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The following questions are designed to help you assess the state of your soul as a person in ministry. Review each statement or question and then put a check beside any that you have experienced recently (say the past 3 months). Reflect on each question quietly in God’s presence, asking God to help you to see yourself as you really are and your life as it really is. Don’t beat yourself for feeling any of the things listed. Just admit them to God and yourself. (Created by resources from The Transformation Center and SoulFormation)

You find yourself thinking: “I love what I am doing but I know I can’t keep doing it this way.” I feel like I am doing ministry in a manner that is not sustainable.

I feel like the dream I once had for ministry has been lost. I am no longer joyful or confident that what I do is making a significant difference in the lives of others. The mystery of ministry has turned into management.

I have allowed my “relational time” with the Him to slip and I have lost my desire to pray, read the Word, or engage in other spiritual disciplines. I feel spiritually numb or demotivated.

I’m not sure about my “calling” to ministry any more. I want to serve God, but the conviction that I am connected to His purposes and destiny has faded. I try to recover the passion I once had but can’t. Sometimes I fantasize about doing something else.

I am not sure about my role in ministry. Much of the time I feel like I am trapped doing things that no longer have meaning or a sense of eternal purpose.

I notice that I am withdrawing from the very people I am called to minister too. I avoid people and find myself isolating rather then engaging. I even feel negative or cynical about the church or people I work with.

I don’t feel supported in my work. I often go long stretches without any sense that people appreciate what I am doing. I long for encouragement but don’t seem to receive any.

I feel emotions that I didn’t used to feel. They now dominate the landscape of my soul. (These might be: sadness, anger, fear, depression, anxiety, loneliness, etc. )

My family does not have my “heart” the way they used to. I am not engaged at home with a sense of love and joy. I fail to set boundaries and I allow work to consume the emotional energy I need for my family.

I can’t cope with any more conflict. I have lost my ability to “self differentiate”. I lose my way when someone confronts me in person, by e-mail, letter, or phone. I am conflict avoidant because I simply can’t handle any more.

I have allowed my physical health to decline. I do not have the energy to do what I used to do because I fail to exercise, eat right or get enough sleep.

I am waking up often at night. When I do, my mind races with anxiety about things related to my ministry responsibilities or other church-related issues.

I am working too hard because I feel like too much depends on me. I don’t know how to set my work aside and enjoy other activities that rejuvenate my life.

I sense that my leadership style is at cross-purposes with what I am being asked to do or be in ministry. I have to lead in a way that frustrates me. I have adapted my way of being and/or working in ways that compromise the “real” me.