The idea of “quiet quitting” has become popular in the broader workplace culture these days.
The term equates to workers who, instead of openly quitting a job they’re dissatisfied with, choose instead to simply exist on the job and nothing more. They’ll show up, but they’ll endeavor to do as little as possible as a means of silently protesting against a job they no longer see as equitable.
For many, this is a result of the pandemic era pushing them towards being overworked or burned out in their industry. And instead of choosing to join the “great resignation” and just go work elsewhere, they instead have settled for an aimless, effortless workplace existence.
I’m not sure that anyone in ministry could successfully quiet quit their job. After all, it’s hard to sit around and do nothing each day at a church and not have someone notice.
So while that may not be feasible in a church setting, I do believe there are many in the broader church technical industry that have suffered (or are suffering) from being overworked and burned out and are struggling to handle that situation.
While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, understanding that each organization is different, there are still some things we can keep in mind if we feel ourselves nearing that territory.
First, sometimes feeling overworked simply is the result of there not being a clear understanding of the expectations are placed on me.
Sometimes I can assume that certain things are important, and I spend lots of energy focusing on those things, occasionally to the detriment of other things that are then left undone. So, I place a large weight on myself that no one in leadership ever asked me to carry, and I end up suffering because of what I thought I should be doing.
Talk about it
As much as possible, I need to be able to have conversations with my direct leadership to get clarity on what I should be focused on. Knowing I only have a finite number of hours in a day or week, I can ask where my main energy should be invested and can focus on what my leaders feel is important, instead of assuming I know what to do (and inadvertently focusing on the wrong thing). Ultimately, it becomes their decision then for what work gets done and what gets shifted to the back burner.
This also gives me the peace of mind knowing that if other things end up being left undone, I don’t have to carry that burden, because I know I was only following the directions of my leadership.
However, sometimes my feelings of being overworked are simply because I’ve brought that upon myself due to an inability to set boundaries and say “no.”
Size up the situation
Many of us love to be helpful and to solve problems. That’s why ministry can be so appealing: we know we are helping others every day and making a difference.
Unfortunately we can be so focused on helping others that it is done to the detriment to ourselves.
I might end up overcommitting myself (to worthy causes, no less) and end up feeling like I need to work never-ending hours to get all of that work done.
So, I stay up late to work (whether from the office or at home) and my personal life suffers as a result. Maybe I miss some of my kids’ activities, or I’m not home to be part of a family dinner. Maybe I have to bail on a date night with my spouse, or our relationship has become neglected because I immediately turn my attention to work (not my significant other) as soon as the kids go to bed.
Maybe I’m becoming physically unhealthy because I’m not getting enough sleep as I should, and I’ve become dependent upon caffeine or energy drinks to keep me moving through the day.
And instead of taking time to keep myself healthy on a Sabbath day (by resting, refreshing myself, maintaining spiritual health, and investing in healthy relationships), I just see that as another day I need to use to get work done.
As a “creation,” when I’m disconnected from my Creator, I lose sight of why I was created in the first place.
Sometimes I can put myself under so much pressure to produce that I prioritize productivity over personal, relational, and spiritual health.
Or maybe I’m overworking myself, not out of the goodness of my own heart, but out of my own insecurity.
There are other people at the ministry who could potentially handle some things or take some weight off of my shoulders, but I’m afraid to turn things over to them and empower them to make decisions on their own.
Get real
Maybe I don’t trust them to do as good of a job as I would do, so I think I might as well just do it myself. Maybe I’m afraid that if others become a go-to, then I’ll become less relevant and significant, and I could feel my role being jeopardized. Or maybe I’m just unwilling to prioritize the time to invest in others, claiming I’m “too busy” to train someone else, creating a death spiral that will continue to result in being overworked and exhausted due to my inability to pause and bring someone else along for the journey.
If any of these ring true, I desperately need the humility and self-awareness of realizing that I need help. I need people in my life to help me set boundaries and take a step back for my own sake. I need to lean on others who can help me learn to say “no.” I need to find accountability and even be forced (if necessary) to set hard and fast work hours, to disengage from my phone and computer at home, and to prioritize times of rest and renewal before I completely collapse.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
Perhaps, though, my overwork isn’t something I’ve done to myself, but is something I feel has been done to me. It’s possible I’m drowning under a workload because of things that I’m continually asked to produce.
Circle back to communication
In that case, the most critical step is to initiate a conversation with my direct leaders to talk about where I’m at. I need to share my feelings and the impact that the workload is having on my personal life so I can get help setting boundaries and have it be reinforced from positions of authority.
As someone who has personally led large teams, I know firsthand that it’s nearly impossible to know when people are getting close to a workload limit if they don’t speak up. And when I’m struggling as an employee, I need to be able to share those updates. If I don’t, not only will I eventually collapse under the weight, but the organization will suffer due to the amount of work that doesn’t get done.
It can feel hard and scary to ask for these types of conversations with our leaders, because we can worry that it will make us look weak or noncommitted or as not a team player. But there is strength and wisdom in setting boundaries, and being able to stand up for ourselves and our families should be our first priority.
What if, though, our desire to “quiet quit” doesn’t have anything to do with workload? What if my duties are manageable and boundaries are in place, but I simply find myself feeling disillusioned or cynical or disconnected from the work that’s being done?
Sometimes this is an even bigger sign of burnout: not the long hours spent on something, but working on tasks where we feel there’s a disconnect between the work and the purpose.
Evaluate and take positive action
I can become cynical towards my role if I lose sight of my role, purpose, and impact in the organization. Likewise, I can become jaded towards my tasks if I don’t understand their importance in the big scheme of things. It’s burnout that comes not from too much heat that causes me to burn up, but from a lack of fuel to keep my fire burning.
In this case, I have two steps to take.
First, I need to evaluate where I’m at spiritually. Am I healthy enough to be able to hear when God is speaking to me and giving me direction, or are there so many other voices competing for attention that I can’t hear His voice anymore? As a “creation,” when I’m disconnected from my Creator, I lose sight of why I was created in the first place.
Why am I here? What am I good at? What should I be doing? Am I making a difference?
These are all questions we can ask when we lose sight of who God is and how He’s trying to lead us through different seasons of life.
But secondly, when I’m not sure where I fit in the big picture, I need to initiate conversations with my ministry leaders to get clarity.
What is my impact in the organization? What difference is my work making? Are there ways for me to continue growing and expanding my influence so I don’t feel stuck, like a cog in a machine? How can I get better at what I do? Are there people who can affirm my performance so I know I’m doing a good job?
Again, this can be a scary conversation to begin at times, but it’s necessary for our own good. We all need to know we’re making a difference, and there’s nothing wrong with asking for clarity.
In addition, if I’m a team leader, I need to make sure that I’m regularly answering these questions of vision, purpose, and impact for my team, so it can create a cycle of passion that fuels their continued investment in their own ministry work.
Overwork and burnout are very real things, and sadly this is especially true in ministry. But we are blessed to serve a God of redemption, and in His eyes, nothing is too far gone to be saved. All people and situations still have redemptive value, as long as we lean on the Lord to help us take the right steps. And when we do, that helps stoke our internal fires to burn as bright as ever for the ministry we’ve been called to undertake.
