There is an interesting phenomenon among clergy. On the one extreme, there are those within the clergy whose identity is so tied up with the profession that they cannot give themselves permission to take care of themselves and their families. They frequently do not take a day off and often come to the end of the year having not taken their full vacation and/or study leave. And many times they will find someway to brag about their incessant work habits. At some level they have tied their identity so completely to their ministry that either consciously or unconsciously they do not think the church can get along without them. The fact that even Jesus emphasized the need to take breaks and rest and the fact that they are acting as if the clergy and not Jesus are the saviors does not seem to register with them. They also are not aware that their congregation would benefit from the pastor honoring the Sabbath principle in his or her own life. Unfortunately, the congregation often tends to reinforce such a life style by bragging on the fact that their pastor works so hard.
However, there is also the other extreme that seems to be manifest among particularly some of the clergy in the more recent generations, although not absent from older clergy as well. This is the clergy who has been so schooled in the need to take care of themselves that they seem to be continually placing their personal needs ahead of that of their congregation. By some measure they could be seen as lazy or self-indulgent. In their cases, it would seem that they may have lost sight of the fact that effective ministry does require both dedication and more than a little sacrifice. There is no evidence in either the Hebrew Scriptures or the New Testament that God’s call is a call to a life of leisure. If the Gospel is truly preached, it is in contention with the society as a whole. It is a challenging calling that is not meant for the fearful or the pleasure seeker. At some level that is what it means when the Scriptures suggest that we are called to a servant ministry. To love your neighbor as yourself means that you must have a healthy respect and compassion for both self and neighbor. As clergy we are not the savior but we are called to be ambassadors for Christ, God making God’s appeal through us.
