Zeal without Burnout is a simple, short, and practical book. It helpfully lays out what burnout in ministry is and is not. The markers included are helpful because we who serve in ministry are so very prone to deceive ourselves in this area.
No one at the beginning of ministry sees let alone counts the cost of burnout. Its danger only becomes apparent as you approach it. The book wisely takes a humane approach to both ministry and burn-out.
As I read this book, I thought about the unique nature of ministry. It is hard to explain the peculiar pressures of vocational ministry without inviting misunderstanding. If I weren’t a pastor, I would have a hard time explaining what a pastor does. Even as a pastor, I find it a challenge to do what a pastor is called to do because spoken and unspoken expectations so easily attach themselves to the role. This book is helpful because the author understands the call and the burdens and the joys.
It seems to me that a book like this is most helpful as a reminder. If you are involved in vocational ministry, the wisdom within will sound familiar but you, like I, need the reminder to apply it. If you are not involved in vocational ministry, this book can certainly help you understand pitfalls in your own service in the church.