When Calling Becomes a Burden: Signs of pastoral burnout

Introduction: When the Sacred Feels Heavy

For many pastors, priests, chaplains, and ministry leaders, answering a call to serve God feels like a privilege — a sacred invitation to bring light into dark places. Yet over time, what begins as a deep sense of purpose can turn into something heavier: a quiet exhaustion, a fading sense of joy, and a haunting fear of failure.

You may still preach with conviction, still show up for others, still carry the weight of their pain — but inside, you notice that you feel hollow. It is harder to get up in the morning and keep doing the work day after day. When your “yes” to God becomes a source of guilt, pressure, or shame, you may be experiencing burnout, a word that too many clergy quietly identify with but often do not fully understand.

Recent research shows that religious leaders face some of the highest levels of chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, and psychological strain of any helping profession [1, 2]. This is partly because the boundaries present in many professions are not possible. Pastor's experience systemic pressures, emotional labour, and cultural expectations that can make rest and vulnerability feel difficult.

This article explores how burnout develops in ministry, why it’s so difficult to recognise, and how recovery can begin — not by abandoning your calling, but by reframing what faithful service truly looks like.

The Culture of Over-Responsibility

Many faith leaders are drawn to ministry out of compassion and a sense of mission. They want to serve, comfort, teach, and heal. Many of them are motivated by a desire to be self-sacrificial and generous with their time and energy. But the same traits that make them effective can also make them vulnerable to burnout.

In the largest systematic review of clergy and chaplain wellbeing to date, Hydinger and colleagues (2024) identified a consistent theme across 82 studies: religious leaders often feel an intense personal responsibility for the wellbeing of others, coupled with limited institutional support [1]. In other words, they carry deep empathy without adequate containment.

At times, a “always available” posture is reinforced by the communities ministry leaders serve. Congregations may unconsciously expect their pastor to be endlessly patient, wise, and spiritually grounded, even as that leader quietly struggles with fatigue, doubt, anxiety, or isolation.

For some, these expectations are internalised early. As one Australian researcher described, younger clergy are often especially vulnerable, believing that their value comes from being constantly needed and constantly present [3]. This internal drive — a fusion of perfectionism, faith, and responsibility — can create what psychologists call role engulfment, where one’s identity becomes inseparable from one’s function.

When Faith and Exhaustion Collide

For clergy, burnout doesn’t just feel like being tired. It can challenge their sense of self.

Unlike other professions, ministry burnout can challenge many aspects of a minister's spiritual world. If you feel detached, unmotivated, or spiritually dry, you may fear that you’ve somehow failed God. You might tell yourself, “If I just prayed more… believed harder… trusted deeper… maybe I wouldn’t feel this way.”

But research shows that these self-accusations are common among religious leaders — and deeply misleading. In fact, emotional exhaustion among clergy is rarely the result of spiritual failure; it’s more often the product of chronic emotional labour, boundary erosion, and unrealistic demands [1, 4].

A UK study by Francis, Turton, and Louden (2007) found high levels of burnout across Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, and Pentecostal clergy, regardless of denomination [5]. Many of these leaders described feeling “spiritually dry” while still functioning publicly as spiritual guides. It wasn’t a lack of devotion — it was depletion from constant giving.

Psychologically, this resembles what trauma researchers call empathy-based stress, which describes the cost of bearing witness to suffering without sufficient recovery time [1, 6]. Over time, this can manifest as compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, or emotional numbing — states that quietly hollow out the inner life of those who once led with deep conviction.

The Fear of Letting God Down

Taking time off can be helpful to replenish energy and reduce burnout, however ministry leaders often wonder if stepping back will mean they are unfaithful, or that they will let their parishioners down. They may also feel that seeking help is a sign of weakness.

However, Salwen et al. (2017) explored how evangelical pastors perceive psychological help and found that attitudes toward seeking professional support were not linked to spiritual wellbeing or openness [7]. Instead, reluctance stemmed from external factors — denominational culture, fear of stigma, and long-standing suspicion of psychology within some evangelical circles.

This means that even when pastors recognise they are struggling, they may avoid seeking help to protect their reputation, congregation, or perceived calling. They may fear that a counsellor or psychologist won’t understand their faith, or that admitting burnout will disqualify them from ministry.

The Myth of “Soldiering On”

One of the most dangerous beliefs in ministry culture is that resilience means pushing through.

Psychologically, burnout isn’t a failure of endurance. It’s a state of emotional depletion resulting from chronic mismatch between demands and resources [8]. In clergy contexts, this mismatch is often caused by institutional strains — long hours, ambiguous expectations, isolation, financial strain, and exposure to trauma [1]. The Hydinger review (2024) found that these stressors are often systemic, not personal. That means even the most devoted leader can burn out if the structures around them are unsustainable. It also means that it is very difficult to recovery from burnout while these strains remain.

Unfortunately, many leaders respond to stress by doubling down. They pray harder, work longer, or suppress their distress. This can lead to what some have referred to as “the dark night of the pastor’s soul” — which describes the erosion of vitality that is experienced under the weight of duty.

Healthy ministry, by contrast, requires rhythms of renewal. Rest, supervision, spiritual direction, therapy, and supportive relationships aren’t luxuries; they’re the infrastructure of sustainable faithfulness.

What are the Symptoms of Pastoral Burnout

The signs of burnout may include:

• Persistent fatigue that rest doesn’t fix

• Cynicism or emotional detachment from work and ministry

• Irritability or compassion fatigue (feeling less compassion in situations where you have previously felt empathy and care).

• Feeling ineffective, guilty, or numb

• Neglecting self-care, family, or practices that were previously helpful (e.g., spiritual practices such as prayer).

• A sense of futility: “Does any of this even matter?”

  
  

Some pastors experience this as spiritual dryness, others as anxiety, depression, or physical illness. For many, the first sign of ministry burnout is simply losing joy in what they once enjoyed and brought them a strong sense of purpose.

Reimagining Faithful Service

Theologian and psychologist Leslie Francis writes that clergy burnout is often sustained by “a theology of self-sacrifice without self-compassion.” [5]

In therapy, we often begin by helping faith leaders reframe what faithfulness means. True servanthood isn’t self-erasure and a constant life of self-sacrifice. Even Jesus withdrew to rest and prayed for strength in weakness. Ministry doesn’t demand the extinguishing of self; it requires the integration of humanity and humility.

From a psychological perspective, recovery involves several interconnected layers:

• Physiological renewal – Rebuilding the foundations of wellbeing through rest, nutrition, movement, and sleep. Restoring physical equilibrium helps regulate the stress response and supports emotional stability.

• Emotional regulation – Recognising and responding to internal stress cues with compassion rather than criticism. This includes identifying perfectionistic or over-responsible patterns and restoring balance between care for others and care for self.

• Cognitive and schema awareness – Understanding the deeper beliefs that drive overextension or guilt (e.g., “I must not disappoint others”, “I can’t rest until everything is done”). This insight allows space for more flexible, self-compassionate thinking. Schema Therapy can be helpful for this.

• Relational repair – Rebuilding healthy boundaries and support systems. Burnout often develops in relational contexts where needs for respect, appreciation, or autonomy have been unmet. Repairing trust and reconnecting with safe, supportive relationships is key.

• Behavioural recalibration – Establishing new rhythms, habits, and limits that protect energy and reinforce wellbeing. This might involve reducing overcommitment, pacing work, or integrating daily grounding and restorative practices.

• Existential meaning-making – Revisiting beliefs about worth, calling, and what it means to be “enough.” This process helps integrate values, spirituality, and purpose in a way that sustains rather than depletes.

  
  

For many clergy, this last layer is the hardest. It means confronting long-held assumptions: that suffering always sanctifies, that sacrifice always glorifies, or that strength means silence. Healing asks for honesty — sometimes the hardest spiritual discipline of all.

It is positive that the research highlights that with empathy, spiritual reflection, perseverance, there are pathways to healing when safely supported.

Steps Toward Healing

If you’re reading this as someone in ministry who feels worn down, you’re not alone — and you’re not beyond help.

1. Seek confidential, faith-sensitive support. A psychologist who understands the intersection of faith and emotional health can help you explore your struggles without judgment. Therapy can provide a safe space to unpack guilt, grief, and fatigue in ways that align with your spiritual values. Therapy can also provide opportunities to examine any thought or behavioural patterns that contributed to burnout.

2. Reconnect with supportive peers. Isolation magnifies burnout. Reach out to trusted colleagues, mentors, or pastoral care networks where vulnerability is safe and reciprocity is possible.

3. Re-establish boundaries and rhythms. Recovery often requires rediscovering the Sabbath — not as obligation, but as mercy. Regular rest, personal reflection, and hobbies outside ministry can restore perspective and energy.

4. Re-examine your theology of work and worth. Notice any beliefs that link divine approval with performance. Healing often begins when you allow yourself to be loved apart from usefulness.

5. Engage professional supervision or therapy early. As the research shows, preventive care is more effective than crisis management [1, 9]. Don’t wait until the signs are severe.

Hope Beyond the Burnout

Burnout doesn’t have to mean the end of ministry — but it can mark the beginning of a more grounded, authentic one.

Those who work through it often rediscover compassion in a new form — less about fixing and more about being present. They learn that strength isn’t in stoicism, but in awareness and humility.

As one study concluded, clergy who received support through counselling and reflective practice not only recovered but reported greater empathy and satisfaction in their ministry than before [10]. Healing, in this sense, can deepen rather than diminish calling.

Final Thoughts

Faithful service should never come at the cost of your own wellbeing. Burnout is not a spiritual indictment; it’s a human signal that something in your life and work needs gentler attention.

If you find yourself resonating with the experiences described here, it might be time to talk with someone — confidentially, safely, and without fear of judgment.

Seeking Support

If you are a faith leader, chaplain, or ministry partner feeling overwhelmed, and can see signs of ministry burnout, then help is available. At Refuge Psychology, I offer faith-sensitive, confidential psychological support to help clergy and ministry workers process burnout, trauma, and spiritual fatigue with compassion and care.

👉 Book an appointment here

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References

1. Hydinger, K. R., Wu, X., Captari, L. E., & Sandage, S. J. (2024). Burnout, trauma impacts, and well-being among clergy and chaplains: A systematic review. Pastoral Psychology, 73(5), 587–608.

2. Lewis, C. A., Turton, D. W., & Francis, L. J. (2007). Clergy work-related psychological health, stress, and burnout. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 10(1), 1–8.

3. Randall, K. (2007). The clergy work-related burnout study. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 10(1), 9–16.

4. Doolittle, B. R. (2007). United Methodist clergy and burnout. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 10(1), 31–38.

5. Francis, L. J., Turton, D. W., & Louden, S. H. (2007). Clergy, companion animals, and burnout. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 10(1), 61–74.

6. Figley, C. R. (1995). Compassion fatigue: Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the traumatized. Brunner/Mazel.

7. Salwen, E. D., Underwood, L. A., Dy-Liacco, G. S., & Arveson, K. R. (2017). Self-disclosure and spiritual well-being in pastors seeking professional psychological help. Pastoral Psychology, 66, 505–521.

8. Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1986). Maslach Burnout Inventory Manual (2nd ed.). Consulting Psychologists Press.

9. Muse, L. A., et al. (2016). Clergy burnout reduction following intensive outpatient intervention. Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling, 70(4), 301–310.

10. Proeschold-Bell, R. J., et al. (2015). Resilience and wellbeing among clergy. Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community, 43(2), 138–152.

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