Modern Church Life: Burnout, Schemes And Scape Goats

Exhaustion? -- Check 

Lack of enthusiasm? -- Check 

Feelings of ineffectiveness? -- Check 

Expressions of frustrations or cynicism? -- Check 

Ever wonder why this seems to be a common check list for most church staffers and overly active  laity if you get them to confide in you? 

If Nehemiah 8:10 - ". . . for the joy of the LORD is your strength" - is true, then why are so many fellow servants of our Heavenly Father experiencing these symptoms of burnout? 

As I See It, either God is letting us down on His end of the bargain or we're laboring under some false assumptions about Him, asking Him to bless us in a system of our own design or deception.  

Activity: One common misconception in the modern church is to mistake busyness and activity for spiritual growth. Jesus once passed a flourishing, leafy fig tree but cursed it; there was no fruit which should have been present. 

There was an old idea when I was growing up in church: If you kept people busy enough, they wouldn't have time to sin. Didn't work us then . . . won't work on folks now either.   

Schemes: These are commonly known as "programs" or "outreaches". Nothing wrong if they've been birth by the Holy Spirit, who will provide the people-power and finances. Too often these are the best ideas people come up with to keep others involved. 

Over the years I was involved with innumerable bus ministries, Sunday School enrollments, door-to-door cold calling, visitor follow ups, and X-Y-Z ministry experiments that were programs borrowed from other churches or to compete with other churches. ALMOST none of them lasted in the long run.  

Ironically, when Jesus gave what is called His Great Commission to His disciples, He said "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, . . .".  In the original language, the "Go" is best translated "to continue on one's journey." It's, then, while you are going on your life's journey make disciples . . . not START an evangelism outreach training to make disciples. 

Scapegoats: There's always a people group or political cause to be preached against. These scapegoats are great targets to rally people behind using their righteous indignation. Be it abortion, homosexuals, AIDS, prayer in school, evolution, etc, these are all hot buttons to blur the line between despising the sin and loving the sinner.  

Instead of helping reconcile the sinner and the fallen back to their Savior, self-righteousness is flung across pick lines with the sin of pride and religious hatred on full view to the world. Why should they listen to us about a loving Savior who, they see, births such venom on our tongues? 

Schemes, Activity, and Scapegoats are three very effective tools of the Spirit of Religion to drive Christians into the nursing home of religious burnout. Unfortunately, most residents are left with unsympathetic memos of guilt and further prodding to return to the spiritual salt mine by those still trapped in or paid by the system. So harassed are many, they just don't know how to escape the Religious Spirit. 

It takes a lot of courage to say, "No." But no is just as godly a response as yes if the Holy Spirit has not called you to a task. The Word of God, in Jesus' parables, made it clear the believer is ONLY responsible for the provision they are given . . . not the talents or calling of another believer.  

With the Holy Spirit as your source, He is responsible for your joy, your enthusiasm, and your effectiveness. That is the best antidote for frustration, cynicism and burn-out I know.  

nd As I See It, you have a scapegoat who will shoulder the guilt and rejection some church people want to pile on you for getting out of their religious rat-race. This Scapegoat is all about freedom.  

As pictured in Leviticus 16, yearly the sins of the nation of Israel were transferred to the head of the scapegoat who was reviled and driven out of the camp.  Isaiah 53:4 says "the Lord hath laid on him (the Messiah) the iniquity of us all." The Apostle Paul later wrote,  "For he hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God." (2 Cor. 5:21) 

That's a pretty good trade off.  

That's the kind of scapegoat I want to demonstrate for. 

FREEDOM!