Clergy Stress

On Saturday the Toronto Star published an article on clergy stress that was quite well done. http://www.thestar.com/article/255451 I was intrigued because earlier in the week I arranged some "face time" with an out-of-town colleague who had seemed unsettled lately. It turned out that he had just explored the possibility of stress leave through the appropriate church official and with his doctor.

This is a dedicated minister who serves a pastoral charge with several preaching points. From what I can see he is conscientious and creative and feels that God called him to this vocation. There is simply nothing left in the tank. He needs some sabbath time from the daily demands of ministry.

A surprising number of pastors and priests across denominations feel this way, as the article points out. I am writing this on a Monday morning when I came in for a couple of hours to get "ahead of the game" on some important stuff for this week. I have an agenda chock full of activity and as always, I don't know what unscheduled situations will emerge. In my first two hours in my study I have not studied, as was my intention. I have responded to the demands and queries that I had not anticipated. While it was not what I expected in the day it seldom is. The interruptions can be the most important part of experiencing Christ's presence but they are also an adventure.

What I hear and what I experience is that it is not the crises of the moment that do ministers in. It is the bigger shifts in our culture, the anti-authoritarian mood, the decline in church attendance, the high expectations to be a wonder worker, the financial woes of congregations, all of which combine to "quench the spirit" in clergy. And many of us end up feeling isolated.

Is our vocation more demanding than others? Maybe not, but it can be just as stressful as other professions.

So, pray for your pastor and remember that she or he is a person. We need a life apart from our work, as well as positive feed-back (when deserved) and the recognition that we are real people with our own desire to grow spiritually.