Leading on Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion

by Wayne Cordeiro, Bob Buford (Foreword)

Wayne Cordeiro found himself paralyzed by burnout. He had been in ministry for 30 years, and 10 years after founding what is now the largest church in Hawaii, he found himself depleted. Wayne took a season out of his growing ministry to recharge and refocus on the truly important. He was able to get back in touch with his life, get back in proper balance, and re-energize his spirit through Christ in a way that propelled him forward to greater levels of service. Wayne first gave this message at a recent Willow Creek Leadership Summit, where it was the highest-rated presentation by those in attendance. Pulling no punches, Wayne talks about the walls leaders must break through and how to move on with integrity. Included are ways to care for oneself physically and emotionally as well as spiritually.

Genres: Leadership, Christian, Nonfiction, Self Help, Business, Personal Growth, Spirituality

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2009

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a timely read for me. Although it is intended for pastors, many of the insights apply equally well to other ministry positions. I discovered early in the book that I am dangerously close to burnout -- this book helped validate my situation and provided a number of useful nuggets to reverse the course I was headed on.

[Garrett Kastelic · Rating 5 out of 5]

August 8 - a time where a spiritual, emotional, physical tank all hit empty. Realizing I was burnt out from life and ministry, I realized there needs to be a change. Tears were a sign & a prayer of my need for Jesus.

December 22- sitting across from my friend Collin who asked, “really how is your relationship with God?” & all that flowed was release of frustration, exhaustion and a need for a slower pace of life. “You should read this book- Leading on Empty

February 5- nobody is Superman, even the strongest & determined Christians. God rested on the 7th day of creation, Jesus drew away from the crowds and rested and drew closer to God. How much more do I need to honor the sabbath and find time away with God?

Leading on Empty shows the journey of a pastor and his life experience as he fell into burnout and his journey back into the intentional lifestyle and changes he made while looking at the science of burnout and practical steps of restoring a healthy, vibrant relationship with Jesus and those around him.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished my fifth time through this great book. Worth it each time.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books i have read for a pastor who needs to protect his heart so he can lead well for the long haul.

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes a book is worth three times more at a certain season of your life than at any other. It might not be your need at this time. On the other hand, it might be soon. I recommend every pastor, and really any leader, have this book on the shelf. For perspective, I read over half of this book at a tough time for me, and then read the other half later when things were so much better for me. I can recommend it from both angles.

Mr. Cordeiro, a pastor of a thriving, large church, hit bottom. He simply had nothing left to give. He tells his story –warts and all. But as you read, you know he writes with a distinct measure of authority. He shows how at times Elijah, Moses, Jeremiah, and David lived this too. “Burnout”, being overwhelmed, or out of gas–call it what you will, but it is a real danger, particularly for pastors. As easy as pastoring looks to many, the weight of souls is a load like no other.

He shows statistics for how widely pervasive this issue really is among pastors. He explains the concept of strength being perfected in weakness. He shows how the long-term stress of this leads to depression. He shows how people like Spurgeon suffered here. He sounds the alarm of early warning signs.

His biggest suggestion is solitary refinement– stopping, listening, being quiet. He suggests we divide our lives into what only we can do versus what others can do. We often work where others could while neglecting that 5% that only we can do. My personal life, my family, my Bible time–here are things that only I can do.

His chapter on “Finding the Still Waters” is on target. He also wants us to remove the stigma that is so often put on rest. Our resources of physical strength are obviously limited so we must carefully develop a strategy. Rest, he says, is not a sin, but a responsibility. We see the principle in the weekly Sabbath and in the land resting every 7 years in ancient Israel.

He focuses on being in our Bible and shares this acronym to get more:

SOAP

S = Scripture

O= Observation

A = Application (Never stop without it)

P = Prayer

He pushes taking a sabbatical. That is a little beyond most of us financially, and he finally confesses it. Still, work refreshment into your life. His idea of a Personal Retreat Day is worthwhile too. The last few chapters focus on these kinds of practical things.

This book can make a difference.

[Jonathan Brooker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a firm believer that certain books receive our deeper affections simply because we delved into them at just the right time. Maybe at another time we would have found them to be simply quite good, but maybe not great, but we'll never know. I will never know if Cordeiro's book could have been just quite good, because I chose to begin it at a time where its content would absolutely connect to my life in a profound way.

"Leading on Empty" just does an absolutely incredible job of balancing personal stories from the author without becoming a memoir, advice without becoming preachy, concepts without becoming merely conceptual, and practical tools without becoming a step-by-step guide to refilling your tank. It truly feels like it offers a well-crafted life raft to pastors and other spiritual leaders who are finding themselves dealing with the very natural and predictable challenges of ministry.

There were so many moments in reading where I had to pause to truly sit and ponder the ideas and feelings that were being stirred up. And there were other times that I was adjusting my calendar, writing out a plan of action, or having a we-need-to-change-this conversation with my wife. A book that can speak to such a great need as the spiritual health of spiritual leaders in a way that broadens perspective, encourages the heart, and leads to actual changed behavior is certainly worth its weight in gold.

[Dave Pettengill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very helpful for those in the ministry that might be encountering burnout, being a workaholic, or dealing with depression. Mr. Cordeiro is very transparent in what he dealt with during this time of his life and the steps he took to get back to health. Some parts may seem lofty and out of touch for a small/medium size church pastor who does not run networks, travel the U.S. speaking, or have a large church staff but overall I think there are important things to pull from this book so we may remain healthy.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I'm glad I read when I did and I would recommend it to every pastor, youth leader and church professional I know.

[Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone in ministry. Burnout is a very real issue and needs to be noticed and prevented. This book will help you keep it at bay and increase your longevity.

[Heath Kirkwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

No question: this book is worth the read for every person in Christian ministry. It is a testimonial of Cordeiro’s experience with burnout and how he learned from it, healed, and moved forward differently. It is also a practical book filled with the author’s suggestions for every person who experiences what he did (or close to it). Most of his suggestions I take to heart and will come back to work through, soon. Some of his ideas on Sabbath, self-reflection, and others are still too “productive” sounding with minor biblical nods, but that is my opinion. There is so much good here and Cordeiro encourages the reader to take what he wrote and use it how they will. I am currently in mid-stage burnout and approaching a sabbatical next year, God willing. This book will help me with both, and I am thankful he wrote it!

[Raquel Serrano Sargent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll definitely need to read this one over again; it was full of gems. Listened to it on audiobook and there are some parts I just need to re-read a couple of times. As a ministry leader, this was a timely read.

[Seth Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you feel like you are on the verge of giving in, giving out, or giving up, this book is a tremendous resource to help you reset your focus on what’s important. Would highly recommend for anyone that is feeling burnt out or can see burnout on the horizon.

[Wade Killough · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, along with Spurgeon’s ‘Ministers Fainting Fits’ get the heart of the calling of pastor, the joys and struggles of the call, and specific ways to ensure the pastor remembers who they are and to Whom they belong. Church leaders need to read this book, along with Pastors.

[Gabe Carvalho · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

2025-2026 Book Club Read #2: Cordeiro’s cautionary tale of burnout pushes readers to consider their own rhythms of work and rest. Environments like the Church can encourage self-sacrificial giving of one’s time, but it’s important to mediate that with activities that recharge. “Leading on Empty” provides practical steps towards ensuring you have a strong habit of rest BEFORE you burn out, so you’re not left scrambling after the pieces after

[DeLaura · Rating 5 out of 5]

So,so good. This is definitely going on my to list of books to reread in the future. And I definitely recommend this book to ANYONE, whether a pastor or just a saint. I gleaned many useful and helpful tips for myself as I go through the current season of life I'm in.

[Stephen Bedard · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the author's pastoral setting is much different than mine, there was so much I could identify with. Burnout is a danger for pastors of churches of all sizes. This book has many helpful tips for recovering from burnout and preventing it from happening again.

[Mike Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

An honest and practical story about burnout. It’s a great book for providing handles in handling and avoiding a burnout. The most important lesson for me stands in the idea of ‘cadence’ and leading to find a sustainable cadence of life.

It’s written for pastors but many of the lessons are transferable to the business world.

[Brooks Lemmon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really easy read on burnout. It had a lot of great lessons on how to prevent and overcome burnout in ministry.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This excellent little book is must-reading for all ministry leaders at some point in their life. The author shares honestly about his own experiences with burnout in ministry, the life lessons he learned from the experiences, and the life changes he needed to make. The main focus is on identifying those aspects of life that are life-giving versus those that drain your tank, and to carve out time in our schedules for activities and people that fill our tanks. He emphasizes the importance of rest, Sabbath and retreats, highlighting the need to schedule rest before filling our daytimer with activities. Rest needs to be a priority, not an afterthought. He offers a number of opportunities for self-analysis. What I appreciated is that these opportunities come in the form of simple questions to ask ourselves rather than any complicated formulas or programs. The advice and wisdom offered in this book is simple, honest, practical and down-to-earth. I finished the book in two days and it has already led to more changes and self-awareness in my life than most books of the genre. Highly recommended.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard for me to review this book by itself, since I've been reading Anne Jackson's Mad Church Disease at the same time and both books deal with ministerial burnout.

Wayne's is both more personal (we get to see a lot more details about his story & his journey out of burnout/depression) and more specific about steps to take. I think that's probably a function of generational writing styles: Wayne is a mega-church pastor who's a Boomer, while Anne is a Buster.

Anyway, they're both good books - yet it was the directed thinking through priorities & action steps in Leading on Empty that has been more specifically helpful.

UPDATE: Just read this for a second time... I still find Wayne's suggestions to be very helpful as I deal with the stresses of being a pastor.

[Heather Djama · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written by a pastor who is highly successful and yet found that he was getting burnt out from all the things he was involved in. This book is written out of the journey that this pastor took in order to reevaluate his life and change things so that he could live a life that really matters to God. This book is a great resource for any pastor or leader that can let their good intentions get in the way of what they are really supposed to be doing.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this a timely read a few years back relating to personal life and burn out possibilities. It gave some real pointers. I dip back into it occasionally still.
13 Oct 2023. Had a re-read this week. Some very pertinent reminders including knowing the difference between a 'concern' and a 'responsibility'.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book reminding people, especially pastors, to get back into a Biblical rhythm for life to avoid burnout & finish their life & calling well

[Luis De matos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valeu a pena o tempo investido numa segunda leitura. Agora é colocar em prática.

[Cm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Toxic. I picked up this book because I’m currently in a season of burnout. I’m not a pastor, but assumed there would be a biblical framework and thus some message for me, too. Cordeiro’s intended audience is pastors. What he didn’t say is that his *real* intended audience is an executive pastor. Perhaps his lessons could extend to corporate CEOs, but unless you have that level of authority, there is nothing here for you.

I’m not in full time ministry. I’m a lay person working a full time job and dealing with a season of life’s heartaches, too. I’m overworked, grieved, and stressed. In short, I’m burned out. Instead of being encouraged, I found this book a contributor to burn out.

First, and the smallest offense: I hate the format of this book. The blog-like format with quotes by famous people scattered through the pages and highlighted “tweetable” quotes interrupting the flow makes me anxious. I felt like my mind was battling constant distractions and overstimulation from the book itself.

In the same vein, each section also ended with a personal letter/testimonial from another pastor. In early chapters, they served to demonstrate the wider problem of burnout among pastors, but in the second half of the book, the chosen letters were full of praise for Cordeiro’s speaking engagements and workshops. They didn’t actually add value to the chapter. This felt narcissistic and rubbed me the wrong way.

Secondly, Cordeiro has a real “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality, but he also has a lot of authority and resources that most people don’t have. I can’t walk away from my corporate job for 3 months for a sabbatical. I don’t have a second home to retreat to for quiet. Many people can’t afford to pay for a day in a hotel for peace and quiet, but these are Cordeiro’s suggestions. These are the things he does. This book assumes that I am the sole cause of and sole remedy of my burn out. Cordeiro NEVER addresses the concerns and needs of people not in charge. He never advocates that executive pastors and boards should care for the rest of the pastoral staff with how much they delegate or that managers bear a responsibility to their employees to manage workload.

Finally, and most disturbingly, Cordeiro speaks with authority on topics he is not qualified to address. He is a pastor, not a physician, yet he delves into nutrition, sleep cycles, and mental health, generally at the level of a 5 o’clock news teaser. These topics are not one-size-fits-all and are best addressed between a patient and physician. Yet Cordeiro tells the reader (whom he’s never met) what they should eat and when they should sleep. At times he even implies that his preferences are God’s design.

At the end of the day, I ended this book exhausted and overwhelmed by all the commands I found here. There was nothing applicable to my situation and no gospel grace here. This book was not a light burden.

[Tom Brennan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not generally read books about ministry written by men I have a fundamental difference of philosophy with, but this one was recommended to me so often by so many I did so. I was underwhelmed.

This is a book written by a busy man for busy men, a fact that does not jibe with its purported intent. It is as if someone took the issues at hand - important ones, absolutely - and began speed reading through the manual, summarizing the highlights on how to deal with it. For example, he moves from thought to thought at speed, rarely spending more than a few paragraphs on any one. He cites Scripture routinely but never unpacks it, never develops it. The book is leavened with applicable quotations, but not thoughtfully in my view. More like they had been selected by an intern who was told to "find some quotes", many of which were by people not even Christian.

Perhaps I am being unfair. Perhaps I am comparing myself to Cordeiro in the sense that I minister differently, respond differently, and write differently. The book is not useless; it is surface. There are numerous good thoughts, and Cordeiro is obviously quite skilled at wording things well. But it just felt like he had stumbled across this beautiful deep pool in the woods, and instead of exploring it through the changing seasons ala Thoreau, instead, he skipped some rocks across the surface and called it a day. Otherwise, I could not possibly have read it in two or three hours.

There is a very good and necessary book potentially here, but only potentially.

[Vanderlei Rocha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este livro fala a respeito dos momentos em que nos sentimos esgotados e pensamos em fugir da pressão constante. Segue algumas frases encontradas no livro: "A maneira como vemos nosso problema costuma ser o problema" ; "Energia e persistência conquistam qualquer coisa"; "Preocupação é um ciclo de pensamentos ineficientes rodopiando em torno de um cetro de medo."; "Quando você parar de mudar, você realmente parou"; "Tão certo como Deus coloca seus filhos na fornalha é o fato de que Deus estará com eles na fornalha."; "É no silencioso cadinho de seus sofrimentos pessoais e particulares que nascem seus sonhos mais nobres e onde os maiores dons de Deus são concedidos em compensação por aquilo que você tem passado"; "Sabedoria é o uso correto do conhecimento. Saber não é ser sábio. Muitos homens sabem muita coisa e, apesar disso, são os maiores tolos. Não há um tolo mais tolo do que o tolo que conhece muita coisa. Mas saber como usar o conhecimento é ter sabedoria."

[Dustin (dragonarmybooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that I would highly recommend to any and every Christian leader. The earlier one reads this book and truly engages with the material, the better.

Far too often, high capacity leaders come to books like this too late in the game, when they are already experiencing burnout and need an EpiPen to the heart rather than the good, slow, but effective medicine that this book offers.

Wayne shares honestly and openly about his struggles with burnout and with lost passion. He provides helpful preventative measures to take so that leaders can go the long haul. He teaches the biblical, God-authored rhythm of life meant to help believers fulfill and finish their callings well. This will be a book that I will surely come back to throughout the years as I continue to lead with God's strength and in God's timing rather than my own.

[Randall Darden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cordeiro discusses his experiences before, during, and after his fight with burnout. I found this book very helpful. As he was describing what he experienced, I noticed what he described was exactly what I have experienced. I now have the words to express my experience, and an action plan to effectively heal. His transparency through the struggle is heartfelt and inspiring. His action plan to keep from getting back to the place his lifestyle had brought him too is probably the most helpful portion of the book for me. Many of the things he suggested I had already begun (praise the Lord) but he affirmed to me that I am not lazy by taking time off, setting a 40-50 hour/ week work schedule, and establishing absolute priorities.

[SOVEYM · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good read! Well written with a realistic perspective for ministry and just everyday life. Wayne Cordeiro is so candid in the way he describes the so called rules and ways of ministry. He puts the congregation in their place by basically saying no matter what or who you’re leading, you must take care of yourself first. You can’t lead on empty, you have to find ways everyday to fill and refill your tank or you’re going to breakdown and then you’re no good to no one including yourself. A quote from the book sums it up for me, “Balance is enjoying life, enjoying work, spending time with family and friends, keeping healthy, playing, maintaining spirituality, and giving back to the community.”