Serving Jesus Without Burning Out

The health of the church depends on the health of its leaders.

Whether due to emotional exhaustion, poor choices, moral failures, or stress and fatigue, church leaders are experiencing burnout at higher rates than ever before. In Serving Jesus without Burning Out, Steven A. McKinion and D. Scott Hildreth address some of the most problematic issues facing men and women in church leadership today, including a pervasive lack of rest and barriers to community, authenticity, and personal holiness.

To combat these issues, the authors construct a biblical framework of Christian ministry, prodding readers to consider what is driving their work of ministry. Then they recommend the importance of seeking continual spiritual growth and holiness in ministry. Finally, McKinion and Hildreth issue a warning to those who might make ministry an idol, urging Christians to do ministry for Christ and in Christ.

Serving Jesus without Burning Out helps ministers to survive, and even thrive, in the challenges and blessings of Christian ministry.

D. Scott Hildreth (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is associate professor of missiology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Steven A. McKinion (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of theology and patristic studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

"McKinion and Hildreth issue a clear call to those tired from the unique strains of ministry to go to the source of our strength: the Lord Jesus Christ. Every pastor should read, recommend, and revisit this work often to be reminded that the source of our strength flows from the very life of God himself, which is given to us through Christ by the Spirit. After all, it's his work, and our work is to rest in him."
--T. Andrew Brown, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Starkville, Mississippi

"The success of the local church's mission rests on the health of its leaders. Tragically, however, it seems that almost every day we hear stories of men and women leaving ministry because of burnout or moral failure. The crisis is reaching epic proportions, and our mission is suffering. Serving Jesus Without Burning Out offers biblically rooted wisdom for lifelong, evergreen, highly fruitful ministry. As Robert Murray M'Cheyne famously said, when it's all said and done the greatest gift we can give to our people is a consistent life of holiness."
--J.D. Greear, Pastor, The Summit Church, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

"When the statistics of burn out in ministry become faces you recognize and stories you know, then the need for guidance proves urgent. Steve and Scott fill that gap and provide not only biblical wisdom from ministry experience but also a straight-shooting resource from pastors for every Christian. In these pages, they diagnose the potential dangers of ministry and chart a course forward for spiritual growth. This is the right book for this time, and it's the right book for you."
--Stephen Lorance, Pastor of Leadership Development, Two Cities Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

"Written with wisdom and compassion, this book is an invitation to pause, reflect, and consider the deeper challenges of ministry. Every man and woman serving in vocational ministry desires to do so faithfully and fruitfully. Those same people would also tell you that while it is a gift, the wear and tear of ministry allows burnout to show up as an uninvited dinner guest. This book is a timely warning and a needed source of refreshment for anyone laboring in ministry--pastors, missionaries, teachers, counselors, and others."
-Gregory Mathias, Associate Professor of Global Missions, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

"I receive calls on a regular basis from ministry leaders who have either made the decision to walk away from ministry or who are contemplating leaving the ministry. In those moments a resource like Serving Jesus without Burning Out will be incredibly helpful. Whether it is a misunderstanding of the nature and practice of ministry, a misplaced priority, or a failure to recognize one's own need for ministry friendships, this book addresses many of the most common pitfalls of burnout in ministry. I am thankful for this ministry guidebook written by two ministry leaders that I count as both friends and colleagues. Hildreth and McKinion not only write about these important principles, but they also live them out in busy ministry contexts. Whether you are just starting out or have been in ministry for decades, get a copy of this book. You will be refreshed and reminded of foundational principles that will help you last in ministry."
-Steven P. Wade, Professor of Pastoral Theology, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary