How to recover from Church Burnout

[Mel62]

I have attended the same church for seven years. Served, tithed, attended connect groups, etc.

About four months ago, I stopped serving and attending. I reached out to my Senior pastor and mentioned my church burnout. He mentioned I simply need to be in the word more to refresh myself.

I read my bible. I listen to sermons. I continue to donate to the church and charities.

I simply cannot get myself to attend church every Sunday. I know the Holy Spirit is working with me.

Any advice on how I can get back to attending?

 

[ChristianFromKazakhstan]

brother, which denomination? If you dont mind that I ask you. Which ministry did you serve in?

 

[ReesePiece23]

Do you NEED to go to church? I only ask because I've been doing very well attending a one man church for a long time now. And that one man is me, and me alone. I can't actually remember the last time I attended a service. (Christmas morning, two years ago maybe?) And since my last visit, I've really been cooking on gas - my faith is stronger than ever, and I'm going out there and bringing the world to rights, achieving things I never thought possible. All through prayer and faith in Him.

Church is superficial if nothing is done outside of it. God doesn't want to see you going through the motions and attending church at the same time, every week, week in week out, month after month, year after year, just because you feel obligated. I'm sure He'd much rather see you utilise your time (across the week) to its fullest potential.

There is no linear way to follow Christ. At least, I don't think so. Not when He works in such mysterious ways Himself.

 

[Mel62]

I belong to a Charismatic church that I love. I served in Parking, Usher, Outreach and a class environment we call DNA.

 

[Mel62]

Do you NEED to go to church? I only ask because I've been doing very well attending a one man church for a long time now. And that one man is me, and me alone. I can't actually remember the last time I attended a service. (Christmas morning, two years ago maybe?) And since my last visit, I've really been cooking on gas - my faith is stronger than ever, and I'm going out there and bringing the world to rights, achieving things I never thought possible. All through prayer and faith in Him.

Church is superficial if nothing is done outside of it. God doesn't want to see you going through the motions and attending church at the same time, every week, week in week out, month after month, year after year, just because you feel obligated. I'm sure He'd much rather see you utilise your time (across the week) to its fullest potential.

There is no linear way to follow Christ. At least, I don't think so. Not when He works in such mysterious ways Himself.

Thanks. That's exactly how I feel.

I love my walk with Christ. I feel my faith has gotten deeper outside of attending church on a weekly basis.

 

[ChristianFromKazakhstan]

Any advice on how I can get back to attending?

Sorry, another question - you consider same church or maybe a different church?

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Any advice on how I can get back to attending?

"Advice" : don't.
.
.
.Well, do continually seek YHWH'S KINGDOM - be in YHWH'S KINGDOM TODAY
instead of the world system.
Do what YHWH says - tell HIM so. (that you want to).
THen
it is up to HIM to direct your steps - just as if you joined the army. You don't have to wonder what to do , THEY TELL YOU. All you had to chose was to JOIN.

Same with YHWH'S KINGDOM, YHWH Willing. (and SINCE HE SENT HIS SON, so we could be becoming HIS CHILDREN, well, I figure, and HIS WORD SAYS, HE IS WILLING (with conditions)(like if we are willing) )

HE really wants us to be saved,
and to listen to HIM ,
TODAY.

 

[BelleC]

Please don't follow the advice to simply stop attending. I remember a demonstration I once read about. A pastor visited a man who had said he no longer felt the need to attend church. After a greeting the pastor went over to the fireplace where the man had a fire burning. The pastor borrowed the tongs and pulled out a small burning coal and set on the bricks away from the rest. He sat down chatting with the man for a short time while the burning coal turned cool and darkened the he got up and returned it to the fire where it caught flame and burned brightly again. The homeowner got the message.

Alone we tend to cool off or start to believe we have all the answers. Neither is good.

My advice is to cut back your activities and just allow yourself to be spiritually fed for a time. Concentrate on trying to hear from God which things you should be concentrating on and let go of the rest. Try to link up with a godly man to be a friend and partner. Maybe you can encourage each other in dry times like this. The good news is that after we pass through a dry time the refreshment can knock your socks off

 

[Greg J.]

You can try going to church for other reasons. Go to chat with people before and after the service. Read some fiction while the service is going on.

It is important is that your tie to the living, communicating Jesus is not entirely through your church. The more this is true, the less of a potential problem it is to not attend church for a while. Jesus wants you to be connected to him personally (as well as communally). If your church kicked you out, would your connection to Christ be altered? Hopefully not. Perhaps you can take advantage of your time now to seek the Lord more personally (although perhaps you are already doing this). Prayer time and Bible study are two of the more obvious activities. Preferably a couple days should not go by where you have not talked to Him.

Probably the best possible solution in light of not going to church for a while would include keeping an accountability partner up-to-date with your walk with Jesus. It is certainly a problem if that seems to be drifting away.

 

[tturt]

posted: "My advice is to cut back your activities and just allow yourself to be spiritually fed for a time."

Agree with this advice.

Our spirits believe The Word. So no matter how we're feeling/thinking we can saturate our spirits with more of G_d's Word. There's audio Bibles at Biblegateway.com. "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." John 6:63
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Heb 10:25
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:" Eph 4:11-12

 

[Goodbook]

Just cut back your activities a little or maybe take a break, go on holiday and refresh.

It doesnt seem like an issue with your church itself. Dont feel guilty for not going all the time. God sees your faithfulness and its not that we are christians only in one church fellowship or a building. Maybe God wants you to reach out somewhere new.

 

[Radicchio]

Consider the following

Acts 2:42

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Hebrews 10

24 And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching prayers.

(NRSV)

 

[Radicchio]

Consider the following

Acts 2:42

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Hebrews 10

24 And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching prayers.

(NRSV)

 

[Catherineanne]

I have attended the same church for seven years. Served, tithed, attended connect groups, etc.

About four months ago, I stopped serving and attending. I reached out to my Senior pastor and mentioned my church burnout. He mentioned I simply need to be in the word more to refresh myself.

I read my bible. I listen to sermons. I continue to donate to the church and charities.

I simply cannot get myself to attend church every Sunday. I know the Holy Spirit is working with me.

Any advice on how I can get back to attending?

Give it some time.

Sorry not to be more positive, but it happens, and the only response I have found to work has been to trust God, and to wait.

 

[teresa]

for me, it helps by serving god in the community, it is much more deeply fulfilling than only going to church...

you mentioned the homeless, and wanting to do more.

my experience in a big metro area is to come across people who are using bus shelters as a resting place or temp home

as a mass transit user, it came naturally to just strike up conversations with these people and greet them by name in the future.

which led to sitting down with them and having lunch and dinner on me.

hearing their name being spoken, having their humanity acknowledged, their faces light up.

so many stories as to why they can't get a place to rent, being thrown out of shelters, evictions and arrests and so on....they really needed the human connection to tell someone about their struggles.

often carry around clean dry cotton socks which are so important when homeless, food vouchers, hats & mittens, and tooth paste and tooth brushes too.

pray with people, have a cup of coffee with them....tell them about jesus

Also I've let people use my phone and to wrote things down with pen and paper, make important outreach calls too

carry around paper flyers with shelter and food pantry and hot meal hours and times and locations etc....

be jesus hands and feet in the real world...

it's more than just Sunday

let church give you edification, encouragement, and guidance

then go out there

and do

we can be missionaries in our own communities

why not serve right here, right now?

 

[Philip_B]

Maybe you should think of it as a sabbatical. Perhaps you might use the opportunity to see what else is on offer, maybe try being a passenger in a different tradition for a few weeks. This may teach you something, and may help you understand what going to your own community of faith has for you. The B's of being Christian are Believe, Belong and Behave. Sometimes the belong part has a cost, sometimes a challenge, we can feel used, abused, or undervalued. Those feeling can be entirely valid. If go nowhere for a few weeks hasn't worked, try somewhere else for a few weeks. I pray strength for you in this period.

 

[teresa]

We are created to bear each other's burdens
Galatians 6:2

 

[Goatee]

Maybe, and only maybe, God is telling you that you are in the wrong church / denomination!

Pray about it my friend.