultivate and keep the garden’ from Genesis, but his carpentry also functions as a validation of his human nature and redemptive work.”⁴²

Work is from God and was declared good in the garden. Humans are not workers due to “some accident of nature, but because God is a worker, and persons are created in his image.”⁴³ Work is essential to our ontological nature. All animals work in some capacity. Spiders build webs, birds construct nests, and bees create hives. It is a fundamental aspect of the ontological makeup of the animal kingdom to work and create. The existential element of imagination separates humanity from other members of the animal kingdom. In Das Kapital, Karl Marx’s anthropology describes the ontological connection between humanity and work that differentiates humankind from other animals. While Marx agrees that a spider may build a web like a weaver and bees make hives like an architect, “what distinguishes the worst architect from the best of bees is this: that the architect raises his structure in imagination before he erects it in reality.”⁴⁴ John Dyer contends that the ability to “think rationally” is part of humankind’s ontological makeup as bearers of the image of God (Genesis 1:26).⁴⁵ The work of human hands exists mentally before it is performed physically. This intellectual intentionality provides an existential sense of purpose beyond the act performed. Pope John Paul II, the head of the Roman Catholic Church of Vatican City from 1978 to his death in 2005, was known for his extensive travels around the world, visiting numerous countries and addressing a wide range of issues, including social justice, human rights, and interfaith dialogue. Growing up in communist Poland, he was well acquainted with the Marxist view of labor, which was influenced by the exploitation of laborers during the Industrial Revolution. Pope John Paul II wrote an encyclical in 1981 entitled Laborem Exercens (“On Human Work”), which addresses social and ethical issues, mainly focusing on the dignity of the human person. The encyclical emphasizes the intrinsic dignity of every human person and how work is an expression of that dignity. It stresses that work should not degrade or dehumanize individuals but contribute to their flourishing and well-being. It also discusses how work is not merely a means of economic production but also a way for humans to participate in God’s creative process. Work allows people to contribute positively to the development of society and the world. In this encyclical, he contends that work fulfills humanity’s sense of “self-realization.”⁴⁶ Work provides a sense of fulfillment connected to humanity’s sense of self and being. When work is overvalued, however, humanity is vulnerable to losing its sense of self, purpose, and being. This happens when work no longer satisfies the innate desire to contribute to the creative order, leading to disconnection, a part of the burnout experience. For those serving in ministry, it can lead to a disorientation regarding their calling.

When labor does not yield the expected reward, those serving in ministry may experience a sense of vocational disorientation, in which they begin to question their calling. We see evidence of an inequity between labor and expected reward in the ministry of the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19:9-18. In this passage, we “see all the signs of ministerial burnout. He appears to be worn out and fatigued, he seems to be sleeping a lot in this passage, he complains, he is suicidal, he needs to be told to eat, and he feels all alone.”⁴⁷ Freudenberger defines burnout as “a state of fatigue or frustration brought about by devotion to a cause, way of life, or relationship that failed to produce the expected reward.”⁴⁸Elijah experienced “fatigue and isolation” and exhibited “poor eating habits,” which were clinical signs of burnout.⁴⁹When Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18, he was not expecting to have his life threatened by Queen Jezebel. Dale Ralph Davis proposes that Elijah was not afraid of Jezebel but was “broken by her unrepentant paganism.”⁵⁰ Elijah’s labor in 1 Kings 18 did not meet the expected reward in 1 Kings 19, resulting in him exhibiting symptoms classified today as burnout.

Sometimes Christians slip into thinking that if we only get the truth to people or press upon them our most rigorous and cogent arguments, then… But let Jezebel be your teacher about what the human heart is like. There was a blaze of light on Mt. Carmel, but unless Yahweh grants internal light to see his external light, the darkness remains. Yahweh’s fire consumed everything (18:38) except the blindness in Jezebel’s mind and the recalcitrance in her will. “And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light” (John 3:19). This realization must temper all our expectations in our evangelism, counseling, and preaching.⁵¹

Elijah burdened himself with the expected outcome, but God reoriented him at Horeb. God shifted the burden from Elijah to himself by asking him, “What are you doing here?” (1 Kings 19:9, 13). By doing so, God extended a double invitation to Elijah to “state the case against Israel, and in so doing, to unburden his soul.”⁵² God provided him with new instructions, which included anointing Elisha as his successor (1 Kings 19:16), and Elijah learned that he was not alone in his faithfulness to YHWH.

Sometimes, we develop an “Elijah at Horeb” complex, and we take on more responsibility than we were given. When we do so, we set ourselves up for disappointment when the labor does not achieve the expected outcome. In Matthew 12, however, Jesus clarified the true meaning of the Sabbath and work, emphasizing that salvation is not based on works righteousness, but on God’s righteousness. Boring states, “Like ‘rest,’ the ‘easy’ yoke of Jesus is not an invitation to a life of ease, but of deliverance from the artificial burdens of human religion.”⁵³ Jesus tempers human expectations by affirming the theology of work, which teaches us that God works through human participation. Our work is not founded on human actions but on what God has done and continues to do. Authors Michael Wilder and Timothy Paul Jones write,

As Christian leaders, we are privileged to participate in a glorious plan that God can accomplish without us, but that he nevertheless chooses to share with us. Simply put, God does not need you—and that’s good news!⁵⁴

Once we understand our place in the larger framework of God at work in human history, we can adjust our expectations and affirm our confidence in Jesus Christ.

Another element of our theology of work is our effort to occasionally rush the harvest of ministry. When we try to rush the harvest—forcing outcomes, demanding visible success, or growing impatient with slow progress—we often end up disoriented in our sense of calling and eventually exhausted in spirit. One of the most poignant illustrations of this comes from the story of the Chinese bamboo tree. After planting, the bamboo requires consistent watering and care for five full years, during which no visible growth is above ground. It suddenly sprang up over 90 feet in the fifth year in just a few short weeks. Although it initially appears dormant, the tree is developing its root system to sustain its delayed yet timely growth. If the caretaker expects instant results or misinterprets waiting as failure, they might abandon the work or uproot the tree too soon, destroying what was always growing in the unseen. In the same way, when we rush to see fruit in our ministry, we often misinterpret God’s silence or slowness as a sign that we are on the wrong path. We begin to question our calling, doubt our purpose, and try to manufacture results in our own strength. This inner disorientation quickly spirals into burnout, not because we were never called, but because we tried to force what only God can bring in His time.

In the narrative of King Saul and David, we see the dangers of rushing the harvest. In 1 Samuel 13, Saul was called and anointed as Israel’s king; yet when the pressure mounted after he saw the people grow anxious and Samuel delayed his arrival to perform the sacrifice before going to battle, he could not endure the wait. Instead of standing firm in his calling and trusting God’s timing, Saul took matters into his own hands and offered the sacrifice, an act reserved for the prophet. King Saul offered another form of strange fire because he was not acting in obedience but in impatience and the desire to control the outcome. This was a fatal misstep, resulting in his kingdom being taken from him. Saul’s error was not just disobedience; it was a loss of clarity about his role and purpose, stemming from anxiety and an unwillingness to wait. Like Saul, when we measure our effectiveness by visible fruit, we risk stepping outside our true calling, doing more than we are asked, carrying burdens that are not ours, and exhausting ourselves in the process. This leads to burnout and a deep inner confusion: “Am I even called to do this?” But the problem is not our calling. It lies in our inability to trust the process of slow, deep, unseen growth. Galatians 6:9 speaks directly into this tension:

Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

The harvest is promised, but it is not immediate and not on our schedule. When we equate calling with productivity, we lose sight of faithfulness. When we expect every season to be fruitful, we misinterpret a season of deep rooting as failure. However, God wants us to focus more on faithfulness than fruitfulness.

In 1975, Father John Kavanaugh, a Jesuit priest and philosophy professor, traveled to Calcutta, India, to work with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity. He was at a personal crossroads, wrestling with deep uncertainty about the direction of his life. Having devoted years to academia, he questioned whether to remain in that world or commit himself more directly to serving the poor. Seeking divine guidance, he hoped that working alongside Mother Teresa might bring him the clarity he desperately needed. While in Calcutta, Father Kavanaugh worked at Nirmal Hriday, the “House of the Dying,” where he assisted in caring for the sick, the poor, and the dying. Amid this raw and sacred work, he was burdened by the same inner questions that had brought him there. Eventually, he approached Mother Teresa and asked for her help. “Mother Teresa, will you pray for me?” he asked. “What do you want me to pray for?” she replied. He answered, “Pray that I have clarity.” But she firmly refused. “No, I will not do that.” Surprised, he asked her why. She responded, “Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of.” Still puzzled, Father Kavanaugh protested, “But you always seem to have the clarity I long for.” Mother Teresa smiled gently and said, “I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you trust God.”⁵⁵ During seasons of deep rooting, we often look for clarity or tangible fruitfulness to affirm our sense of calling. We are called, however, to be fruitbearers, not fruit manufacturers. Scripture teaches that bearing fruit results from a life surrendered to Christ. In John 15:4–5, Jesus declares, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me… apart from me you can do nothing.” This illustrates that fruit-bearing is not something believers can accomplish on their own; instead, it flows naturally from abiding in Christ and living in a surrendered relationship with Him. Similarly, in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, Paul explains the division of labor in spiritual growth, stating, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” While we faithfully serve and labor, God causes the increase; the harvest is His responsibility. Our responsibility is to display the fruit, but the harvest is God’s work. Too often, we are consumed by the fire of our calling by taking on more responsibility than God requires. When we are faithful, the fruit will emerge in its season. Too often, we believe we are responsible for results rather than being part of a process. God calls us to plant, water, and wait, trusting that the harvest will come in His time, and it will be more lasting and abundant than anything we could have rushed to create.

Across cultures and philosophies, there is a deeply rooted and consistent warning: when we try to force growth, accelerate results, or harvest too soon, we risk destroying not only the fruit but the process itself. This truth is also explored in modern leadership literature. Stephen R. Covey, in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, introduces the concept of the “Law of the Farm” as a contrast to the quick-fix mentality of modern culture.⁵⁶ He contends that no farmer can cram a year’s worth of cultivation into the night before harvest. Covey warns that ignoring the rhythms of natural growth leads to disappointment and personal depletion. Philosophers have also recognized this danger. In Friedrich Nietzsche’s Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits, he observed that greatness is not born from impulse but from a slow, consistent process of becoming. In his reflections on creativity, character, and development, Nietzsche emphasized that people become what they are meant to be through enduring hardship, embracing limits, and resisting the temptation to manufacture success.

Sometimes, we have seasons of busyness where we have to burn the candle at both ends. But this should be for a season rather than a way of life. Some have multiple jobs or one job with many demands, resulting in a busy schedule. There is a fine line between working the job and the job working you. One can have a host of demands and a full itinerary without being consumed by their calling. The key is having the right relationship with calling, Sabbath rest, and work. When a person operates within the rhythm of calling, rest, and work, it fosters resilience that empowers those serving God to endure adverse circumstances and thrive despite the demands. When we do not operate within this rhythm, priorities become inverted, leading to a disorientation regarding one’s calling and a disconnection in serving. We are burning with “strange fire,” in that we are doing the right thing the wrong way, and it will not be long before we are reduced to ashes.

1. Amy O’Hana, Beyond Burnout (Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 2020), 28.
2. Freudenberger and Richelson, Burn Out, 89.
3. Christina Maslach and Michael P. Leiter, The Truth about Burnout: How Organizations Cause Personal Stress and What to Do about It, 1st ed. (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997), 18.
4. Ibid., 21
5. Skovholt and Trotter-Mathison, The Resilient Practitioner, 107.
6. O’Hana, Beyond Burnout, 147.
7. Johann Hari, Lost Connections: Why You’re Depressed and How to Find Hope (New York: Bloomsbury, 2019), 62.
8. Hari, Lost Connections, 62.
9. O’Hana, Beyond Burnout, 47.
10. Skovholt and Trotter-Mathison, The Resilient Practitioner, 136.
11. Burns, Chapman, and Guthrie, Resilient Ministry, 24.
12. Walter Brueggemann, Praying the Psalms: Engaging Scripture and the Life of the Spirit, 2nd ed. (Eugene: Cascade Books, 2007), 2.
13. Brueggemann, Praying the Psalms, 4.
14. Ibid., 11.
15. Keck, Matthew and Mark, 8:169.
16. Guinness, The Call, 54.
17. Leander Keck, New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, vol. 1, Genesis – Deuteronomy (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994), 312.
18. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, trans. R. H. Fuller (New York: Macmillan, 1959), 99
19. R. Ruth Barton, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry, exp. ed. (Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2018), 79.
20. Justo L. González, The Story of Christianity, Volume 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation, 2nd ed. (New York: HarperOne, 2010), 27.
21. Keck, Genesis–Deuteronomy, 1:39.
22. Keck, Genesis–Deuteronomy, 1:411.
23. Ibid., 1:644.
24. Walter Brueggemann, Sabbath As Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now, 1^st ed. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2014), 25.
25. Ibid., 39-44.
26. Ibid., 5.
27. Herbert Danby, ed.. The Mishnah: Translated from the Hebrew with Introduction and Brief Explanatory Notes (Peabody: Hendrickson, 2011), 113.
28. Brueggemann, Sabbath As Resistance, 5.
29. Keck, Genesis–Deuteronomy, 8:558.
30. Leander E. Keck, ed., Luke and John, The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, vol. 9 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998), 656.
31. Leander E. Keck, ed., Luke and John, The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, vol. 9 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998), 656.
32. Abraham Joshua Heschel, Ilya Schor, and Susannah Heschel, The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man (New York: Farrer, Straus and Giroux, 2005), 39.
33. Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, 3^rd ed. (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1995), 303.
34. Brueggemann, Sabbath As Resistance, 25.
35. Keck, Genesis–Deuteronomy, 1:40.
36. Ibid., 1:42.
37. Darrell Cosden, A Theology of Work: Work and the New Creation (Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2006), 34.
38. Ken Shigematsu, Survival Guide for the Soul: How to Flourish Spiritually in a World That Pressures Us to Achieve (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2018), 97.
39. Keck, Genesis–Deuteronomy, 1:53.
40. Keck, Genesis–Deuteronomy, 1:84.
41. O’Hana, Beyond Burnout, 63.
42. John Dyer, From the Garden to the City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2011), 164.
43. Cosden, A Theology of Work, 17.
44. Marx and Engels, Collected Works, 188.
45. John Dyer, From the Garden to the City (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2011), 44.
46. Cosden, A Theology of Work, 28.
47. Keck, Narrative Literature, 2:719.
48. Freudenberger and Richelson, Burn Out, 13.
49. Mayo Clinic, “Job Burnout.”
50. Dale Ralph Davis, I Kings: The Wisdom and the Folly (Fearn: Christian Focus, 2002), 266.
51. Davis, I Kings, 267.
52. Ibid., 267.
53. Keck, Matthew and Mark, 8:275.
54. Michael S. Wilder and Timothy P. Jones, The God Who Goes Before You: Pastoral Leadership as Christ-Centered Followership (Nashville: B & H Academic, 2018), 39.
55. Clayton Berry, “SLU Jesuit Philosopher Recounts Transforming Time Spent with Mother Teresa,” Catholic Education Resource Center, Saint Louis University, September 4, 2007.
56. Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1989.