GUIDING THE DISCUSSION
It is important to not exhaust people in the discussion and to allow plenty of time for just enjoying each other. The exercise on loneliness and the discussion that follows, may be sufficient for the second meeting of your group.
It is also important to be flexible in your schedule and allow for spontaneous questions to arise. It may be best to provide them access to the first volume of Clergy Tales–Tails: Who Wags the Dog amzn.to/11j6L2D at the prior meeting and mention to them that you will first be discussing the second story, Never off the Clock at the next meeting. It may be the first time that some will have tried to access a book from the Kindle section of Amazon. It should be pointed out that even if they don’t have a kindle, they can download the free Ap that will allow them to read it on their notebook, smart phone, or computer.
This story builds on the feelings that can be generated by a combination of loneliness and exhaustion raised in the last meeting. The questions provided are to help you facilitate the discussion but should be used with flexibility.
REFLECTIONS ON NEVER OFF THE CLOCKÂ
1. As the story begins, the pastor reflects on the demanding day that he has experienced. Note how those events quickly move up and down like a roller-coaster. Bulletins must be prepared, budget anxieties dealt with, meetings aren’t always satisfying, people do criticize, and at other times you are able to offer nurture in hospitals and support to those in need of counseling. Allow the group to discuss how realistic that picture is of the rhythm of ministry.
2. In addition to alcohol, what are some other unhealthy ways that occasionally clergy succumb to at points of either physical or emotional exhaustion?
3. What are healthy ways that people have discovered to cope with the emotional drain of ministry?
4. How would you counsel a new minister on how to cope with the reality of being subject to calls any time day or night?
5. If you could make one change in the way you respond to how the demands of ministry can sometimes drain you emotionally and spiritually, what would it be?
Remind them that they will be discussing Your
Brother’s Blood at the next meeting. They may also want to check out some of the other resources mentioned at the end of the book to see if some of them might be of interest to the group.
