wfn.org | Job stress creates mental health problems for many pastors

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May 14, 2003  News media contact: Tim Tanton7(615)742-54707Nashville, Tenn. 
10-21-71BP{280}

NOTE: An illustration is available with this feature.

A UMNS Feature
By Amy Green*

For many years, the Rev. John couldn't admit to what he says "clouded my
soul."

"We pastors always think we're supposed to have it together," he says.

But a year and a half ago, when he joined a midsize United Methodist
congregation in North Carolina troubled by financial and other problems,
John's depression worsened. Finally recognizing he needed help, he met with a
pastoral counselor and found relief by confessing his feelings. 

His treatment continues, but he believes his progress will only encourage
parishioners who perhaps are in a similar plight.

"I appreciate the chance to care for others, and I also appreciate the chance
to be cared for," says John, whose name has been changed to protect his
identity. "You can't always give. You also have to receive."

It is not uncommon for pastors to feel overburdened by their unique
responsibilities. Burnout and depression are increasing, but many are
reluctant to seek help - a troubling trend, since many Americans turn to
their pastors first when needing mental health care.

While many pastors are happy and satisfied with their jobs, others find the
demands relentless. Pastors are expected to guide parishioners through
weddings and funerals, church dinners and personal problems - and deliver a
sermon each Sunday that will serve as inspiration all week. Many pastors
struggle to set aside enough time for themselves and their families, and they
grow uncomfortable with their congregations' idealized view of them.

Yet they often believe their feelings are the result of spiritual failure
that can be resolved only with stronger devotion and prayer. Or they worry
that confiding their feelings might compromise their leadership within their
congregations or among fellow clergy.

Whatever the case, pastors most often put their congregations before
themselves and will continue to give spiritual and emotional guidance even as
their own circumstances worsen, says the Rev. Andrew Weaver, a United
Methodist pastor and licensed clinical psychologist who has studied clergy
and mental health for more than a decade.

"Overwhelmingly, they are the front-line mental health workers," says Weaver,
director of research for the ecumenical HealthCare Chaplaincy, which serves
New York hospitals. "But the truth of the matter is, if you are in distress,
you're not going to be able to help people."

A growing problem

Research is scarce on the issue, perhaps a reflection of how clergy mental
health has been overlooked in the past, some say. But a 2001 survey of about
2,800 pastors by the Duke University Divinity School research project, Pulpit
& Pew, in conjunction with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), found that
roughly a quarter scored "significantly" lower on mental health questions
than the general public, says Jackson Carroll, director of Pulpit & Pew.
Pastors responded to such questions as whether they had felt sad or blue
recently, but the survey was not designed to reveal possible mental illness
among clergy.

Many pastors felt their ministries were ineffective and doubted their
calling, according to the research.

That number appears to be growing, says the Rev. John Arey, clinical services
director for an ecumenical pastoral care ministry run by United Methodist
leaders in Charlotte, N.C. He sees up to five pastors a week.

"By and large people, assume clergy know how to take care of themselves," he
says. "At times, it's very painful to hear what they've been carrying or how
long they've been struggling."

Some pastors find it tough simply to set aside time to confront their
problems, says Jim Schlottman, executive director of the ecumenical pastoral
care ministry Quiet Waters, based in Denver (1-866-5-WATERS;
http://www.qwaters.org). He tells of a pastor who was experiencing marital
problems. The couple believed they could talk privately in an abandoned barn
one afternoon, but they were embarrassed when a church member who had spotted
their car asked later whether it had broken down.

"Being a pastor becomes a very lonely position," he says. "Who is the
pastor's pastor?"

Pastors of small churches, who may not have access to health insurance or
paid vacation, often suffer the worst, says the Rev. George Megill, a retired
United Methodist missionary who volunteers for the ecumenical PastorCare,
based in Raleigh, N.C. (919-787-7024; www.pastorcare.org/.)  The ministry
offers counseling and referrals to mental health providers nationwide, but it
also works with motel owners and others willing to volunteer a place for a
pastor and spouse to enjoy a retreat.

"In these small churches, they have no support system," Megill says.

These burdens take a heavy toll, says the Rev. Charles Alexander, executive
director of a United Methodist pastoral care ministry in Birmingham, Ala.

"The profession, I think, is one of the most stressful ones," he says.

Seeking help

John was troubled both personally and professionally. He was unsure of his
ministry, and he found it difficult to address both his parishioners'
problems and his own at the same time. But seeking help was tough, he says.

"I was embarrassed that I needed help," he says. "It's scary as a pastor to
ask for help because you don't know what reaction your congregation will
have."

He believed he needed simply an "attitude adjustment" and prayed hard but
found himself only short-tempered and drained of motivation. He now has been
seeing a counselor for about a year and, with medication, has improved. But
he has shared his struggle only with a few parishioners whom he has counseled
for similar problems. Their reactions have been positive, he says.

"It's almost like that congregation member is happy to know that it's OK to
seek help," he says. "It's almost like I've given them permission to seek
help."

Treatment for pastors is becoming more available. The issue is gaining
attention, especially since the 2001 terrorist attacks underscored clergy's
role in mental health care and the Roman Catholic Church sex scandal
demonstrated their vulnerability to mental illness. And with a clergy
shortage looming, many denominations - including the United Methodist Church
- are taking a closer look at how they can better nurture their pastors.

More than 150 United Methodist leaders are expected for a conference this
summer in Syracuse, Ind., addressing how to develop better spiritual leaders,
and mental health will be a part of the discussion, says the Rev. Susan
Ruach, a sponsor of the conference.

In New Jersey, church leaders are considering adding a series of workshops on
the issue for pastors and their families. In Virginia, Bishop Joe E. Pennel's
wife, Janene, has organized a task force especially for clergy spouses, with
the idea that "if the spouse is having stress, the clergy is going to have
stress," she says.

"New and creative things are emerging," says the Rev. Robert Kohler, the top
staff executive of the Section on Elders and Local Pastors at the United
Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry in Nashville, Tenn.

But tight budgets have forced the denomination's leaders in many parts of the
country to trim pastoral care ministries, Kohler says. Other leaders are
unsure how to reassure pastors they will remain anonymous within these
ministries. The denomination offers fewer than a dozen pastoral care
ministries across the country, and most pastors are encouraged to seek help
from an ecumenical ministry, he says.

However, as mental illness gains acceptance, many expect pastors will become
more willing to seek help and will have more options to choose from. That's
good news to Arey. He believes the pastorate will grow only more stressful as
shrinking congregations stretch churches financially and younger worshippers
demand changes in services.

Nonetheless, John feels good about the future. He once had considered leaving
the pastorate but no longer doubts his calling. He is reminded of an
afternoon he spent praying through tears for help.

"As I look back on it now," he says, "that bottoming out and the therapy and
medication have all been part of God answering my call."

# # #

*Green is a freelance writer living in Nashville, Tenn.

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United Methodist News Service
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