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How do I care for my congregation without burning out?

You can care for your people now, and still the crises and the endless asks drain you. That is not a flaw in your calling. It is the nature of caring work: the need is genuinely bottomless, and your energy is not. Both of those things are true, and holding them together is the whole challenge. The drain usually comes from a quiet belief that you must meet every need fully, or you have failed. But you are one person, not the source of all comfort. You are a channel, not the well. When you act as though everything depends on you alone, you burn through what you have and have nothing left for the next person who needs you. Start guarding a small piece of yourself on purpose. Pick one time each week that belongs to no one but you and whatever restores you, and protect it like you would protect a parishioner's confidence. Caring for yourself is not stealing from them. It is how you stay able to give at all.

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