Ministry is risky business
Dr. Drew Benson, a psychologist and LeaderWise colleague, kicked off our summer e-letter series on resilience last week. As he mentioned, each week we will write about one of the eleven tasks that Dr. Tom Skovholt, a prominent researcher in the helping professions, identifies as necessary to maintain our wellbeing. This week we begin with Skovholt’s Task 1: “Lose one’s innocence about the need to assertively develop resiliency and self-care skills.”
Resilience Task 1
Lose [Your] Innocence About the Need to Assertively Develop Resiliency and Self-Care Skills
A pattern emerged early on in my work at LeaderWise. When a candidate for ministry came for their assessment, many often presented themselves with great self-assurance. More than one seminarian confidently declared their call to ministry and proudly referenced their “Reformed tradition,” “Lutheran doctrine,” or “Wesleyan spirituality” as holding the answers to most of life's important questions. While some of this was off-putting, I also found their idealism and enthusiasm a bit contagious. I hoped for the best for them. By contrast, a veteran clergyperson would come for a two-day assessment, either for their own discernment or at the suggestion of a denominational executive who was worried about their wellbeing, and they would simply say, “Help!”
After several years, these ministry leaders, no matter what their denominational background, could admit what most of us have learned – ministry is hard work and can take a physical and emotional toll. They could no longer pretend that a sincere call to ministry was enough to sustain their health over the course of their career. As Skovholt maintains, if we are going to thrive in our work, we must “lose [our] innocence about the need to assertively develop resiliency and self-care skills.” These pastors were doing just that.
There’s a paradox, though, that can keep us from “losing our innocence” and interfere with our seeing the need for resilience practices, and ultimately lead us into trouble. Research stretching across decades documents that we as clergy are highly satisfied with our work. A consistent finding, dating from the 1980s to the present, is that over 90% of us rate our ministry work as “meaningful” or “very meaningful.” Research by Payscale (2021), in fact, discovered that people in ministry were the most satisfied of all employees, with 98% of us describing our work as meaningful. At the same time, another line of research, also extending back decades, shows that people in ministry lead the way with higher rates of serious illness than the general population, including asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, unhealthy weight, depression, and other significant mental health concerns (Sielaff et al., 2020). Proeschold-Bell et al. (2013), a team of researchers, even go so far as to say that “serving in the ministry poses an occupational risk to mental health.” It seems we love our work but also struggle under the weight of its potential health implications.
This paradox can often blind us to the reality of our jobs, too. Because our work as people in ministry is so fulfilling, we often downplay and minimize the stress of it by pushing through it. We may fail to recognize the toll of it until it’s too late. As Matt Bloom (2019), a researcher who has studied thousands of clergy, writes,“Pastoral work is not only tough; it may also be dangerous.”
Richard DeShon, an industrial-organizational psychologist, has studied people across a range of professions, and the United Methodist Church commissioned him to study the work tasks of clergy. In his research, DeShon (2007) discovered 13 task cluster areas and 64 distinct work tasks for which clergy are responsible, and concluded, “The breadth of tasks performed by local church clergy coupled with the rapid switching between task clusters and roles that appears prevalent in this position is unique. I have never encountered such a fast-paced job with such varied and impactful responsibilities.” He further talks about how the role of clergy can be “taxing” and “unrelenting,” too. No wonder so many of us feel tired!
Friends, I’m wondering if this research, the paradox of ministry being both highly meaningful and potentially dangerous to our wellbeing, resonates with your experience. If so, what strategies have you tried to cope with the demands of our unique role? How have you sustained, nourished, or re-established joy in your ministry? As Skovholt, the researcher upon which our summer e-letter series is based, reminds us, our wellbeing as clergy just doesn’t happen by chance. It takes self-awareness, intentionality, and practice. I’ll close with this word of hope, too. Skovholt, in his years of research, has distilled 11 practices designed to help us regain and maintain our footing in ministry. Over the next several weeks, we’ll be reviewing these specific steps to greater resilience and vitality in ministry. Tune in next week as Dr. Caroline Burke will share how to “Discover Abundant Sources of Positive Energy.”
References
Bloom, M. (2019). Flourishing in ministry: How to cultivate clergy wellbeing. Landham: MD: Rowman & Littlefield
DeShon, R.P, & Quinn, A. (2007). Job analysis generalizability study for the position of United Methodist local pastor. Retrieved from http://ministerscouncil.com/resources/effective/clergy_effectiveness_UMC.pdf
Payscale (2021). The most and least meaningful jobs. Retrieved from https://www.payscale.com/data-packages/most-and-least-meaningful-jobs/full-list
Proeschold-Bell, R.J., Miles, A., Toth, M. Adams, C, Smith, B., & Toole, D. (2013). Using effort-reward imbalance theory to understand high rates of depression and anxiety among clergy. Journal of Primary Prevention.
Sielaff, R., Davis, K.R., & McNeil, J.D. (2020). Literature review of clergy resilience and recommendations for future research. Journal of Psychology and Theology.
