In 2014 the Fuller Institute, Barna
Institute and the Pastoral Care Institute published statistics regarding
pastors. Here are some of the numbers: 90% of pastors work between 55 and 75
hours a week, 80% believe their pastoral ministry has negatively affected their
families, 95% do not pray regularly with their spouses, 90% feel that the
schools where they studied did not adequately prepare them for ministry, 90%
claimed that the ministry was completely different than what they had expected
before they entered the ministry, 50% would leave the ministry if they thought
they could find other another job, 70% have no close friends…(see more at http://www.pastoralcareinc.com/statistics/)
They are not very encouraging statistics,
although I did choose only some of them. Certainly we cannot read into them how
it is in individual denominations, and so it would be misleading to try to
apply the statistics to “your” denomination or church, or to judge your pastor
in light of the statistics. Someone could say that they are only statistics
from the USA and that it is better over here. I don’t know… I have been
grappling with the problems associated with pastoral ministry for a long while,
and from whatever standpoint you look at it, I think it is safe to say that we
all would agree that pastoral ministry brings not only joy, but also more than
one worry and a lot of stress. As with all statistics, even here we must seek
the answer to how to interpret the statistics. At first glance, it seems clear.
Being in the ministry (whether as a priest, pastor, minister, preacher) can
sometimes feel like walking through a minefield. It is a risky venture.
The statistics can be read in another
light, however: What kind of people become pastors or full-time Christian
workers? If so many are failing, is not the problem, perhaps, that many are
recruited to positions for which they are not qualified, and that is the reason
they end up as they are? There is no easy answer to this question, although
certain clues are there. The work of a pastor falls in the category of
so-called “helping professions”. That is, a profession in which, on the one
hand, there is the beautiful goal of helping others, and on the other hand, a
never-ending feeling that the work is never finished. Helping professions carry
within themselves a certain risk that has recently been well written about in
great detail in academic publications. There is a certain risk that these
professions draw not only capable people of strong character, but also people
who are greatly unbalanced themselves—people who, usually unconsciously, try to
solve their own problems by beginning to help others. Czech author A. Green, a
leading Catholic friar, captures such cases in his quip: “When I cannot reform
myself, I start to reform the monastery” (i.e., others).
What risks are involved with helping
others? There are immediately several. In one way, you gain power and influence
over others; then comes the feeling of being irreplaceable. In some fields (for
example, in the church or in Christian organizations) there is also a freedom
bordering on complete unaccountability concerning the work involved and how
time is spent, which for some is a very enticing prospect. Another “bonus” and
false motivation can be that you don’t have to deal with the unending tension
between work and ministry, and sometimes you can be tempted by (at least in the
church and in parachurch organizations) the opportunity to become a leader
relatively quickly, without having to show any fundamental leadership
abilities. It is also enticing to have others listen to you. Sometimes
introverts are drawn to helping professions, because it helps certain deficits
which often accompany having an introverted personality. Lastly, there is also
the danger of exhibitionism, most of all to those who preach, lecture and lead,
and the danger to some of being drawn into very close relationships with those
of the opposite gender. NONE of these risks that I have mentioned has to be true
for everyone. NONE of these represents
the general character of pastors or those in ministry. I am simply pointing
out certain possible risks for those who take on such work. How does this
relate to the above-mentioned statistics? It relates in that the problems of
pastors correlate not only to how difficult their work is, but also to what kind
of people are taking on that work. If the wrong type of person becomes a
pastor, it is not a surprise that his work will eventually overtake him; that
he cannot meet the expectations which are placed on him. The result is stress,
various addictions, etc…—see. the statistics.
Now we come to the next fundamental
question, which is: What are the criteria in the selection of pastors?
Certainly in the Bible there are specific criteria, where Scripture clearly
gives preference to character over abilities. It gives very wise criteria,
which cannot be easily pushed aside. Every denomination, and probably every
mission organization, has certain criteria, by which they choose their
candidates. Judging by the statistics, either their criteria are inadequate or
the position of a pastor is too difficult, or perhaps another possibility
exists: the mechanisms in place to help pastors survive are too ineffective.
I myself have always been against feeling
sorry for pastors, especially when I see how difficult a position many have in
secular work. At the same time, I do believe that pastors do not have it easy.
So what is there to do? How does one prevent burnout? The constant sense of
being overwhelmed, falling behind and stressed?
I will try to point out a few solutions. Many
pastors experience loneliness; I can relate. Their work is solitary in many
ways; sometimes they are even “alone in a crowd”, and loneliness can sometimes
lead to depression. It is necessary for pastors to actively seek out friends;
to not hide behind the cliché that pastors cannot have normal relationships
with people, because no one understands them. Others do/do not understand us in
the same way we understand others. Jesus and Paul had deep friendships; why
would the same not be true for pastors?
Another stress factor can be the feeling
that one’s effort is not adequate in getting results: when things are going
wrong, the fault lies with the pastor; when things are going well, it is
because of God’s blessing… A person sometimes needs to see results, however,
and maybe even hear that it is worth it, that his/her work has meaning and
purpose. Not everyone is strong enough to endure only on the knowledge that
one’s treasure is being stored up in heaven. That is why it is important for a
pastor to have someone around who can encourage him/her.
An additional stress factor among many
pastors is their lifestyle. A lot could be written about this subject, but
sitting, drinking too much coffee and eating too much food, along with often
resolving conflicts, having little exercise and unclear work hours…these just do
not build one up. When we read the New Testament, we see that Jesus as well as
Paul did manual labor, spent most of their time outdoors and walked a lot.
Today we would say they “lived a healthy lifestyle”—basically, they weren’t
sedentary.
Another problem, which we actually see in
the statistics, is that many pastors do not feel adequately prepared for their
ministry. Let me give a personal example. I graduated from three different
schools, two of them theological schools. But then I came in contact with the
reality of the church…suddenly you are called on to bury someone who has
committed suicide, solve psychological problems you didn’t even know existed,
someone threatens to kill you, you learn about domestic violence and don’t know
what you can and cannot tell the police, you counsel people going through
divorce, you are blamed because someone has left the church because of you, you
don’t know many computer programs, without which today you cannot get anything
done, you give a series of sermons on which you have diligently prepared and
several Sundays in a row no one prays after the sermon (in our church
denomination, it is customary for people to pray aloud after the sermon),
sometimes someone even falls asleep, you publish an article like this one and
are accused of trying to slander someone, someone threatens to sue you because
you supposedly said something about him/her at some point, you give a ride to
someone from the church who has almost drank himself to death, you are a part
of the splitting up of the church, etc… I am not complaining. In fact, I have
chosen only the worst to present. There are and have been many wonderful things
I have experienced which outweigh the bad. My theological school, however,
basically did not prepare me for what I just described. I don’t blame the
school, and neither do I think that I failed to pay attention during classes on
practical theology. But for me to hold up under similar things without stress,
I can either become cynical, which I don’t want, or I can turn them all over to
the Lord and allow others to help bear the burden. At the same time, I am
learning to live not only for these and similar things. Once you focus only on
the described areas, the whole church begins to look bleak and stress is not
far away. You cannot allow that. In addition, because of the changing nature of
the world we live in, it is practically a given that pastors must seek new sources
of inspiration. The school you graduated from just doesn’t suffice.
One thought in conclusion. As we consider
the frequent exodus of many pastors from active ministry and the many warning
factors contained in these statistics, it is perhaps worth rethinking the
process of hiring pastoral candidates as well as seeking how to apply a system
of supervision within the framework of the church. It is surely a huge
challenge. Our day and age will see more and more complicated questions and
challenges put forth, and it is therefore even more important for individual
denominations to have in their leadership not only people who are godly, but
also people who are called and who are in the right place.
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