Anyone who has been active in ministry knows how easy it is to fall out of the faith when one is burnt out. Serving in church, whether in a full-time or volunteer capacity is a work of overflow, meaning we can only give what we have ourselves.
The popular preacher and homiletics teacher Charles Spurgeon once noted that preaching is a heart work, meaning preachers speak what God has impressed in their heart. Any other form of ministry is no different, from worship leading, teaching, interceding and giving service and compassion work.
But what happens when we are caught running on steam at the height of our ministry, but there is just no will to go on serving the body of Christ nor to go on serving God? Do we drop whatever we are doing and take a break? Or do we press on and "run the race" dragging our souls and potentially breaking it? Here are some points to take note of.
When serving in ministry, one thing we must all remember is that we will get tired. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." Getting tired doesn't mean that you're a lesser Christian or that you're disappointing God so there is no reason to feel bad if you're tired.
What matters: Connect with God
When we're tired and run out of strength to fight, the important thing is not what we do nor how we feel, but whom we run to. If you feel like you can go on and continue what you're doing, by all means go for it. If you need to take a break, then take time to rest in the presence of God. In other words, there is no set framework or formula to deciding whether to stop ministry or not when you're burnt out. The big question is "What is God calling you to do when you burn out?" Is He calling you to cast your burdens upon Him or is He calling you to fight the good fight of faith?
In the 15 years that I have served in ministry, both full-time and on a volunteer basis, God has called me at different seasons where I was tired to rest. Yet He has also called me in many season to persevere and fight on. In all times, I only did one thing: I took time to be still and wait on God's instructions and asked for the grace to carry out what He has commanded me to do.
John 15:4 reminds us, "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." Yes it's true that we will get tired, but our fruitfulness and our productivity in ministry does not rely on how strong we are or how filled we are, but rather on whether we continue in our relationship with Him.
