Caring for Our Shepherds: Understanding and Coping with Burnout as a Pastor

Pastors play a fundamental role in churches across the globe, yet more and more are finding themselves struggling with the stress of ministry life and experiencing burnout. The consequences of pastoral burnout can be severe and impact not only individuals’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being, but spillover to their families and congregations as well. Despite this increasingly common problem, the subject of pastors and their unique experiences has not been well studied. Caring for our Shepherds is written to pastors and for pastors. In this book, researchers on pastoral burnout, Thomas V. Frederick, Yvonne Thai, and Scott Dunbar answer the questions: what is pastoral or ministry burnout, how can it be guarded against, and how can we help those experiencing it? The reader will not only develop a deeper understanding for the demands of ministry, but also be provided with specific practical and spiritual frameworks to cope with those demands in ways that promote a positive and healthy mindset. Caring for our Shepherds is an excellent resource not only for those in ministry, but to those who desire to pour back into those who serve in the church.

Thomas V. Frederick is professor of psychology at California Baptist University. He is the author of Identity, Calling, and Workplace Spirituality: Meaning Making and Developing Career Fit with Scott Dunbar.

Yvonne Thai, PhD is a classically trained Sociologist specializing in the fields of social psychology and organizations and institutions. She currently serves as the Director of Online Education for the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at California Baptist University and is a tenured professor of Sociology. As a published researcher focusing on emotional labor, burnout, and identity processes, she is particularly passionate about studying pastoral burnout and reducing its damaging effects. She is one of the founders of the Center for Pastoral Renewal where she serves as the center's director.

Scott E. Dunbar is a professor of business at California Baptist University. He is the author of A Christian Approach to Work and Family Burnout with Thomas Frederick.