Joanne Gallardo reflects on her time at the Kineo Center for the 2024 conference ministers retreat, during which she learned about the importance of protecting pastors from burnout.
Joanne Gallardo serves Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference as a conference co-minister. She has been in the Mennonite church for over 23 years. Originally from Northwest Ohio, Joanne lives in Goshen, Indiana, with her best friend, Becca, and her cat, Aliza.
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“Did you enjoy your vacation?” one of my colleagues asked me, when I returned from the Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada’s conference ministers gathering. It wasn’t a vacation. We did have meetings, and yet, how could it not feel like vacation in Puerto Rico in December?
While we, as a group, meet every year, this trip to Puerto Rico was several years in the making. When I became Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference’s conference minister, in 2021, I was told that my first conference ministers gathering would be in Puerto Rico! However, due to COVID-19, it had to be postponed, and I, not-so-secretly, wished the opportunity would present itself again.
So, three years later, we all gathered in Naguabo, Puerto Rico, at the Kineo Center, in the middle of the rainforest. The word “kineo” comes from the Greek word “kenosis,” which means “emptying.” Hosts Dan and Tonia White dreamed up the Kineo Center after Dan experienced significant burnout in his pastorates.
They seek to be a safe place to land for weary pastors, offering a vacation spot or programming, rooted in helping ministering persons feel whole again.
Between classes, journaling, rest and counseling, many pastors have experienced life-giving rest.
If we want to recommend that pastors visit the Kineo Center, why not check the place out for ourselves? I am grateful to MC USA for making this happen. While I’ve heard about the Kineo Center for a few years now, it’s a challenge to recommend something you have not experienced first-hand. We’ve had several pastors in our conference come to the Kineo Center, and they have spoken very positively about their experiences. It was a real treat to experience what others experience when they come for rejuvenation.
While we had times of gathering, with input from Dan and Tonia, we had a portion of our afternoons free. For me, this meant exploring the beach, spending time at the pool and getting my hands on some Puerto Rican coffee! Many Conference Ministers came early or stayed after for some personal vacation time.
Our meetings included learning about the work of the center, recognizing how burnout happens, identifying how the different Enneagram numbers deal with stress and personal visualization of encounters with the Divine. We also had input from MC USA staff and leaders from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary and Eastern Mennonite Seminary.
One of the highlights was our last night. Dan was able to arrange for us to have a restaurant to ourselves for a few hours to experience a traditional Puerto Rican holiday dinner. We were positioned right along the beach. Our dinner was lovely and so was the fellowship. Some of us even engaged in some karaoke!
One thing stood out during these few days on the island: Pastors experience burnout at alarming rates. The pressure of being “on,” the on-call nature of the job, and pressure from outside of the church walls, as well as inside them, can lead to anxiety, depression, PTSD and health difficulties.
While conferences do their best to resource and benefit pastors, who shepherds the shepherd on a day-to-day basis?
How many things is your pastor responsible for? What policies are in place for your pastor to have time-away, unplugged from work? Do church leaders recognize the signs of pastor burnout before it’s too late?
Too many of my seminary colleagues have left pastoring altogether because of stress and burnout. It oftentimes happens in their first pastorate. Congregations have a responsibility to their pastors. Congregations help pastors flourish and grow, allowing them space to live into their pastoral identity. This includes being mindful of the responsibilities placed on them, allowing them space for a work/life balance, and recognizing when a pastor is on the cusp of burnout. We all hope it never gets to that point, but in ministry, burnout can be inevitable.
Sabbaticals, job description modifications, paid vacation time and personal days are all helpful to avoid burnout. Also, showing your pastor gratitude, acknowledging that it’s a very difficult profession and building a healthy congregational culture, in which the pastor doesn’t feel like congregational leadership is working against them, also helps.
I left Puerto Rico knowing the Kineo Center and recognizing when pastors —me included — need some space. Also, I left with a purpose: How can we create healthy communities that help pastors live out their calling in a setting where they can thrive?
Learn more about the Kineo Center here.
The views and opinions expressed in this blog belong to the author and are not intended to represent the views of the MC USA Executive Board or staff.
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