I love those rare moments when I read two seemingly unrelated articles that, by the pure coincidence of the timing of my reading them, lead me to see things a new way. This happened to me today when I read a blog post by Tyndale Seminary grad and hospital chaplain Sam Williams. He wrote about and then quoted Presbyterian Minister, and Tyndale professor, Rev. Dr. Victor Shepherd.
In the excerpt from Dr. Shepherd’s sermon the following line caught my eye:
as often as I’m thrilled I’m also startled, sobered and awed, for I recall Jean Vianney: “If we really knew what it is to be a pastor, we couldn’t endure it.”
I might not have taken much if I had not also recently read an article in the Presbyterian Record about the difficulties faced by pastors in our church:
While many Christians struggling with mental illness turn to their minister for comfort and help, our clergy themselves are suffering. A recent survey conducted by the Centre for Clergy Care on Clergy Well-Being (led by Rev. Andrew Irvine of Knox College, Toronto) revealed some disturbing trends. In their survey of more than 300 ministers from six Canadian denominations, they found that the number of those who had been diagnosed with clinical depression was double the national average.
Dr. Shepherd’s quotation of Jean Vianney is too easily dismissed on its own. Add to it the weight of the research behind the Record’s article and it becomes an sweeping indictment.
This site is one of 90 on the
February 13th, 2009 on 5:21 am
It’s remarkable to think of just how many clergy are struggling with mental illness or other stress-related health issues but really not that surprising either. We live in a time when the church is in crisis. The institution is crumbling and many of the ways we’ve done things for hundreds of years just don’t serve us any more. So there’s a lot of anxiety in the ‘system’ and those who lead within that system are bound to be impacted deeply.
We may be equipped to deal with people’s individual anxieties but many of us are not well equipped to handle the heavy institutional anxiety that manifests in various ways – sometimes directly aimed at us, sometimes in other kinds of conflict.
Churches that have leaders (clergy and lay) who can remain non-anxious and maintain good communication in the midst of anxiety and conflict will weather the current storms. But those that don’t will struggle, decline and fold. So, as churches, we need to help all our leaders ensure there is lots of support (and take the stigma out of getting it!) available for all leaders who need it. This includes everything such as conflict management training, marriage & family therapy, self-care & spiritual retreats, clergy conferences, proper sabbaticals, etc.
And clergy need to take a lead too. We need to intentionally change our own culture from one of comparing notes and competing to see who has worked the hardest and longest to one of celebrating self-care and holding each other accountable for it. After all, when did we decide that the commandment to keep the Sabbath didn’t apply to us?
March 11th, 2009 on 8:25 pm
In ministry work, people (clergy & lay) are called to be empathetic and compassionate towards others. This is “feeling” work.
If it is true that only people with emotional “teflon suits” will survive the stresses of ministry, this is a sad statement on the reality of today’s Church environment!
What needs to happen more in the Church, and in society, is a reduction/removal of the stigma of mental illness. One thing that was very clear from the article in the Record is that sufferers of mental illness are still afraid to talk to others about their experience because of the prejudices and misconceptions which exist.
Perhaps, the National Church needs to make a dedicated effort to have more articles, discussions — and sermons! — on the reality of mental illness.