Pastoral ministry should be considered a High Risk occupation. Check out some of these startling statistics about pastors from H. B. London Jr.’s work, Pastors at Greater Risk (also quoted in the book mentioned below.)
- 80% believe pastoral ministry affects their family negatively. 33% of those say it’s an outright hazard to their family.
- 75% report they’ve had a significant stress-related crisis at least once while pastoring.
- 50% feel unable to meet the needs of the job.
- 90% feel inadequately trained to cope with the demands of the job.
- 80% of pastors say they have insufficient time with their spouse.
- 56% of pastors’ wives say they have no close friends.
- 70% of pastors say they do not have someone they consider a close friend.
Perhaps the most disturbing statistic of all is that clergy have the second highest divorce rate among all professionals.
“There will always be a tension between what I do and who I am because they run so closely together. A minister isn’t like a salesman who stops talking business after five o’clock or a dockworker who refuses to pick up a fallen box because he’s off the clock. He doesn’t live in the world of retiring politician, who contents himself with leaving unfinished items for his successor.
A shepherd-leader is more like a country doctor. Regardless of the time of day, when people are experiencing symptoms of appendicitis or when a baby needs birthing, he can’t say, “I’m off duty. I punched out at five.” In a sense, a pastor never punches out. Of course some may, but for those who see their profession as a calling, they simply cannot.
What I do is who I am, and who I am is inextricably connected to what I do. I am a shepherd. It wasn’t something I chose as a business profession. It was something I couldn’t escape!” Page 96
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2 responses to “Thursday Quote: Leading On Empty”
And yet we see this poem that describes to me anyway, pastor superstar.
“Our pastor never gets to say,”I’m off duty “. Never gets to punch out at 5 o’clock. Never has a normal schedule. We don’t know how many sleepness nights he spends on his knees praying for his church or how much opposition he faces. How many family opportunities he missed out on because of meeting with hurting people (physically and spiritually). We can’t carry his burden for him but we can pray for him, encourage him, support him, get behind him and love him.”
This sounds like someone who tries to work harder than their creator by never taking a day off or going on vacation, who thinks God will magically take care of their children and spouse without them and is such a work-a-holic that they are basically married to the church.
I agree John. Pastors must be very careful to not allow ministry to the community and congregation take over their responsibility and ministry to their family and themselves. I find it very sad when I hear about pastors who get so much of their self-worth from what they do that they’d rather burn out than take the time off they need to remain healthy. The Sabbath is God’s gift to man, yet we so often set it aside as an ‘optional’ activity, not realizing it is a critical part of our spiritual growth and development. There are few pastors who would say that it’s OK to NOT regularly read the Bible or pray – but somehow taking that day off just doesn’t seem to be at the same level of those two ‘spiritual growth’ activities.
Lord please help us all, and especially our pastors, to find the rest and strength in You that we so desperately need!