UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY
A major problem in raising a congregation’s awareness concerning the health of clergy is “Who can raise the question?” Clergy are reluctant to talk about it because it seems to be self-serving. It’s even difficult for sessions to raise it for discussion because they don’t want to suggest that the pastor is somehow weak and needs pampering. Plus, even though they are in the leadership of the church, they don’t fully understand the special pressures in a pastor’s life. But the interim is in a unique position. First, s/he speaks from the perspective of a pastor. Second, s/he is focused on what can be done to help both the congregation and the pastor to be healthy.
QUESTIONS FOR THE SESSION
It would be good, even before a specific candidate is identified, for the interim to guide the session in reflecting on the challenges of the ministry that can affect the health of clergy. What are the factors that might contribute to the dramatic decline in physical health among clergy. The Duke Health Initiative found that 79% of Methodists clergy in North Carolina had problems with obesity. The study also showed that the depression rate among clergy was significantly higher than the average population. What are the factors in ministry that can contribute to emotional stress in the ministry? The questions can continue around issues of family health, spiritual health, financial stress, etc.
SECONDARY STRESS
Both the pastor and the session need to recognize that we are not talking about weakness but strength in the ministry. The better a pastor is, the more s/he will be sensitive to and therefore absorb the pain of the congregation. Studies have shown that a person who listens deeply to another person’s pain, absorbs some of that pain into themselves. The result is an increase in the stress in the person’s life. A good pastor will be responsive to the varied pain of the congregation but rarely has a chance to recover from the trauma in one person’s life before they confront the pain is several more people. In most cases, it is not even a pain that they can share and receive support. How do you say, “I’m feeling devastated by a marriage I see breaking up before my eyes.” Hopefully people will reach out to the affected family but they rarely think about the pastor who has born that secret for a period of time.
By raising these question for public discussion before a specific personality is involved, the leadership can begin to strategize on how to be supportive of their new pastor.
