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BOOK REVIEW: Books gives tips to avoid burnout Scott Endress, May 22, 2009
By Scott Endress Special Contributor
Leading on Empty Wayne Cordeiro Bethany House, 2009 Hardcover, 224 pages
The most difficult question I’ve ever had to answer as a pastor was, “As you listen to others, who listens to you?”
The Rev. Wayne Cordeiro, senior pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii, explores that question in Leading on Empty. He looks at the consequences for clergy who give of themselves without replenishing body, mind and spirit.
Mr. Cordeiro tells the story of his recovery from a nervous breakdown, adding authenticity to the book. His doctor told him that to regain his health and energy reserves, he needed to take several months off from his ministry role. He did, and shares here what he learned in that time.
Pastors should monitor their energy level, he says, and balance draining tasks with missions or aspects of ministry that they really enjoy. But a fire that energizes, he warns, can also burn us out. So take time for a non-negotiable spiritual discipline, perhaps reading a chapter from Proverbs each day for a month. Try Mr. Cordeiro’s SOAP model: Read Scripture, journal your observations, apply them to your life and pray.
Time away should be a regular practice, and the book suggests a full day of sabbath once a month, combined with a sabbatical each year. A schedule for the day of sabbath could include journaling, reading, study and setting priorities and a strategic calendar. No calls, e-mails or texting.
It’s important, too, to spend time with family. And a therapist or spiritual mentor can provide clergy with the same gift they bring to others: someone who listens to them in love and can see what they cannot see in themselves.
Leading on Empty invites us to begin a journey toward wholeness and holiness, and to remember that we can only give what we already have.
The Rev. Endress is a pastor at Chapelwood UMC in Houston, Texas.
The Rev. Wayne Cordeiro, senior pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii, explores that question in Leading on Empty. He looks at the consequences for clergy who give of themselves without replenishing body, mind and spirit. 
