On May 10th, Jason Byassee preached at the commencement exercises of Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. I came across the text of the sermon online; you can read it here.
Reading that sermon led me to ponder what I would say if asked to speak at a seminary graduation ceremony. Here are a few thoughts that came immediately to mind:
1. Remember to listen to God first and foremost. There will be plenty of other voices competing for your attention and telling you what your priorities ought to be, but don’t let them drown out God’s voice.
2. Remember that Jesus calls you to love your neighbor AS yourself – not more than, or instead of, or at the expense of yourself. If you do not properly care for yourself, you are setting a poor example and will ultimately be unable to do much to help anyone else.
3. Remember the importance of time apart – time to pray, to reflect, to simply “be” instead of always rushing to do something. Your days off and vacation time are not optional luxuries to give up whenever someone needs you; they are essential aspects of your life and ministry. Even Jesus left the crowds and his disciples at times to be by himself and pray.
4. Remember that you are always God’s beloved child, regardless of your successes or failures as a pastor and a person, that you do not have to earn God’s love, and that nothing can separate you from that love.
Those are my thoughts; what are yours? If you were asked to speak to new seminary graduates, what words of wisdom would you share?
I haven’t written a blog post in several months because, honestly, it is discouraging to not get any responses and thus have no way of knowing how people are reacting to what they read here and whether or not the reflections I share are helpful to anyone. Today, however, I came across a website that identifies 53 different possible causes of clergy burnout, and was motivated to share the link in hopes of generating some discussion. You can read the full list here.
One cause of clergy burnout that I think is particularly significant, and widespread, is this one: “Because of perfectionistic expectations, denial, pride, and fear of telling anyone about their real weaknesses, failures, fears, stresses, and discouragements, pastors are some of the least likely to seek help – from counselors, doctors, friends, co-workers, or even from ministries like PastorCare.” As a pastor, I know that no matter how I really felt about how things were going, I wanted my parishioners as well as my colleagues to see me as confident and competent, able to handle whatever challenges came my way. There were very few people that I was close enough to and trusted enough to share my personal struggles and feelings of inadequacy. Usually, I felt the need to keep my own emotions (especially sadness or anger) in check, and always be the calm, cool professional with an enlightened spiritual perspective on every issue.
I’d really like to know what you think. Do you believe that each item affects every pastor at some point, to some degree? If not, what makes some pastors able to avoid a particular risk factor, or handle it better than others? Of the many causes listed, which ones do you think are the most significant stressors that can lead to clergy burnout? Are there others you can think of that are not listed? Most importantly, how do you cope with those stressors and what could other pastors, church members, and denominational officials do to help support you when you are feeling overwhelmed?
USA Today recently published an article about businesses encouraging spirituality in the workplace. You can read it here.
I realize that most of you reading this probably work in church offices, but I’m curious as to whether you have noticed or heard from church members anything about increased spirituality in other work settings. My experience has been just the opposite: not only is faith not discussed at work, to avoid controversy or the possibility of offending someone of a different faith or a non-believer, it is often viewed as a liability.
Whenever I have interviewed for a job, I have specified that I am available to work any day or evening except Sunday, because of church. I have repeatedly been told that is not good enough, that the employer needs someone who is available whenever needed, and that as a new hire I would be expected to work on Sundays. Other friends of mine regularly miss worship because they are working on Sunday mornings. Restaurants, stores, and tourist attractions are all open seven days a week here, and many are open 365 days a year. I have worked on both Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, among other holidays.
In theory, it is illegal in the U.S. to discriminate on the basis of religion; in reality, especially in difficult economic times when there are many people looking for work and fewer people hiring, employers can simply choose not to hire someone who refuses to work on religious holidays and claim some other basis for their decision if it is questioned.
I do not agree with those who find it offensive that businesses say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas,” or that nativity scenes are either not allowed in public places or are placed alongside menorahs or symbols of other faiths. Christianity should not be the official or preferred religion in a country that claims to value freedom of religion, but neither should it be denigrated or its adherents have to choose between attending worship services and getting or keeping a job.
What do you think? Is faith encouraged in the workplace, ignored, or seen in a negative light? Have you, or has anyone you know, had to miss worship due to their work schedule? Is it reasonable for employers to expect employees to be willing to do so? Why or why not?
The staggering death toll following the earthquake in Haiti, and the heartbreaking stories we’ve heard and photos we’ve seen from there, have led many people to question why a loving God would allow a tragedy like that to happen.
It’s a good question; unfortunately, some of the answers have not been very good. Pat Robertson actually said it happened because long ago Haitians made a pact with the devil so that their slave revolt would succeed.
Assuming that people must have done something to deserve the bad things that happen to them is one way to try to make sense out of senseless tragedies. It’s a practice that goes back at least as far as biblical times: in the Old Testament book of Job, when one bad thing after another happens to Job, his friends suggest that God is disciplining him and that surely he or his children must have done something to anger God.
If we reject that idea that an angry God causes (or at least does not prevent) suffering, how can we explain it? Why does God let such terrible tragedies happen?
I don’t presume to have a satisfactory answer to that question, and I have yet to meet a pastor, seminary professor, or anyone else who does. The best we can do is acknowledge the reality of pain and suffering, and our inability to know the mind of God, even as we also acknowledge our belief in a loving God who grieves with us and works through us to help others who are also hurting.
If you would like to help the people of Haiti, and be sure that 100% of your gift will be used to do so, click here to go to the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) website.
I subscribe to the Alban Institute’s newsletter, and was surprised to see an article there entitled “The Need for Stress and Conflict.” My first reaction was, “Gee, most pastors I know have plenty of stress and conflict in their lives and would gladly give it to anyone who thinks they *need* some.”
However, as I read and reflected on the article (which you can read here), I realized that both individuals and organizations do in fact need some degree of conflict in their lives – it’s impossible for us to grow otherwise.
Think about any relationship that is important to you – your relationship with a spouse, best friend, parent, or child, for instance. Has that relationship always been free of stress and conflict?
I’ve been happily married for almost 19 years now, and I can assure you that during that time there have been periods of stress and conflict. I don’t think it’s possible to have a healthy relationship without it, because different human beings are inevitably going to have different wants and different opinions about the best course of action at some point.
As the Alban article points out, sometimes bringing up an issue that others are avoiding stirs up conflict, but that conflict is a necessary part of considering various options and moving forward into an uncertain future.
When has conflict been a difficult but necessary part of your life or your congregation’s? How have you benefited from the experience?
