Especially when we speak about congregations taking care of their pastors, both from the perspective of the pastor and that of the congregation, we need to recognize that a major barrier is the wimp factor. Congregations call clergy to be their leaders and the assumption is that the pastor takes care of the congregation, not the reverse. Clergy make a similar assumption. For someone to suggest that the pastor needs cared for creates an image of babying or coddling someone who is in a fragile state. We take care of sick people. We care for children. We express compassion for people who are not strong enough to care for themselves. To use a pejorative term, wimps need cared for, not strong leaders. It seems to contradict the culture of winners and losers.
Overcoming the wimp factor and recognizing that it is in the best interest of both the congregation and the clergy to identify the stressful nature of being a pastor in today’s congregations is the first step. The second step is to identify ways to work with the pastor in responding to those factors that can challenge the health of the pastoral leadership. The strongest and healthiest of leaders can be worn down by the pressures and negative conditions that are present in the best of congregations. In this context, I’m not speaking of some malevolent element in a congregation but simply the subtle ways in which the large range of expectations in a congregation and the emotional situations, both positive and negative, can take their toll on otherwise healthy people.
Pastoral leadership is demanding — wimps need not apply — but congregations can take steps to team up with the pastor in creating a healthy, even if very demanding, ministry. In doing so, they increase the satisfaction and meaning of the ministry in which we all are engaged.
