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May 2012

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Exit Stage Left: Putting an End to Burnout

by Mike Sessler

I've met a lot of church techies in my life; and very few of them are lazy. In fact, most work extremely hard—overachieving, even. So while it saddens me every time I hear about it, it's not really surprising. I'm speaking, of course, of burnout. Reaching the point where you just can't go on. The place where getting up at 6 AM to head in for tech run-through just isn't fun anymore. Where you dread Thursday night rehearsals. And if someone asks for one more change to their monitor mix, you're going to lose it. That kind of burnout.

I have seen far too many talented people, clearly gifted by God to serve in technical capacities, burn out and quit. It's a huge loss for the Church, and for each individual who no longer loves doing what God equipped them to do. But it doesn't have to end this way! If you are a techie, or if you lead techies, please consider some of the following suggestions.

Rest
We all need rest. Few of us actually take it. I use the word "take" intentionally. I know tech directors who, given three weeks of vacation a year, take three days. Why is that? Actually, I understand. There is always more to be done. Sundays come with alarming regularity. But take it from someone who has been doing this for a long time—you will never get caught up. So relax, and take some time off.

Even on our days off, we need to be intentional about taking time to really rest. A few weeks ago, I felt like I should be doing a few hundred things. In a rare moment of clarity, I put down the laptop, turned off my phone and was simply still. An hour later I was more invigorated, more creative and more excited about the projects I needed to work on. Why don't I do that daily, or at least weekly?

Right-Size Expectations
I've noticed that techies are doers and love to rise to a challenge. We thrive on the impossible. So when leadership asks us to do something out of our normal scope, we normally say, "I can do that." And then we put in an extra 20 hours. I used to blame this on leadership not really understanding my job. Now I realize it's my fault for continuing to do the impossible and never informing anyone of the cost.

We need to learn to answer those requests with, "I'm happy [or excited, or willing] to do that, but something else is going to have to give this week. Can we take a moment and figure out what it should be?" Sometimes we just need to suck it up and get it done. Most times, however, we can (and should) re-balance our week to maintain a sustainable pace.

Reach Out
Being a church techie can be a lonely job. Even larger churches often have only one or two tech people on staff and it can be hard to find other people to connect with. One of the most valuable lessons I've learned over the last few years is that I need to reach out and get to know other tech people in other churches. When I have a bad day, I can call one of them up and talk about it—and they get it! They've been there. Suddenly my problems don't seem so overwhelming.

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Mike Sessler is the technical director at Coast Hills Community Church in Aliso Viejo, Calif. He has been involved in live production for over 20 years and is the author of the blog http://www.ChurchTechArts.org. He also hosts a weekly podcast called Church Tech Weekly on http://www.TechArtsNetwork.com.