Tune in as we dive into why exhaustion and overwhelm are so common among church leaders today with a few practical next steps that you can take to find a more sustainable way forward for you and your faith community.
Homepage / Pivot Podcast /#50: Burned out and Overwhelmed? Why this is more normal than you think and what to do about it
#50: Burned out and Overwhelmed? Why this is more normal than you think and what to do about it
Join host, Dr. Dee Stokes, as she speaks with guest Jorge Acevedo as they help church leaders' exhaustion and find sustainable solutions.
Show Notes
- Downloadable ebook "Pitfalls and Pivots for Church Leaders.
- Read the corresponding blog post on this episode: Burned Out and Overwhelmed?
Featuring
Jorge Acevedo
Leadership coach, writer, and speaker
Jorge Acevedo loves Jesus Christ and his Church. Touched by the grace of God at seventeen, he was never the same. Rescued from a life of addictions, his greatest delight is connecting people to Jesus and the Church.
Born in Puerto Rico, Jorge, at the age of four months, moved with his family to the United States, where he was raised. Jorge is married to Cheryl Montgomery. Their oldest son, Daniel, lives in Cape Coral, Florida, and is the father to their four beautiful grandchildren, Mia, Levi, Seth, and Zoe. They also have a fantastic younger son, Nathan, who lives in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Jorge was the Lead Pastor at Grace Church, a multi-site congregation in Southwest Florida, for 27 years. He also served churches in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Kissimmee, Florida; and Lexington, Kentucky. Jorge retired from being a local church pastor after 39 years in September, 2023 and currently is a leadership coach, writer, and speaker. Jorge’s coaching ministry is with Spiritual Leadership Inc.. He also regularly speaks at local churches, conferences and on podcasts.
Jorge is a 1984 graduate of Asbury College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree majoring in Bible. He is a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity Degree. He also earned a Doctor of Ministry degree in 2023 from United Theological Seminary with a dissertation on Congregational Vitality: The Church’s Journey from Heroic Solo Leadership to Generative Team Leadership. Jorge received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from United Theological Seminary in 2023.
Jorge wrote Everybody Needs Some Cave Time: Finding God in Dark Places (Invite Resources, 2023), Neighboring (Abingdon Press, 2019), and Vital: Churches Changing Communities and the World (Abingdon Press, 2013). He co-authored A Field Guide for Methodist Fresh Expressions (Abingdon Press, 2020), The Grace-Full Life: God’s All-Reaching, Soul-Saving, Character-Shaping, Never-Ending Love (Abingdon Press, 2017), Sent: Giving the Gift of Hope at Christmas (Abingdon Press, 2015) and The Heart of Youth Ministry(Bristol House, 1989).
Host
Dee Stokes
Entrepreneurial Minister, Educator, Consultant, Author, and Podcaster
Dr. Dee Stokes is an entrepreneurial minister, educator, consultant, author, and podcaster. With 30 years of experience in education, Dr. Stokes understands what it means to be co-vocational and serve God in the Church and in the marketplace.
She has worked at every level of education and has also served as a Senior Pastor, Formation and Connections Pastor, and Teaching Pastor. She has a passion for God and His Church and to see people walk in divine destiny. Her degrees are in Sociology (B.A. from UNC Charlotte), Public Administration (M.P.A. from Devry University), Biblical and Theological Foundations (M.B.T.F. from Asbury Theological Seminary), and Educational Leadership (Ed.S. & Ed.D. from Liberty University). Dr. Stokes’s research interests include Cultural Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, Burnout, Transformational Leadership, unconscious bias, and spousal responsibility.
About Pivot Podcast
Join us on Pivot Podcast, where we journey beyond church-as-usual to discover how God is reshaping ministry for today’s world.
Each week, we dive into conversations with innovative leaders and practitioners who are navigating four game-changing pivots: shifting from quick fixes to deep listening, from membership to discipleship, from rigid models to creative ministry ecosystems, and from clergy-centered leadership to unleashing everyone’s gifts.
Whether you’re a member of the clergy seeking fresh inspiration or a volunteer stepping into new leadership territory, Pivot Podcast equips you with the insights and practical wisdom to follow Jesus into a faithful future.
Through their work with diverse cohorts of preachers, they’ve discovered that the most compelling sermons aren’t necessarily the most polished – they’re the ones where preachers have learned to listen deeply to both God and their congregations. Learn practical tools for gathering meaningful feedback, understand why vulnerability matters more than ever in preaching, and discover how shifting from evaluation to understanding can deepen your sermon’s impact. Plus, hear why reimagining God’s agency in preaching might be the key to unlocking more powerful proclamation.
Recent episodes
Featuring
Jorge Acevedo
Leadership coach, writer, and speaker
Jorge Acevedo loves Jesus Christ and his Church. Touched by the grace of God at seventeen, he was never the same. Rescued from a life of addictions, his greatest delight is connecting people to Jesus and the Church.
Born in Puerto Rico, Jorge, at the age of four months, moved with his family to the United States, where he was raised. Jorge is married to Cheryl Montgomery. Their oldest son, Daniel, lives in Cape Coral, Florida, and is the father to their four beautiful grandchildren, Mia, Levi, Seth, and Zoe. They also have a fantastic younger son, Nathan, who lives in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Jorge was the Lead Pastor at Grace Church, a multi-site congregation in Southwest Florida, for 27 years. He also served churches in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Kissimmee, Florida; and Lexington, Kentucky. Jorge retired from being a local church pastor after 39 years in September, 2023 and currently is a leadership coach, writer, and speaker. Jorge’s coaching ministry is with Spiritual Leadership Inc.. He also regularly speaks at local churches, conferences and on podcasts.
Jorge is a 1984 graduate of Asbury College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree majoring in Bible. He is a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity Degree. He also earned a Doctor of Ministry degree in 2023 from United Theological Seminary with a dissertation on Congregational Vitality: The Church’s Journey from Heroic Solo Leadership to Generative Team Leadership. Jorge received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from United Theological Seminary in 2023.
Jorge wrote Everybody Needs Some Cave Time: Finding God in Dark Places (Invite Resources, 2023), Neighboring (Abingdon Press, 2019), and Vital: Churches Changing Communities and the World (Abingdon Press, 2013). He co-authored A Field Guide for Methodist Fresh Expressions (Abingdon Press, 2020), The Grace-Full Life: God’s All-Reaching, Soul-Saving, Character-Shaping, Never-Ending Love (Abingdon Press, 2017), Sent: Giving the Gift of Hope at Christmas (Abingdon Press, 2015) and The Heart of Youth Ministry(Bristol House, 1989).
Host
Dee Stokes
Entrepreneurial Minister, Educator, Consultant, Author, and Podcaster
Dr. Dee Stokes is an entrepreneurial minister, educator, consultant, author, and podcaster. With 30 years of experience in education, Dr. Stokes understands what it means to be co-vocational and serve God in the Church and in the marketplace.
She has worked at every level of education and has also served as a Senior Pastor, Formation and Connections Pastor, and Teaching Pastor. She has a passion for God and His Church and to see people walk in divine destiny. Her degrees are in Sociology (B.A. from UNC Charlotte), Public Administration (M.P.A. from Devry University), Biblical and Theological Foundations (M.B.T.F. from Asbury Theological Seminary), and Educational Leadership (Ed.S. & Ed.D. from Liberty University). Dr. Stokes’s research interests include Cultural Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, Burnout, Transformational Leadership, unconscious bias, and spousal responsibility.