Zeal without Burnout, by Christopher Ash (The Good Book Company, 123 pp., Amazon, CBD)

The title of this book reminded me of the words of an inspirational chorus: “Let me burn out for Thee, dear Lord, burn and wear out for Thee…”  Zeal without Burnout addresses the confusion surrounding this noble-sounding ambition. Christopher Ash proposes that “sustainable sacrifice” in “long term, low key” service is much preferable to a brief, impressive sprint that ends in exhaustion, collapse, or even leaving the ministry. 

Ash knows what he is talking about: twice he has found himself at the verge of an emotional breakdown.  By God’s grace he was able to resume his work as a church leader, writer, and educator.  His personal experience and those of others provide background for scriptural teaching and wise admonition—appropriately enough, within a simple, short, and easily-read book.  While pastors are the target audience, Ash makes it clear that anyone who serves sacrificially in local church ministry should be on his guard against over-commitment.

Using the illustration of firefighting “heroes” who fail to know their limitations and have to be rescued themselves, Ash differentiates between “godly sacrifice and needless burnout.”  Safeguarding ourselves from burnout may seem “selfish and unspiritual,” but it is not.   No one burns out alone: our collapses affect spouses, families, and co-workers, whose investment in support and restoration efforts can be costly. (23-26)

Ash’s thesis, “a neglected truth,” is that “(w)e are creatures of dust (35).”  Our sinful hearts tempt us to believe that we can function well while disregarding our limits if we are doing the Lord’s work.  While this belief shows up under different guises, it can be summed up as an unhealthy ignorance of our fragility and dependence on God—in short, idolatry.  Four practical effects of our mortal constitution are contrasted with the character of God.  We need sleep, Sabbath rests, friends, and inward renewal; God does not.  Ash devotes a chapter to each of these four essentials. 

Sleep is a “fundamental mark of our mortality.” Since Christian ministry often involves irregular hours, those in such work need to be doubly careful about their sleeping habits.  Ash suggests practical ideas for “ending a day well” to prepare for restful sleep. 

Without entering the debate on Christian Sabbath-keeping, Ash says simply that we must maintain “the discipline of a weekly day off.”   Certainly crises happen, but many “urgent” needs can wait.  We are not God, and we will never manage to “sort everybody out.”  God is still at work to accomplish His purposes as we follow the creation principle of six days to work, one day to rest.

We need “healthy Christian friendships” with their joy and accountability and encouragement.  A pastor or leader who does not have close friends is in a dangerous position.  Companionship and intimacy in marriage are vital, but Ash also contrasts intentional, honest, local friendships with superficial Facebook “friends.”  During one of his times of difficulty he formed a prayer and exhortation circle with two other men and found it immensely helpful.

Inward and spiritual renewal are necessary because we are not merely dust; we are “dust in whom the Spirit of Christ lives (73).”  We need times of Bible reading and prayer, times of rejoicing before God, and times of simple thoughtful reflection as well as mental and physical activities that refresh us.  The types of experiences individuals find “draining or energizing” will vary, but we must deliberately make space for emotional and spiritual replenishment.

Ash concludes with a warning, an encouragement, and a “delight.”  He cautions against seeking out and valuing the praise of men; the antidote is to pray that God will give us a desire for His glory instead of our own.  The encouragement is that “nothing we do in Christ, for His glory, for His gospel, will ultimately be in vain (97).”  And while delighting in our gifts pressures us to succeed in a “culture of works,” glorying in God’s grace reminds us that we are privileged recipients of a power not our own.

The final chapter is written by Dr. Steve Midgley, a psychiatrist, Christian counselor, and pastor who defines burnout, identifies warning signs, and lists practical steps to avoidance or recovery. Although God can use burnout to show us needed change, Midgley says, “…it would be still better to arrive at wiser patterns of discipleship before, rather than after, we burn out (123).”  This book offers concise help in structuring those patterns, whether preventative or remedial.