Leaders say: 'It's too much'

According to new research released this autumn 53% of clergy and other church leaders have wanted to escape from the stress put on them by their workload. 38% of clergy feel overwhelmed by the complexity of the pastoral care they face each day.

Yet at the same time most score high on job satisfaction and many want to receive more training relevant to the needs they perceive in their local community.

In association with the Centre for Ministry Studies at the University of Wales, Bangor, CWR/Waverley Christian Counselling commissioned leading researchers, the Rev. Leslie J. Francis and the Rev. Dr. William K. Kay, to conduct a comprehensive study into perceptions of pastoral care among clergy in evangelical churches in the UK.

Most common

Stress has been identified by two out of every three clergy as the most common pastoral issue they are called to deal with. This is followed by marriage guidance, bereavement, loneliness and depression. Francis suggests: 'These figures invite reflection on how well pastors are trained to deal with psychological problems like depression and stress. Many pastors are seeking better training and continuing professional support to maintain the delivery of effective pastoral care in such crucial areas.'

Debt counselling, marriage preparation, family counselling, terminal illness and divorce are also high on the list of issues clergy are dealing with. Such diversity is the cause of extreme pressure among leaders, sometimes resulting in burn-out.

Surprisingly, bullying, eating disorders, rape and the abuse of the elderly are all identified as low priority pastoral issues. Francis comments: 'This might suggest pastors may not be listening carefully enough to some of the pastoral concerns which are of growing importance in today's society.'

Training needed

Sean Gubb, General Manager of Ministry at CWR/Waverley Christian Counselling and project manager for the research, said: 'It is essential that the church invests in training leaders to deal with the pastoral issues they actually face today. We hope this research will allow CWR, as well as Bible colleges and other organisations, to develop more relevant in-service training for leaders, and better pre-ordination training for the leaders of the church of tomorrow.'

The study investigates the personal profile of the pastors and their perceptions of the pastoral needs in their community, along with their actual involvement. It also studies leaders' contact with other organisations and their own priorities in ministry.

The research was conducted in association with the Evangelical Alliance using a comprehensive 27-page survey distributed to 2,570 leaders of EA-affiliated churches. The results are based on the first 754 replies from all main Christian denominations. The findings were released on September 25, and are published by CWR as Pastoral care today - practice, problems and priorities in churches today (ISBN 1 85345 169 X, £15).

EA response

At the time the findings were announced, Evangelical Alliance launched a new initiative, bringing together organisations which support people in Christian ministry, under the title Care for Pastors Network. There was even talk that through this network Christian leaders are to be offered health checks, discounted holidays and training. John Smith, EA's UK director, said: 'Some-thing must be done. These results confirm our understanding that many church leaders feel undervalued or taken for granted.' He went on to say: 'Pre-ordination training needs to encompass practical management skills that represent such an increasing proportion of a church leader's working life.'

Further information can be obtained from the website: http://www.eauk.org/careforpastors

© Evangelicals Now - November 2000
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