By all accounts, leading a church is hard on clergy. Former pastor Andy McAdams, the founder of Pastor to Pastor Ministries posted a blog entry which started this way:

Many authors condense pastor burnout causes down to four or five. I’m afraid I can’t even get close to that. I started writing and all I could simplify causes of burnout to was 53.

To see his list, read his post, “Many Pastors are Burned Out, Worn Down, and Ready to Quit.”

What McAdams has learned by experience has been confirmed by scholarly research. A 2001 study of U.S. clergy conducted by the Duke Divinity School – explored through the books and publications on their website, Pulpit & Pew – indicated that active clergy experience higher levels of loneliness, chronic fatigue, stress, and health issues than the general public.

According to the study report, “What Do Clergy Do All Week?“, fifty percent of clergy reported working between 35 and 60 hours per week (42 – 63 hours for Protestant clergy), with about one-half of the week spent on worship and sermon preparations. Twenty-five percent work over 60 hours each week. Many clergy are available 24/7, and report having trouble carving out personal time – time when they are not going to respond to member phone calls or drop-by visits – which creates havoc in their families and adds stress to their marriages.

It also contributes to poor physical health. Based on statistical evidence, Harvard-trained doctor Gwen Halaas, a family physician in Kenosha WI who headed the Ministerial Health and Wellness Program for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, described the typical Lutheran pastor this way:

Patient is a 51-year-old male with symptoms of depression. Patient has high blood pressure and is overweight, presenting a heightened risk of heart disease and other illnesses. He works 60-70 hours a week in a sedentary job, does not currently engage in any physical exercise, and reports considerable work-related stress. Patient is married, with three children, one of whom expresses interest in following patient’s career path. Patient expresses little enthusiasm for encouraging child to do so (“Which Way to Clergy Health?“).

Not surprisingly, then, ministry is not as appealing a career option for talented young men and women as it once was. The problem is exacerbated by the growing number of congregations that have dwindling memberships (the majority of U.S. churches now have 75 or fewer members) and little or no endowment. Most clergy work for wages that are below what is normal for professionals with a master’s or doctoral degree, and will not have the opportunity to rise above a mid-level congregation, regardless of their talent and ability – all of which means it is extremely difficult for clergy to save for their children’s college expenses or their own retirement.

On the other hand, second-career ministers are on the rise. Men who have made money in a secular occupation and have reached a point of retirement, early retirement, or financial stability that allows them to indulge their passion for the ministry, and women who have the stability of a husband who earns an average or above-average income – who can therefore afford to take a low-paying ministry job – are typical of people now entering seminaries and ministry (“Male Clergy in Economic Crisis“). Thus, the average age of clergy persons is rising, and the time clergy are active in ministry is decreasing – both because of burn-out and because older clergy retire after fewer years of service.

Clergy stress and burn-out comes from conflict with congregations and denominational officials, low pay, long hours, and a feeling of not being supported by the denomination’s representatives. (For more, download and read the extensive report, “Factors Shaping Clergy Careers“.) But congregations can take some steps to reduce clergy burn-out, and to demonstrate their appreciation for the financial and lifestyle sacrifice their pastor has made. Here are a few ideas:

• Sell or rent out the parsonage and provide your pastor with a down payment to purchase a home (since most clergy will not have had the means to save enough to make a down payment); then provide a housing allowance adequate to finance the mortgage. If this is out of the question for your congregation, annually set aside an amount equal to the average equity build-up of a homeowner in your neighborhood. That money is to be over and above the pastor’s salary package, and is to go with the clergy person when s/he leaves your church.

• When you hire a clergy person, hold back 3-7% of the amount budgeted for the pastor’s salary package. Use that money to periodically provide treats for your pastor and family. For example, have a member of the congregation watch the children for a weekend and send the pastor couple out of town to a nice bed and breakfast or hotel, with a cash allowance for meals and entertainment; or, send the whole family to a local amusement park. Surprise the family with tickets to a concert they would enjoy, or with movie passes, or something similar that is valuable to them. Think up other creative ways to show your appreciation and assure that you pastor’s family has quality “down time” together. Do this 3 or 4 times a year without expecting the pastor to preach that same weekend.

• Give your clergy the fifth Sunday off. Fifth Sundays happen about once a quarter. Let your pastor use the day however s/he wishes with no expectations of church attendance, with no interruptions, and with no loss of pay. In fact, gifting the family with some “play money” would be a nice additional gesture – even if you discover they used it to pay down bills or to buy clothing for the kids. (If that’s how they spent the money, you know your clergy family is under severe financial stress.) If your church cannot afford to pay a guest preacher, let one of the lay leaders conduct the service, or use the day for a hymn sing. You may discover some hidden talent in your congregation, and you might find you actually enjoy a different pace now and then. But even if you don’t, your pastor needs the break.

• Gift your clergy with an annual contribution – at the beginning of each year – to pay down his/her seminary school debt. Seminary is expensive and student loans can be quite large – as much as $10-30,000. Some churches make a point of paying a significant portion of their clergy’s student loan every year, with the intent of eliminating it in five or seven years. But even if you can’t do that, a contribution of a thousand or two from a small church would go a long way toward helping your pastor and showing your appreciation.

Whatever you do, do not tie your gifts to how happy or unhappy you are with the pastor. If you make it a quid pro quo you will demoralize your clergy person and cause even more personal and family stress – as the pastor and spouse worry whether disagreeing at a Board meeting, opposing an elder, or turning down an opportunity to volunteer just cost a needed break or traditional Christmas gift. You would add to the family’s distress and advance the pastor’s burn-out.

A church that cannot joyfully give money and gifts to its pastor – even in the midst of disagreement – does not comprehend the infinite mercy of God’s grace in Jesus. But if your church does understand that through Jesus God gives all of us what we do not deserve and have not earned, then go ahead and share that good news with the man or woman who shares the gospel with you! It is a powerful spiritual discipline which the members of your church can undertake together, and it just might transform your congregation’s life.

To get a more complete picture of the stresses facing clergy, and the difficult circumstances of contemporary ministry, read God’s Potters: Pastoral Leadership and the Shaping of Congregations.

****

If you have other ideas for ways congregations can support their clergy – or if you are a clergy person who has received expressions of love and appreciation from a congregation you have served – please tell us about them!