Missionary Burnout: Causes & Cures

* Many said "culture shock." But I would say that it is not the big and obvious cultural differences that cause burnout. Rather, they are the subtle things that you don’t figure out until you’ve been on the field 5-7 years.

* Team related interpersonal conflicts. Not able to become a team player. Staff relationships. Unable to accept differences.

* Doing it all. A missionary often has to do everything...especially when it is a work from scratch.

* If you leave the field, you add guilt to the problem.

* Spiritual warfare.

* Frustrations with schooling the children.

* The feeling that people don’t appreciate what you’re doing for them.

* Allowing the mission to become your entire life.

C. Consequences

Many leave the field, never to realize the dream that originally moved them to serve God in another land.

It can cause total and irrecoverable spiritual death. We all know of missionaries who have not only given up on being missionaries, but who have given up on being Christians.

IV. HOW TO RECOVER AND/OR SUSTAIN EMOTIONAL & SPIRITUAL WHOLENESS

A. Returning to the Heart of God

He showed me the meaning of repentance as not just a turning away from sin, but of seeking after HIM . . . Returning to the heart of God ... allowing Him to be my sufficiency.

B. Discovering the Transactional Nature of Learning

What a relief it was for me to realize that Jesus is the teacher and that I am a fellow learner in the midst of this rich cross-cultural experience. There is much for me to learn from those to whom God has sent me.

From my Argentine brothers and sisters, and from the Argentine culture in general, I have learned the deep value of relationships over my personal goals and objectives.

I have learned to listen, to hear the real inner hurts, longings and fears of a people who have their own dreams and goals that have often been smashed and dashed to the ground by their own disappointments and countless setbacks.

C. Developing an invitational approach to evangelism.

My whole approach to inviting people to know God had not been very inviting at all. I had not listened to THEM to discover THEIR felt needs, perspectives on life, values, concerns, beliefs and fears. They were merely the materials from which I would build my dream. I had not taken the time to discover their dreams.

Christianity is supposed to be an invitation from God to humanity to come and to know the saving power of His kingdom and of His love. Unfortunately, most of what is called evangelism is not invitational at all. Instead of an effort to create an environment where people can freely respond to the invitation of God, it is often viewed as something we do TO people. We evangelize them. Just like processing companies homogenize and pasteurize milk, we evangelize sinners.

What a relief it was for me to realize that I cannot evangelize. I can only invite . . . create an environment that is conducive to finding Jesus.

Jesus said, "Follow me." His approach was fundamentally invitational. ... "You do not want to go away, too, do you?" (John 6:67).