Don’t settle for an impact smaller than you’re called to make. It's time to unlock your potential and lead confidently into a future filled with growth — for yourself, your church, and your mission. Get access to some of my best leadership content, only published in my newsletters.
On The Rise: All About Burnout and Recovery. + Pastors are NOT Quitting. What?
Published 4 days ago • 5 min read
Welcome to the On The Rise newsletter, where I feature fascinating, helpful, and sometimes curious content that caught my attention this week.
Today’s kind of special. 20 years ago this month I fell deep into full-on burnout. It would be months before I got my energy, heart, and soul back.
All I felt in the spring and summer of 2006 was numb, dead. I thought my life and ministry were over.
This week I released two episodes on my podcast looking back on what I’ve learned in the last two decades. You can listen here.
Today, I want to feature some resources that could help you, whether you’ve burned out in the past, are hanging on by a thread, or are hoping you can be the exception to the rule and avoid burnout. I love being in this together.
Oh, and by the way, while I've definitely had some ups and downs, the last two decades have been the best years of my life. Recovery is more than possible. And good news, there’s some hope and help in this issue. Let’s go!
Is Pastoral Burnout Exaggerated?
Lifeway data shows I may not be the only one who didn't quit
Despite the data (reported here and elsewhere) that 24% of pastors say they’ve thought about quitting ministry, only 1% of pastors actually leave every year.
Here’s the surprise for me: “This means that in any given year since 2015, slightly more than 1 in 100 pastors walked away from the pulpit.”
First, amazing. The survey was of 1500 pastors, so the sample size is decent.
Second, a way to hang in there. We can embrace personal and organizational habits that make leadership better. I’m all in on helping you thrive.
But as my therapist tells me, extraordinary doesn’t come from leading in easy conditions; it comes from leading in extraordinarily difficult conditions.
If your church runs multiple campuses — or you're thinking about it — there's a research project underway that could help you lead better.
A team of multisite experts is building what could be the most comprehensive report on multisite churches in the country. From finances and campus launches to leadership pipelines and campus pastor health, they are researching the real stuff leaders actually need to know.
And they need your input to make it useful.
Will you fill out this survey? It takes 12–15 minutes, your responses are completely confidential, and here's what you get in return:
the full Executive Summary
a seat at a live first-look webinar with the research team
an immediate downloadable article on the 18 mistakes churches make when launching a new campus.
Harvard Business Review Debunks The Myths Around Burnout
In this HBR article, researchers examined the causes of burnout and added nuance to the conversation. The study maps how burnout happens by role.
Early-career people burn out from lack of clarity — they do everything because they don't know what "good" looks like. They spend as much time insecurely guessing and figuring out norms as they do working.
Mid-level managers burn out from compression — leading up and leading down, carrying team emotions, and spending too much time ‘catching up’ after hours.
Senior executives burn out from moral injury — chronic vigilance, decision fatigue, making decisions they feel conflicted about (lay offs) and isolation at the top.
Founders and nonprofit leaders burn out from identity collapse — an inability to rest without guit, chronic crisis mode, and leading in a way that the mission and the person become the same thing. (Ahem pastors…)
It’s a perceptive piece that might help you lead yourself and others better.
What Churches Need to Know About Giving in 2026
New research reveals the trends shaping generosity, digital giving, and church engagement this year.
Church giving is changing - and leaders who understand the trends are better positioned to navigate what’s next with confidence.
The 2026 Annual Church Giving Report from Ministry Brands combines fresh data, real church insights, and practical takeaways to help your team make wiser ministry and financial decisions this year.
Inside the report, you’ll discover how churches are approaching generosity, where digital giving continues to grow, what’s influencing donor behavior, and the opportunities leaders can’t afford to ignore in 2026.
Is it okay if I feature two books I’ve written on burnout, and then like ten more later in this issue? Okay, thanks.
Didn’t See It Coming outlines the process of burnout, why it happens, how it happens.
A few years later, I released At Your Best, which is a comprehensive strategy to get out of burnout and stay out of it. It’s the life-map I’ve followed for the last two decades that has turned out to help tens of thousands of other leaders thrive.
I hope and pray that these books might help you or someone you love. I hope to be talking about the concepts for decades to come.
You never get better on your own. It took me 3-5 years to find a new normal, and many therapy sessions, books and podcast episodes later, I carved out my new strategy of time, energy and priority management.
These are some books that have left a lasting mark on me (in no particular order):
Carey Nieuwhof Communications, PO Box 160, Oro Medonte, Ontario L0L 2X0
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Don’t settle for an impact smaller than you’re called to make. It's time to unlock your potential and lead confidently into a future filled with growth — for yourself, your church, and your mission. Get access to some of my best leadership content, only published in my newsletters.
