Presbyterian Mission Agency compassion fatigue Archives

Compassion fatigue in the church

Posted July 27th, 2021

A year of shepherding God’s people through a pandemic has put a strain on pastors as they have had to rethink how to do everything from pastoral care to worship. And the strain of constantly thinking differently and creatively while tending flocks that are eager for some sense of normalcy can result in developing compassion fatigue.

Memorial Day is more than a holiday

Posted April 28th, 2021

We gathered by the shoreline of a lake in Colorado. We were tired and showing symptoms of compassion fatigue. We had endured 24 deaths in 12 months — 10 of those by suicide.

Compassion fatigue in the church

Posted February 22nd, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for more church ministries and services, but this has led to compassion fatigue.

The people healing the world often themselves need healing

Posted January 9th, 2019

Compassion fatigue — that malady that many pastors, first responders and others in helping professions suffer that can leave them feeling isolated, tired, trapped or worse — can be overcome, and there’s help for those who, as the Rev. Dr. Dana Sutton put it, “are healing the world and need to heal themselves.”