THE MINISTRY OF DENOMINATIONAL STAFF
Denominational staff are a specialized or extra-congregational ministry that needs to be addressed. As we emerged out of WWII, we entered a period marked both by increasing prosperity as a nation, and through the ’60s a growth in size of churches and denominations. The church began to professionalize various aspects of our church’s ministry. As we recognized the scope of ministry before us, we sought out professionals that could enable the church to carry out that ministry.
The decline in church membership, together with our recent economic collapse, has forced the church to pare back. The result is an increasingly stressed and exhausted staff in the upper judicatories of our church. It is important to examine realistically our expectations of these Servants of the Lord while at the same time looking for ways to care for them in their ministry.
WHO CARES FOR DENOMINATIONAL STAFF
While it may be very frustrating and stressful to be a pastor of a congregation, at least you have a congregation to relate to, a session to respond to, and some form of gathering of many of them once a week. As you enter the field of denominational staff, the context and accountability of your ministry becomes a lot more complex and cloudy. If you think being pastor of a church is a lonely position, and it is, try being part of a presbytery, synod, or GA staff.
At a judicatory level, there needs to be somebody who takes responsibility for the nurture of staff health. When we think about caring for our health, we need to think about our physical, emotional, financial, family, spiritual, and vocational health. Too often boards and constituencies have expectations of those staff but do not step back to ask “How are you doing?” Even asking that question and sincerely wanting to know can contribute to the care of the staff that works for our greater church.
Often there is a council, sometimes by another name, that meets with a staff person to help that person exercise his or her ministry. In some cases, it may be more than one body and then each need to take responsibility for reflecting on the well-being of that staff person.
TWO WAYS TO SHOW CARE
As a first step, and to be repeated at regular intervals, the council should step aside from their business agenda and engage in a version of what can be called appreciative inquiry. You can do this in one of two ways.
You can simply place the person in your midst and members of the board begin to speak spontaneously of attitudes, activities, demeanor, accomplishments that they appreciate in that person. These should be done in short declarative sentences. Long stories and meandering reflections should be avoided. Conclude with a prayer of thanksgiving for his or her ministry.
Another way to do this would be more intentionally liturgical. Where available, by doing this in a chapel or sanctuary you are drawing upon the physical setting that speaks of our faith community. Have the person placed in your midst (physical placement of the person in the center of the circle can be powerful), enter a time of verbal prayer in which members of the council offer prayers of thanks for the positive aspects of this person’s ministry and conclude by laying hands upon the person and have a prayer for healing and strength.
More ideas in the next blog.
