The final part of the decade-long Living Ministry study, to gather evidence as to “what enables ministers to flourish in ministry”, found that some four in ten clergy sometimes felt isolated in their ministry, although almost three-quarters said that they were fulfilling their sense of vocation.
In the words of the report, “While the feeling that one is fulfilling one’s vocation can be sustaining through all sorts of other challenges to wellbeing — and being unable to do so can feel devastating — pursuance of a calling can also lead to physical, social and material sacrifices which may be detrimental to wellbeing.”
This, the final part of the study, had responses from 500 clergy, 29% of whom had scores for mental well-being that indicated possible, mild, or clinical depression, a figure which rose to 35% among incumbents. 8% of respondents met the threshold for “burnout”, with high negative scores across ‘tiredness’, ‘isolation’, and ‘demoralisation’. Among causes of stress, 45% named parish finances, and 36% their church buildings.
The authors write that, “although some people may feel demoralised or ineffective, this does not necessarily mean that they are ineffective in practice.”
We need to look after our clergy and ensure that, in their sense of vocation, they are not running themselves down and failing to take a proper break from work. Reducing the causes of clergy stress can only be in the long-term interest of the parishes or chaplaincies for which they are responsible.
Read the full article in the Church Times here. Support our year end appeal for funds to rennovate and upgrade our clergy accommodation here.