Shawn Brewer has served in ministry since he was 19 years old. In many ways, it seemed like ministry was the path laid out for him.

He grew up in a Southern Baptist church, surrounded by family and a community where faith was central to everyday life. From an early age, he was deeply involved in church—leading the youth choir, serving as president of the youth group, going on mission trips, and attending church camp. People around him saw his gifts and encouraged him toward ministry, telling him that he would one day make a great preacher.

By the time he was in college, Shawn was already preaching at a small country church. On the outside, his life looked like that of someone destined for ministry. But internally, something was missing. He had spent years learning how to participate in the life of the church without fully understanding what it meant to make his faith his own.

During his first year playing football at Austin College, Shawn began to recognize the difference. Through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he found himself surrounded by young men whose faith seemed genuine in a way his had never been. For the first time, he began to confront the gap between the life everyone expected him to live and the faith he actually possessed.

At 19, after growing up in church and already beginning to preach, Shawn stepped away from his preaching responsibilities. He realized he needed to ask Christ not simply to be part of his life, but to be Lord of it.

From there, ministry became more than something he was expected to do. It was a calling he understood for himself and grew in as he pursued Christ.

It wasn’t long before Shawn stepped back into ministry, but this time, everything was different. His service was no longer rooted in expectations or  following the path others had envisioned for him. It grew out of a faith  of his own and a calling he was learning to understand. 

While in college and seminary, he preached at a small country church and went on to serve in associate and youth ministry before eventually pastoring churches in communities across Texas. Over the next four decades, he experienced what many pastors would consider seasons of fruitful ministry.

But beneath the visible success, his life became increasingly complicated.

Shawn was balancing the demands of ministry with significant family responsibilities. His wife’s health was deteriorating, and she underwent 17 surgeries in four years, along with serious physical, emotional, and mental challenges. At the same time, Shawn was leading a large church in Lubbock, TX and carrying the weight of ministry expectations.

During that season, Shawn had already begun exploring a deeper prayer life through The 6:4 Fellowship, a community of pastors praying for spiritual awakening around the world. Before leaving his previous church in Eastland, he had connected with 6:4, completing The Praying Leader Coaching with Global Director Daniel Henderson that he said helped him find a “depth in prayer that I’ve never known in all my years of ministry.”

Although Shawn had always prayed—leading his staff in prayer, praying for the sick, and bringing the needs of the church before God—he began to see that having a prayer life and experiencing genuine depth in prayer were not necessarily the same thing. 

“The average evangelical pastor today prays less than 15 minutes of meaningful prayer a week in their life. And that’s where I was,” he recalled.

That realization created a hunger in Shawn to go deeper in prayer. He began leading his staff into prayer in new ways, and 6:4’s influence continued to shape his pursuit.

But as Shawn was leading his church toward a deeper culture of prayer, the pressures surrounding him were also mounting and he was met with resistance. 

When one of his elders told him that people were staying in the lobby rather than coming into the worship center to pray, Shawn responded arrogantly, “Well, start praying in the lobby.”

Soon, Shawn recognized that something was wrong—not just in the response he had given—but within his own heart. Shawn realized his sense of accomplishment and ego had begun to creep in. And as his wife’s health continued to decline, he increasingly felt caught between his responsibility as a pastor and his responsibility to care for her.

His burnout had developed through years of ministry, family pressures, spiritual patterns, and the gradual accumulation of responsibilities.

Eventually, Shawn’s elders knew something had to change. They encouraged him to step away, initially suggesting a sabbatical. After prayer, Shawn ultimately stepped out of ministry for about six months.

During his time away, Shawn immersed himself in prayer, journaling, coaching, conferences, prayer gatherings, and other opportunities through The 6:4 Fellowship. 

And in that process, renewal began.

“I really threw myself into what 6:4 Fellowship was all about,” Shawn said, adding that he went on prayer calls as much as he was able. 

For Shawn, renewal was not just about returning to ministry, but allowing prayer to reshape the way he understood his calling and himself.

His experience also changed the way he viewed investment in his spiritual life and calling.

“This is the one thing that I can unequivocally say: Every dime I’ve ever invested has paid itself back in ministry peace tenfold,” Shawn said.

Renewal Can Start Here

Burnout does not have to be the end of a pastor’s story.

Sometimes the path toward renewal begins by acknowledging what is happening beneath the surface. It can mean stepping back, receiving help, and rediscovering a depth of prayer that has been missing beneath the demands of ministry.

For pastors who are exhausted, overwhelmed, or wondering how long they can continue, Shawn’s journey shows there can be a way forward. 

Take the first step toward renewal at the Resilience Conference on October 13–15 in Houston, Texas.  This event will help you create space for God and connect with other leaders to begin pursuing a healthier, more prayer-centered approach to leadership.

If you’re ready to dive deeper before the conference, The Praying Leader Coaching Cohort begins in September.

If burnout has become familiar territory, this is where renewal begins. Register for the Resilience Conference today.