Paul Beasley-Murray, Pastors under Pressure, Spurgeon ¢â‚¬â„¢s Booklet, 1989

This little 84-page booklet was written by someone who knows what he ¢â‚¬â„¢s talking about. He ¢â‚¬â„¢s suffered/endured the stresses of pastoral leadership, taught pastors-to-be (as principal of the [Baptist] Spurgeon ¢â‚¬â„¢s College, London) and  ¢â‚¬“ still fairly rarely, unfortunately  ¢â‚¬“ *really* believes in the ministry of the whole church (so he prefers the term  ¢â‚¬Ëœpastor ¢â‚¬â„¢, and never  ¢â‚¬Ëœminister ¢â‚¬â„¢ in the singular).

Here ¢â‚¬â„¢s a miscellany of quotes/ideas:

• Could any life be more thrilling or momentous than to spend your days [leading people] to Christ? Yours is the greatest of all vocations [James Stewart]
• But pastors are suffering: the Southern Baptists in the US are losing a thousand pastors every year!
• Congregants were surveyed about the hours a pastor should spend ministering. Average: 82 hours per week; one response 200!!! (but a week has only 168 hours)
• There used to be a silly ideal about preferring to  ¢â‚¬Ëœburn out ¢â‚¬â„¢ than to  ¢â‚¬Ëœrust out ¢â‚¬â„¢…
• Pastors are stuck with the  ¢â‚¬Ëœvolunteers ¢â‚¬â„¢ they inherit: so there ¢â‚¬â„¢s a fear of offending them in case they leave (which adds to feelings of powerlessness)
• The task is endless: like that of Sisyphus in Greek mythology, pushing a great stone up the mountain only to have it roll down again and again before reaching the top
• There used to be respect for  ¢â‚¬Ëœthe cloth ¢â‚¬â„¢… The pastor was the  ¢â‚¬Ëœparson ¢â‚¬â„¢, ie. the person, who, with the squire, was usually the only educated person in the village
• Crockford ¢â‚¬â„¢s Clerical Directory: There is a crisis of confidence in many ordained ministers, who work hard but are not sure that it is the work which they ought to be doing
• Some stress is needed for productivity: but at a critical point too much stress ( ¢â‚¬Ëœhyperstress ¢â‚¬â„¢) leads to a decline in productivity
• Many pastors suffer from work overload, role conflict, and role ambiguity
• Meditation, relaxation, support networks (fraternals, supervisors etc.) and a healthy diet are important for  ¢â‚¬Ëœstress management ¢â‚¬â„¢ (see Roy Oswald, Clergy Stress: A Survival Kit for Professionals and Sarah Horsman ¢â‚¬â„¢s Living with Stress.
• God calls pastors primarily to be faithful, rather than successful. Develop a team/shared ministry. Pastors are called to be men/women of God, then leaders, teachers, worshippers, equippers ( ¢â‚¬Ëœclergy are helpers of the whole people of God ¢â‚¬â„¢ John Stott, One People)
• Avoid hypocrisy ( ¢â‚¬Ëœplay-acting ¢â‚¬â„¢), pretending to be perfect, or omnicompetent. Be aware of  ¢â‚¬Ëœvisibility ¢â‚¬â„¢ issues (the higher the pedestal, the more exposed you are). Manage time well (the bitterest sorrow is to aspire to do much and to achieve nothing, said Herodotus). Belong to a warm, caring, trustful, honest, confronting and open small group (Howard Clinebell, Growth Groups). Sometimes it is better to stay home and entertain friends than to go to another meeting. Success?  ¢â‚¬ËœGod may allow his servant to succeed when he has disciplined him/her where they don ¢â‚¬â„¢t need to succeed to be happy. The one who is elated by success and cast down by failure is still a carnal person ¢â‚¬â„¢ (A W Tozer). Delegate: When Moses learned to do this, from his father-in-law Jethro, he released 78,600 people into leadership (Ex 18:14, 17-18, 38:26). Expectations: how much do I have to please people (see Gal 1:10)?
• Recent pressures: change ( ¢â‚¬Ëœconstant change is here to stay ¢â‚¬â„¢), theological challenges, numerical decline in mainline churches vs. Numerical growth in some others, democratization of education, competitiveness (remember Zinzendorf:  ¢â‚¬ËœI have one passion, it is He, He alone ¢â‚¬â„¢).
• We need to develop a theology of ambition:  ¢â‚¬ËœChristian theology has had comparatively little to say about the sin of refusing to become everything that one can be ¢â‚¬â„¢ (Jaroslav Pelikan)
• How long should you stay in a church?  ¢â‚¬ËœDoes a doctor say,  ¢â‚¬Å“I have been here five years, I have healed all the sick I can heal ¢â‚¬ . Does a lawyer say,  ¢â‚¬Å“I have been here five years, I have won all the cases I can win? ¢â‚¬  (James Glasse, Profession Minister).

Rowland Croucher

Jmm.aaa.net.au

November 2011