Compassion fatigue

Kemi Koleoso, Jubilee Church London, Courage Sisterhood

One thing that is evident in ministry leadership in the West these days is that leaders, for all their ability, capacity and giftedness, are failing. Failing because bad leaders are being found out, and good leaders are getting burnt out. Burnout has become an epidemic in Christian leadership and compassion fatigue is a key factor.

December 9, 2024

Compassion fatigue is the physical and mental exhaustion and emotional withdrawal that can be experienced by those who care for sick or traumatised people over an extended period (Merriam-Webster, n.d.).

Working as a palliative care healthcare professional, I was taught early on in my career to be aware of and guard against compassion fatigue. However, compassion fatigue is not just the price those working in health and social care settings sometimes pay; it also happens to ministry leaders and pastors.

Compassion, that is, being sympathetically aware of and having the empathy and desire to ease the stress and distress we see in others, is part and parcel of our duty as Christians and an essential part of ministry. We are commanded to love one another, have compassion, and bear one another's burdens. The very nature of a pastor's call is to care for and look after the sheep. The people we lead would naturally flock to the shepherd with their cares and concerns.

We know leadership is costly. However, compassion fatigue shouldn't be one of the costs because the inability to show compassion is an antithesis to what Jesus called us to do. The Bible says, "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience" (Colossians 3:13, ESV).

How then can ministry leaders navigate the tension between carrying of burdens and staying emotionally healthy?

One of the main reasons for compassion fatigue is the lack of awareness among Pastors and ministry leaders. The slow-creeping nature of compassion fatigue makes it difficult to notice, and this lack of awareness results in a failure to guard against it. Therefore, the first step to preventing compassion fatigue is training ministry leaders and pastors on what it is and the signs to identify it.

Exposure to many difficult stories and situations without the necessary safeguards can lead to losing the ability to empathise and slowly becoming numb to the pain of the people in one's care. You may find yourself guarding against hearing yet another harrowing story by physically avoiding people, mentally disengaging when people are pouring their heart out to you or feeling exhausted and overwhelmed by the demands to provide the care needed.

Jesus and the twelve disciples spent most of their time ministering to the sick, the poor and the demon-possessed, but they also took steps to ensure they looked after themselves to protect their emotional health.

Therefore, what steps can ministry leaders and pastors take to prevent compassion fatigue:

· Remember, we are finite beings with human limitations. Jesus did not heal everyone or stop to help everyone. For example, at the Pool of Bethesda in John chapter 5, there were many sick and disabled people, but Jesus only healed one. Ministry leaders and pastors must determine what is a realistic load of pastoral care.

· Develop a healthy rhythm of work and rest that gives ample recreational time. "And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest while" For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves" (Mark 6:31, ESV).

· Don't work in isolation but find good supportive networks of friends and fellow leaders, and access Christian counselling if needed.

· Beware of saviour syndrome: thinking that you are the best and/or only one who can help the person. This is an unhealthy approach and ultimately detrimental to both the caregiver and the person needing help. Learn to delegate whenever appropriate because people benefit when they are cared for by a team.

· Remember to lean into God's grace, which is sufficient to help us as we help others. His grace enables us to "comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted" (2 Corinthians 1:4, ESV).

Finally, stick close to the one who never gets exhausted, the one who never sleeps or slumbers. Stick to the Lord and trust in his all-powerful, ever-present help, which can bring comfort, restoration, and healing not just to other people's lives but also to ours. So let us learn to work when it's time to work, rest when it's time to rest, and trust our all-powerful God can bring comfort and restoration to all his children.