Toxic parishes: who’s to blame and what should be done?
Ask any pastor, and he or she will confirm that toxic parishes exist. He or she may well have served one at some point. To be fair, there are certainly toxic pastors out there as well, though it tends to be easier to address that problem than it is to deal with toxic parishes.
What is a toxic parish? I define it as a parish that is so embroiled in conflict and unwilling to make the changes necessary to move toward health that it actively sabotages or passively resists all attempts to engage in meaningful ministry.
Of course, there are varying degrees of toxicity, and in some situations the right pastor can transform a conflicted, dying congregation into a vibrant community of faith. Is there a point, though, at which denominations should simply refuse to send another pastor to a parish with a long history of chewing up and spitting out its pastors? Does the denomination have any responsibility to forewarn pastors about a parish’s history of conflict, or to provide financial or emotional support to pastors who are forced to leave dysfunctional congregations?
One vicar in England thinks it does, and he is suing his diocese for not exercising its “duty of care.” You can read more about it by clicking here.
What do you think? Please add your comments below.
September 18th, 2010 at 10:45 am
Hi! In my research regarding my own problems, I stumbled on this blog. I have over 5 years experience as a Director of Religious Education in the Catholic Church and have become increasingly aware that bullying, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, and spiritual abuse by pastors and other priest are standard operating procedure in my diocese — despite the fact that such practices are prohibited by the Code of Pastoral Conduct. Their targets are quite predictably lay staff and key volunteers who work hard, care a lot, love their work, and achieve good results. Professional lay staff persons avoid talking about this problem because they rightly believe that to do so would be to end their career. The good-old-priest network will reliably put forth a solid wall of black to defend against and to further the abuse of anyone who dares to complain. I am looking for an group devoted to standing up to this abuse. Any ideas?
September 19th, 2010 at 3:44 am
Thanks for your post. I wish I had some wisdom to share, but I am
not Catholic and don't know enough about their processes and
procedures to have any suggestions. It is sad but true that pastors
and priests can not only be victims of the abuses you describe but
also perpetrators.