“Sometimes the most urgent thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest”1
In his 1976 publication titled A Man Called Intrepid, William Stevenson describes a WW2 event where Adolph Hitler, just before launching an attack against the Soviet Union in 1941, arranged for Stalin to see forged documents that indicated his own officers were conspiring against him. Gripped by paranoia, Stalin executed or imprisoned 35,000 top officers – over half the Russian officer corps. When Germany launched its attack, the Russian army suffered staggering casualties and defeats. Hitler understood that when an army loses its officers (leaders), disaster is just around the corner.2
This story is a poignant illustration of what can happen in any organization when leaders leave. A similar disaster is occurring in the Church today. Ken Sande, President of Peacemaker Ministries, provides some startling statistics: 23 percent of all current pastors in the United States have been fired or forced to resign in the past; 34 percent of pastors presently serve congregations that forced their previous pastor to resign; the average pastoral career lasts only fourteen years – less than half of what it was not long ago; 25 percent of the churches in one survey reported conflict in the previous five years that was serious enough to have a lasting impact on congregational life; and, 1,500 pastors leave their assignments every month in the United States because of conflict, burnout, or moral failure.3
These shocking statistics indicate there are thousands of churches weak and vulnerable to spiritual attack because of an absence of leadership.4 Although conflict, burnout, and moral failure are each major topics that need to be addressed, we will concentrate on the topic of rest as a deterrent to burnout. We need to remind ourselves that God instituted rest for our benefit and, subsequently, for the benefit of those we lead.
Biblical Imperative
We know the standard and may have even preached it; “six days of work followed by one of rest.” This principle is inter-woven deep throughout the fabric of Scripture.5 Beginning with creation,6 during the exodus of Israel through the wilderness,7 and into New Testament times,8 this provision for man has remained constant. This Sabbath command for rest9 is not, as some would want to believe, a suggestion. However, while we wholeheartedly embrace all of God’s directives, we have a tendency to place this one on the ‘back burner’ for the sake of the ministry.
While we are more familiar with the Sabbath day command given in Exodus 20 where the pattern of six work days is followed by a day of rest (as demonstrated by God during creation), Bass (2005) reminds us of the Deuteronomy 5:12-15 account where the command is given to observe the Sabbath. This account correlates to the experience of Israel’s release from Egyptian bondage. This day is offers time for reflection, of remembrance. While in captivity, Israel was a slave to Egyptian rule and could not take a day of rest. Now free, this seventh day provides time to rest and remember the creation and the liberation from slavery. In Jewish tradition, the creation emphasized the holiness of God; the liberation from slavery represents social justice.10
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, the Jewish religious leaders continually looked for opportunities to discredit him. On numerous occasions, they challenged Jesus about how he observed the Sabbath law. During an interchange recorded in Mark 2:27, Jesus makes an intriguing retort, “The Sabbath was made for the man, and not man for the Sabbath.” Jesus is clarifying for them that God did not intend the Sabbath to be an imposition upon man; man was not to be restrained by the law and kept from doing that which is good. In fact, in Matthew 12:12, Jesus says, “It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” The Sabbath is designed to be an advantage to man. God has regard for our bodies but much more regard for our souls. Thus, he provides this respite as an opportunity for our bodies to rest/recover from work, for our spirits to be renewed, and for us to celebrate the goodness of God.11
The writer of Hebrews gives emphasis to the importance of rest in chapters three and four. He reminds the readers of Israel’s rebellion and sin against God, how they refused to trust God to bring them into the promise land and help them overcome its inhabitants.12 The author warns that this type of rebellion will prohibit them from entering into God’s rest, rest that includes relief from his (man’s) own work.13 This scripture specifically warns against committing the same sin (not believing in the life-sustaining presence of God) that the Israelites committed in the wilderness which resulted in their failure to enter into God’s rest. However, it also provides enough evidence for us to acknowledge the need for obedience concerning Sabbatical rest.14
Our Reality
Leadership is stressful and research has shown the impact it has on the human body.15 If the body does not have opportunity to rest and renew itself, the resulting effects can be quite dramatic. Dr. Kenneth Greenspan, director of the Centre of Stress Related Disorders at New York’s Presbyterian Hospital, claims that stress contributes to 90% of all diseases; over half of all visits to doctors are stress-related.16
Even with this realization, rest among leaders has become a casualty of achievement. In the quest for excellence, today’s leaders bring together an excessive amount of strategizing techniques, technological skills, and marketing methodologies to ensure their organization’s competitive advantage, yet ignore the need for rest.17 This fact is supported by Thornton (2007). He reports that the average number of daily work hours for Americans has actually increased by 14.5% over the past eight years, from 40.1 hours per workweek to 46 hours. Among American leaders, the increase is more dramatic; an increase of 22%, from 45.9 to 56 hours per week,18 leaving very little time for rest.
For a pastor, particularly those who minister in smaller churches where they may be the only paid clergy, the 24/7/365 expectation of availability is overwhelming. Furthermore, many pastors with smaller congregations often must supplement their income by working outside the church.19 This compounding pressure to provide sufficient pastoral care and financial support for their family can become a major obstacle to rest. Whether deliberate or overlooked, the failure to allow for rest and renewal of the body, mind, and spirit has significant negative consequences for the pastor, his family, and the congregation.
There are a many reasons pastoral ministry is so stressful. They are as unique and numerous as there are pastors. However, in his article titled Stress and Burnout in Ministry, Croucher (nd) lists some researchers agree are major problem areas. They include: the disparity between expectations (idealistic) and reality; lack of clearly defined boundaries – tasks never completed; workaholism – the ‘bed-at-the-church syndrome’; the conflict associated with being a leader and a servant at the same time; intangibility – ‘How do I know I’m accomplishing anything?’; confusion of role identity with self image – pastors derive too much self-esteem from what they do which too often leads to narcissism and ego-centrism; time management problems, including difficulty managing interruptions; inability to produce ‘win-win’ conflict resolution and preoccupation with ‘playing it safe’ to avoid enraging powerful parishioners; and, loneliness – the pastor is less likely to have a close friend than any other person in the community.20
The revelation of the number of pastors suffering from burnout due to stress, those who have experienced conflict, or those who have succumbed to moral failure is astounding.21 Although we see a direct correlation between stress, rest, and burnout, and although I cannot support the following, is it possible that Church conflict could be better resolved if the pastor received adequate rest and renewal? Could it also be possible that a pastor, who has adequate time for rest and renewal, will have a better chance to resist temptations to engage in immoral activities?
Our Response
Bass (2005) makes a compelling statement during the close of her article. She writes, “Mastering the practice of Sabbath keeping in this life is not the aim of Christian formation in and for the Sabbath. The aim is to know the grace of God in Christ, through grateful acceptance of a gracious practice that has been borne by a living tradition to a culture that sorely needs it. Yet even in accepting it, contemporary Christians will experience as well the truth of Augustine’s ancient testimony to God: “. . . our hearts are restless until they rest in you.””22
In view of this, our response must be active, not passive. Numerous articles have been written with compelling titles; Lessons in Leadership: Rest or Fail,23 Rest: A Leadership Imperative,24 Recognizing, Preventing Employee Burnout,25 Beat the Burnout,26 A Sabbath Sensibility: Time Out,27 Reclaimed by Sabbath Rest,28 The Modern Pastor and Burn-Out.29 These are but a few written on the necessity of leadership rest. Although each author provides his/her own observations and recommendations, they are unanimous in their declaration that rest is essential for leadership success.
From a business perspective, rest is counter-culture in this 24/7 global economy. However, it is a fundamental attribute of effective leadership. Although we recognize the need for rest, many of us sabotage our own success when we fail to leverage it into our lifestyles. We succumb to the same demise Israel did when they realized the need for rest but ignored it; we just chose to ride our own contemporary horses. Isaiah 30:15-16 says, “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’ Therefore you will flee! You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’ Therefore your pursuers will be swift!”30
Unless rest is a scheduled and maintained discipline, burnout and ultimate failure is inevitable. We, as leaders, must realize that there is a lot at stake when we fail to observe Sabbath rest. In the end, we will personally suffer incredible loss, but so will our families, our churches, and other community partners that we can no longer serve effectively when we burn out. Part of what turns good leaders into great leaders is the self-realization that we are creatures capable of renewal through rest. If we ignore this, every position we occupy and every relationship will suffer. Remember, prevention is always less expensive and less detrimental than treatment and attempts at recovery.31 Lastly, observing Sabbath rest affirms that God remains Lord over all our time.32