Burnout in Churches and Christian Faith-Based Organisations

Tips for Success:
1. Periodically review the statement of purpose for your organisation, department or team.
2. Set clear, measurable objectives or outcomes.
3. For each objective or outcome identify the actions needed to bring it about.
4. For each planned action identify the physical resources required.
5. Create a budget sufficient to acquire and maintain the required physical resource.
6. Be realistic and honest about what can be achieved with the money that is available.
7. Communicate purpose, objectives, and actions so that every employee and volunteer know
how what they do fits the purpose and is inspired to deliver.
Culture (how we do things round here)
We believe leadership should be widely distributed within organisations. It is not exclusive to a job
title, role, or level, whether the person is paid or not. Leadership is found in every function and part of
an organisation including corporate level, departments and teams.
Organisations vary in complexity from the small entity with a flat organisational structure to those
with multiple levels within a single location such as an office or church and, beyond this, a wider
regional and national organisation. A person working in a team will primarily be affected by what
happens in that team and indirectly by the department within which
their team is located, and beyond this perhaps by a regional
office which in turn is influenced by head office. As Figure 4
suggests, individuals may therefore be subject to
influence from many levels.
Beyond the organisation are external influences which
for the most part are picked up, filtered, and processed
by leaders operating at the highest organisational level,
the implications of which are then transmitted to lower
levels.
There are thousands of ways in which organisations
potentially stress leaders, some universal, others more
commonly found in Churches and Christian faith-based
organisations, the rest being unique to an organisation or context.
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Figure 4 - Sources of Influence
Many of these sources of stress are caused by the ‘way we do things round here’ or culture of the
organisation which Field (2012) suggests is part of a strategic framework for the organisation.
While a golden thread helps ensure clarity of purpose and action, it is no guarantee of success.
Peer teams in the same organisation, working to the same purpose, with identical objectives may
differ hugely in the ‘way they do things around here’. Visit these teams and you may quickly sense
differences in how driven, happy, and worried staff and volunteers are, all of which significantly
impacts on the stress of everyone involved, including those leading.
Johnson and Scholes (1993) suggest that a paradigm exists within each organisation, that draws on
beliefs and assumptions about the world, how their organisation should operate and how its people
behave. The paradigm is made real through different aspects of organisational life such as: power
structures, organisational structure, controls, rituals and routines, stories, and symbols. As an example,
a paradigm based on a shared belief of the importance of appearing professional, demonstrating
integrity, and avoiding risks is likely to have a hierarchical structure with power largely resting with
qualified, experienced, and trusted individuals. There are likely to be significant controls and routines
designed to avoid errors and stories will be told of people who got it wrong and were punished. All of
this is likely to be accompanied by a formal dress code and perhaps even office space being given to
leaders based on seniority rather than need.