Burnout is not inevitable

“I am tired in my soul.” That was the admission Rev. Howard-John Wesley made in front of his congregation earlier this month. The American pastor has led four services every weekend at his church over the past 11 years. In announcing his sabbatical, the church leader said: "I want to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation without trying to write a sermon," also adding, "I want to know what a mimosa tastes like on Sunday." A string of other high profile pastors have also spoken about experiencing burnout or breakdown in recent months. The UK-based retreat leader Tony Horsfall says that while burnout isn't necessarily a sign of weakness or failure, pastors must put safeguards in place to prevent it, while congregations should allow their leaders to take sabbaticals