The Archives
-
clergy, ministerial-formation, ministers, seminary
Ministers: Are you grateful?
10.25.07 | Permalink | 4 CommentsAttention all ordained ministers: I have a burning question for you. Thinking back to your candidacy process, is that a process you are grateful for now? (As opposed to being grateful that it’s over.) And were you grateful for it then? I’m asking specifically about the denominational vetting process—interviews, position papers, etc.—as opposed to seminary […]
-
clergy, health, ministers, stress
Does ministry make clergy sick?
A friend sent me a provocative article from Pulpit & Pew that notes a fifty year rise in general unhealthiness among Protestant clergy. Fifty years ago, clergy were among the healthiest professional groups. Now the opposite is true. Much of the clergy health problem may be rooted in the very nature of ministry today—what Stephanie […]
-
burnout, depression, ministers, ministry
Death by ministry
05.31.06 | Permalink | 3 CommentsSome stats on ministers (emphasis mine): Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches. Fifty percent of pastors' marriages will end in divorce. Eighty percent of pastors and eighty-four percent of their spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastors. Fifty percent […]
