Mad Church Disease: Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic

First time authors like Anne Jackson are few and far in between. Her blog is one of the top-ranked blogs for Christian leadership. In a recent list of the top 60 of these blogs, she is number 18, and one of only three women on the list. She has an amazing heart for God's people and unity within the Church.

As unique as she may be, she is not alone in the journey that she is on. Her newly released book, Mad Church Disease: Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic, is both a refreshing confession and a hard look at the struggle of burnout, its symptoms, and the dangers it brings to the church and its leaders.

This book isn't just for pastors. The symptoms of burnout affect everyone - from the senior pastor, to the worship team, and to the ushers at the door.

Jackson starts by sharing her personal story in order to both introduce herself and to allow her story to be something that readers can relate to.

Anne Jackson is a pastor's daughter, and her family has been hurt by the church, over and over again. When she was sixteen, she prayed a bold prayer, telling God that she would leave the church entirely unless He gave her a way to bring unity back in the church. Fortunately for both her and us, God answered her prayer after many years of silence.

Anne dives right into the issue of burnout, or as she puts it, "mad church disease". She writes about the correlation between mad cow disease and its traits with the symptoms of burnout within the church and its leaders. She points out the gravity and real danger of ministry burnout, which attacks through hidden and internal methods and lies dormant until it is too late. "Cows don't have much hope when they are infected with mad cow disease," she elaborates. "Even though the process can take years, they die. There's no vaccine. We're a bit more fortunate. Satan's sole purpose in life is to ruin us - but God's sole purpose in life is to redeem us. Cows don't get a second chance - but we are promised a second chance, and more, " Jackson writes.

Through an in-depth examination and reflection of "mad church disease", Anne guides the reader through the different ways that we are attacked. Our physical, mental, social, and spiritual health suffers when burnout is raging inside, she says.

At the end of each chapter, Jackson provides an opportunity for serious reflec-tion on the risks of burnout. Supporting opinions, in the form of interviews with an "expert in the field" (such as Willow Creek's Bill Hybels) are also provided.

Thankfully, there is much healing to be found when reading the book as you are assured you are not alone on the battlefield and of the redemption that God has had for us all along. Jackson devotes a large portion of the book to preventing burnout as well as finding remedies for burnout and its subsequent attack on our bodies, minds, relationships, and souls. At the end of the book, Anne further reinforces the pursuit of restoration and forgiveness, and living life to the fullest.

There are so many factors holding back Christians, especially Christian leaders, from doing great things, one of which is burnout. Mad Church Disease is a wonderfully written book that contains healing and redemption on each page.

By Joseph A. Gomez

There are so many factors holding back Christians, especially Christian leaders, from doing great things, one of which is burnout.