by John Bruington
Some five years ago I was riding with some other pastors in the beautiful Bob Marshall Wilderness [known locally simply as “the Bob”] on a three-day retreat. However we hadn’t come for the scenery, the fishing or the trails — we had come for healing.
The wilderness trail ride was part of a program sponsored by the Clergy Recovery Network for “wounded healers” — pastors who were struggling with burnout, addiction, marital/family problems or other issues. There were only four of us on that ride, but over the years I have come to discover our numbers are legion.
Years ago, while in seminary, I read a book called “The Problem Pastors Don’t Talk About,” which dealt primarily with infidelity. True enough, few pastors or denominational officials or seminary faculty are even willing to concede such a problem is widespread. The same is true of other issues: drug abuse, addiction to alcohol or pornography, clergy burnout, loss of faith, lack of purpose, and mistrust in the system. Yet pretending these issues are not widespread and, according to some studies, at a crisis stage in the modern Church, do not make them go away. The need is there and many pastors are wondering if any one cares.
The good news is “yes” there are folks who care and offer help. If one looks up clergy recovery on the Internet or related subjects one will find links to a number of groups like “The Clergy Recovery Network” focused on helping pastors through the dark times. The bad news is, there aren’t very many of them. Hopefully that will change as the research and studies put together by such respected research groups like Barna and the Fuller Institute continue to do their studies and share the results.
Last year, Steve Eason, pastor of Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, came to the Glacier Presbytery meeting in Helena and shared some of the information he had gleaned. Many of us were shocked, for we had never heard any of this before. A few examples of what he shared were:
- “80 percent of seminary and Bible college graduates will leave the ministry within the first five years;
- 38 percent of the clergy surveyed were either divorced or in the process of getting a divorce; and
- 79 percent felt unprepared by seminary to lead, manage or administer the local church.”
Looking into the actual resources Dr. Eason had quoted I found even more disheartening news:
- “50 percent of all clergy think of leaving the ministry and would if they could;
- “1,500 pastors leave the ministry every month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout or contention within their congregation they are not equipped to deal with;” and,
- “Between 60-80 percent (depending on which study one uses) will not be in ministry past the 10 year mark.”
Yet how many Committee on Ministry members or general presbyters are aware, much less prepared, to deal with this issue? What General Assembly or synod staff is working with the presbyteries to help prevent burnout? And even if there were denominational resources, would those who need them trust the system enough to ask for the help?
Speaking with other pastors who are hurting, I have learned that trust is a major issue; sadly, few denominations or even independent churches have earned that trust over the years. As we become more political and power struggles in our churches increase, not only is the Body of Christ divided, but also Christ himself ceases to be the focus. When a church becomes an institution to be preserved and controlled, it may quickly cease to be the Lord’s house and the servants of God often find targets on their backs. In a study by the Fuller Institute of some 1,500 pastors of different denominations, 78 percent had been forced to resign from at least one pastorate in their career. From my personal experience, the benign neglect of the denominational leadership and the later attempt by a presbytery official to blackball me in other presbyteries very nearly destroyed me and my family. Once again, as I work with other pastors from a variety of denominations, my case is sadly not all that uncommon.
So what do we do? If you are an administrative, executive or general presbyter, bishop or overseer, review the studies that have been published. You can start by looking up “clergy burnout,” “Fuller Institute,” “Barna” or “FASICLD” (Francis A. Schaffer Institute of Church Leadership Development) on the Internet. Look up “clergy recovery” and check out the various organizations, programs and mentors available. Make them known to the pastors and congregations you deal with even if they all appear to be healthy and problem-free. Appearances can be deceiving.
If you are a wounded servant or a wounded congregation, be aware of the fact that help is available. There are Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopal and Methodist groups as well as non-denominational organizations out there. Check them out and see if one or more is right for your situation. Although most charge for their services, there is usually a free exploratory period in which you and the mentor determine if it will be of help. You haven’t lost anything by exploring it — and you may gain some hope and a plan to move forward. Above all, you will learn, as I did, that you are not alone.
You may not ride with me in “The Bob” and have a chance to sit down with other hurting pastors around the campfire, but there are folks out there to talk to and share your story. Thanks to emails, Skype and the phone, we who are also wounded and share the same scars — regardless of what how embarrassing or shameful you think them to be — are only an email or phone call away. You don’t have to walk alone. We know the way. We’ve been there too.
JOHN BRUINGTON is an associate with the national Clergy Recovery Network ministry and pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Havre, Montana.
