Tested and Rested
by Terry Shanahan, Northeast Region Minister
Let them be restored as in the days of their youth. (Job 33:25)
Summer has ended. Most of us are slipping back into a hectic schedule with a full calendar. Perhaps during the summer you were able to take some time away from work or ministry and the tyranny of the urgent. I hope that time away was refreshing and restorative to you. It is clear, whatever vocation God has called us to, that we will be tested. But in order to maintain a spiritual vitality we will also need to be rested.
God places a high value on the sabbath and he speaks frequently in His word on it. It is the model He gave us, to labor six days and then set apart a day to rest. In our culture today there is no delineation for the sabbath. Anything you can do, anyplace you can go on Monday through Saturday you can also go and do on Sunday. But especially for pastors, Sunday is a work day. Sunday is the day you lead your flock in worship. Sunday is the day you minster in word and deed with your flock. Sunday can also be day for socializing with your church or friends and taking some time with your family. How often is Sunday a day of rest for you? Many pastors I know take a different day of the week as their sabbath. But even then the press of obligations is hard to keep out. A recent Leadership Journal article lists these statistics on burnout.
Hard Calling
80% of pastors are discouraged in their role as pastors.
40% of pastors seriously considered leaving the pastorate in the past three months.
50% of pastors say they are unable to meet the demands of their job and are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.
For every 20 pastors who go into ministry, only one retires from the ministry.
25% of pastors have been forced out or fired from their ministry at least once.
45% of pastors say they’ve experienced depression or burnout to the extent that they need to take a leave of absence.
Of 1,050 pastors surveyed by the Schaeffer Institute, every one of them — 100 percent — had a close associate or friend from seminary who had left the ministry because of burnout, conflict in their church, or from a moral failure.
70% of pastors say they do not have a single close friend, and the same percentage say they have lower self-esteem than when they entered the ministry.
Denominational health insurance agencies report that medical costs for clergy are higher than the average professional group.
To avoid such discouragement I want to call your attention to the ways we can take some rest. In New England there are opportunities for pastors and their families to get away for a day or two for little or no money.
Forest Haven in New Hampshire welcomes clergy couples to come and be refreshed. Many of our missionary and ministry couples have enjoyed the quietness of the woods in this idyllic setting which offer an apartment with private entrance, living room, bedroom, bath, fully supplied kitchen and a dinner at no cost. http://foresthavennh.org
In Massachusetts, the Sanctuary at Woodville, is a place where for a small fee you can come to spend a day on retreat or communing with nature nearby. http://www.sanctuaryatwoodville.org/
Many Christian Conference centers will welcome a pastor for one or two nights at no charge.
In the CCCC we encourage living life together and we work to bring pastors together in small community groups for support and refreshment. One of the things that we could do to support each other is to share our knowledge of ways to be restored and opportunities for refreshment.
Our summer doesn’t last all year long. Make sure you schedule time into your calendar as the ministry year goes on. Since I get requests from time to time on where one can find such respite, I would ask all of you to send me any information on your local accommodations or opportunities for pastors to get away and be refreshed so it can be shared.
