b'Its hard to explain mission work. Words arent enough. Tours and a couple of hours of volunteering dont complete the picture. Its something only those who have lived it truly understand. Days that stretch between heartbreak and hope, between the peo-ple walking through the doors and those you wish you had room to welcome. Urgent needs for more beds, more pathways out of poverty and addiction, more compassion and hope. You push to meet the needs head-on with creativity, grit, and prayer, even giving pieces of yourself to make the biggest difference for as many people as possible. Quietly absorbing the strain leads to sleepless nights mulling over funding, staffing, and guest stories you just cant shake. The work feels more like an ache, but you hold it with honor because every person matters. You remind yourself not to sweat the small stuff, that you have more than enough to give, especially compared with the lack you see daily. But burnout doesnt arrive with flashing lights. It is a slow, ebbing tide. Joy starts to feel fleeting. Compassion, which once came naturally, now requires effort. You feel stretched, but thats nothing to complain about. Sure, youre more tired than usual and have less energy for tackling things around the house. Your family and friends understand that, for a whilebut they miss you and need you too. Everybody needs you. And you are just plain tired. As much as you try to stop it, your diminishing energy ripples into the mission. Deci-sions feel weightier. The work plateaus. You find yourself getting frustrated with staff who are already doing too much. These arent signs of failure. They are signs you have shouldered heavy burdens for a long time. Rekindle Your CallingCitygate Networks Leadership Collaborativesby Marcy BradfordIf this experience feels familiar, you are not alone. well. This is a sobering statistic. Since his research was published over three decades ago, countless A sobering statisticministries and leadership conferences have been Recent Barna research found that only 35 percentestablished and have worked faithfully to care for of pastors describe themselves as healthy across allleaders. Even so, the numbers havent shifted much. areas of well-being (spiritual, emotional, vocational,This is simply not acceptable.physical, relational, and financial). That may not beCitygate Network is deeply aware that mission your title, but as a mission leader, you are pastoring.leaders shoulder pastoral responsibilities without Bobby Clinton, a longtime professor of leadershipalways receiving the pastoral care they themselves at Fuller Theological Seminary who spent decadesneed. Traditional conferences, one-off workshops, studying the lives of Christian leaders, famouslyand inspirational moments can be helpful, but they concluded that fewer than one in three leaders finishdont create sustained formation. Whats needed citygatenetwork.org 36'