The Ministry and Melancholy

 

 

 

Comments.    Considerations.     Questions.

 

 

                                   by Kenneth Bagnell

                                                                         

 

       A story from boyhood lingers in my mind as I began pondering the issue dealt with here: the emotional or mental problems of many ministers, not just in Canada but in the United States where, given population, the incidents are considerably more frequent. My story is simple and short: an aged farmer is at work on his tractor in the fields; he is spotted from the country road by his recently retired member of parliament, driving by. The politician sees the farmer’s wave, so pulls over to the fence to say hello. They talk a bit. But just as he is about to leave, the old farmer says he always wanted to ask a particular question of the politician. “Go ahead,” says the former MP. “Well,” says the farmer, “I always wanted to know this: what’s the formula for success in politics?”  The recently retired MP took a deep breath and then gave his answer: “I don’t know the formula for success.  But I can tell you the formula for failure. Try to please everybody.” Maybe that’s at least close to the reason – excluding serious physical illness – why there are so many ministers of most faith groups on what is called by The United Church of Canada: “confidential medical leave.” Maybe; but maybe not.

       A late friend, a Toronto psychiatrist named Daniel Cappon, once told me that in his experience, the most emotionally and mentally healthy people he knew were politicians, who served and succeeded year after year after year. They learned early that they’d have adversaries who will stoop to almost anything — this side of the law or at least close to it — to cast the opposition into the fires of hell. But, the pastoral ministry is quite different. A principled Protestant minister in the mainline churches today, can’t even countenance turning up the heat on any congregant.  He or she ought to be a well-integrated personality emotionally and mentally. But ministers sometimes aren’t. Many are creative – as are artists, writers, actors – and thereby often by nature highly sensitive.

      One person who senses this probability is Dr. Donald Gillies educated not just in theology but also pastoral psychology. He’s been both a theological academic and a pastoral minister and has long sensed ministers to be quite sensitive. That can be both blessing and burden. “I suspect,” he told me, “that ministry personnel are more vulnerable to criticism, partly because they’re not trained to cope with it.  But also because they tend to be ‘performers’ who hope for and count on the ‘applause’ that follows a ‘good performance’… I don’t say that in a negative way, but only to connect them with other ‘artists’ and set them apart from hard-nosed types like business people or project managers…”

     There are those who feel that the denominations, – Anglican, United, Lutheran and so on – ought to have staff specialists to whom a burdened or troubled minister could turn for pastoral care or more. Dr Gillies is hesitant on that. He feels it’s a bit too internal. “Not very realistic” he told me, “Mind you the United Church does have Conference ‘Personnel Ministers’ who can be drawn in as a resource. I was one myself… But my own preference is for referral to a skilled professional outside the church ambiance, someone who has some distance from  the ‘system’ and can provide a safe place for ventilation and hopeful healing.” For what it’s worth, I agreed.

 

    Almost by chance, I recently discovered that the rising incidence of troubled ministries, has led, in fact, to the creation of a professional firm dedicated to what Gillies envisioned: a firm helping clergy persons who are becoming almost overwhelmed by the pressures both personal and professional of the ministry. Its offices are in Calgary and it’s called:  “Breathing Life into Ministry.” (I had difficulty reaching it by phone.) Mainly, as I understand it, it’s the creation of two Christian men, Rev. John Griffith, and Pastoral Psychologist Ron Semenoff.  A survey accompanying its “purpose, vision and services,” indicates, for example, that many ministers United, Anglican, Lutheran, Baptist, and Pentecostal, endure loneliness, frustration, depression and other mental and emotional stresses. (Its catalogue report on American denominations reveal, sad to say, much the same, for example, the state of affairs in the respected and historic United Church of Christ. The firm’s analysis is entitled: “A Devastating Study in Clergy Morale.”

        Naturally, I feel a bit sad about much of this but at least it gave me a chance to reach my old friend Don Gillies and I hope to again. One element of the minister’s professional life we agreed on 100 percent was his final comment to me. He was referring to the minister as CEO. Some ministers like being that. They shouldn’t. They haven’t either the experience to justify it or the MBA to support it. As Don puts it: “Many ministers get in trouble by assuming their role is that of CEO rather than pastoral leader, spiritual guide and advisor. For example the term ‘Senior Minister’ always throws me. Senior to whom? Isn’t even the Pope known as ‘the servant of the servants of God?’ Theologically speaking, I would call it a sellout of the gospel and the gospel’s values.” Thanks for the candor, Don Gillies.

                           OOOOOOOOOOO

FYI: The staff of Breathing Life into Ministry is located at the following address: 10244 Hidden Valley Dr. NW, Calgary, Alberta, T3K 2A8.

 

 

 

All past blogs are archived on my website: your comments are welcome there: www.kennethbagnell.com.