The Life of a Single Mom® has served more than 1,000,000 single mothers across the U.S., since our inception, and we continue to forge ahead with the vision of every single mother knowing her worth and establishing strong connections in her community. We love what we get the God-given opportunity to do. We love working with churches, pastors, and those who have a heart to serve single mothers and their families. What a special group of people you are! When speaking to you – those who serve single moms, there is a common theme among the discussion. “I’m tired. Am I making a difference? How do I keep pushing through? I don’t feel that I have much help.” Many of you are bordering on burnout or are already there. The needs of single moms are diverse and can be taxing on those of you who have stepped up to lead in single moms’ ministries, support groups, Bible studies (or really anywhere else!)
After two decades of ministry, we get it! The days can be long and sometimes the complexities of ministry duties, service to others, and sheer exhaustion can make it very hard. The following as words of encouragement that will help you navigate through burnout, when you find yourself there, or avoid it altogether! Check out our steps to avoiding ministry burnout.
- Know your role. When we understand that our role as ministry leaders, pastors, Bible study teachers, etc. is not fix anyone, we then understand that we do not have to fix the world. The role of Jesus was to save the world. And the Holy Spirit is to guide change, transform, and compel people to make different choices. We are not in the business of fixing others. We are in the business of pointing people to the One who can. Our role is to continue to direct people to the Lord Jesus as their source of strength, courage, patience, and prayer answerer. Once we release ourselves from the burden of fixing people, making people happy, or being the ever-present problem solver for people, there is great freedom in ministry. There is rest is knowing that the ministry does not rise and fall with your efforts. Save yourself from the burnout by relinquishing your ministry efforts to the Lord. These are not “your” people. They are His.
- Rest. This can be especially hard for leaders. When you are filled with passion for ministering to single mothers, you just want to make a difference in the world. There’s much work to be done, many to be saved, and lives to be changed. You are likely driven, a hard worker, and passionate. You are on fire for God and want other single moms to be there, as well. Single moms’ ministry is what we do! It is a burning passion that our staff has. And there is much work to be done in this area of service. But we must rest. We must identify the rhythms of which the Holy Spirit is moving, honoring rest, as holy to the Lord. We must take time to simply sleep, sit on the sofa and do nothing, and be with family. Put down the phones, so we aren’t expending energy and just be. Be quiet. Be restful. Be still. It is vital to our effectiveness in ministry.
Want fresh ideas on growing your single moms ministry? Our ministry kit can do just that! - Set boundaries. Boundaries are necessary and you will not continue the serve long-term in ministry, if you do not adhere to them. While boundaries from person to person will vary widely, according to how the Holy Spirit is leading, it is important to seek guidance from the Lord and be aware of His prompting here. Whatever the boundaries are that are right for your family, life rhythms, and ministry, stick to them. For example, if you will be able to return phone calls between 5pm-7pm every night, then do that. Don’t feel the need to return phone calls all day, every day, on into the night. Maybe you have set aside the second Saturday of every month as “lunch with a single mom day”. Then stick to it. Don’t assume the responsibility to carry everyone’s happiness or be available to solve every problem. First, it is important that you get rest, but second, it is important you hear from the Lord and discern His wisdom for each mom. The needs of single moms and their children will always be there. If you don’t establish order and rhythm, burnout will occur. It is important that you find boundaries that work for you and your family and understand that for your own health, you need to stick to them. This is especially important as your ministry grows.
- Stay spiritually healthy. You cannot give, when you do not receive. Stay in the Word. Stay in prayer. Continue with regular church attendance. Pray without ceasing. All the things that have contributed to your journey with the Lord are the things that will sustain that journey as you minister to others. It is important that you stay healthy. Bitter roots will nest, when we aren’t spiritually on guard to the evil strategies of the enemy. We must be actively putting on our full armor daily. (See Eph. 6:12-18). We must have a prayer life that is unwavering. We must regularly posture our hearts towards praise and worship. We must plant in a church and grow there. Receive from the Lord freely, so that you may be able to give to others freely. Spiritual health can sadly go to the wayside when people enter ministry, as busyness can easily be a tactic from Satan. Everything we do in ministry must flow from the fresh indwelling of the Holy Spirit regularly.
- Accountability is healthy. Your ministry should be structured such that you are accountable to your pastor, a mentor, a church leader, spiritual oversight, or board of directors. Accountability creates levels of protection spiritually, professionally, and financially. Overseers can see things that we sometimes can’t, when we are knee-deep in ministry. They offer perspective. They help to keep us safe. They offer advice. They help you learn how to avoid burnout.
- Sabbaticals are important. Know when it is time for an extended rest. Many churches put a halt to regular Bible study meetings during the summer and offer a summer sabbatical for teachers, when kids are out of school. Maybe there is a summer event hosted for continued connection, but teachers take a break, or one teacher goes on sabbatical and has a substitute teacher available for a few weeks. This allows for a time of refreshing with the Lord, extended family time, and extended rest.
The Life of a Single Mom® is a national, faith-based, nonprofit that exists to see that no single mom walks alone. To date, the organization has worked with thousands of churches to start a single mom’s support group in cities throughout the U.S. and beyond, as well as having served more than one million single mothers with a variety of programs. Offering a large array of books, curriculum, training materials, online instructional videos, podcasts, newsletters, life skills education, and more, TLSM is one of the largest single mom organizations in the U.S. The robust selection of single mom programs focus on empowering single moms to grow spiritually, emotionally, financially, and parentally through Single Mom University®, Single Moms Across America, the National TLSM Single Moms Conference, boot camps, and a variety of other programs. For more information, visit thelifeofasinglemom.com.
