| Clergy appreciate care amidst ministry struggles, stress
By Trudy Rankin
LAKELAND — The Florida Conference’s clergy
believe they and their families are well cared for by the Florida
Conference, according to a recent survey of 286 clergy and spouses by
Healing House task force. That care comes amid concerns about the
stress of ministry, issues related to parsonages and the itinerant
system and a desire for more support in dealing with those issues.
The survey was part of the Healing House task
force’s program of evaluating the care currently provided for clergy
and their families. Most of the clergy responded to a survey on the
Florida Conference’s Web site. A random telephone sampling of clergy
added an additional 19 responses.
Melba Whitaker developed the idea for the
Healing House ministry and is spearheading the effort. Whitaker is the
wife of Florida Conference Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker.
Information from the survey will be used to form
recommendations to the Annual Conference for new ways to care for the
appointed leaders of the Florida Conference’s 744 churches and
missions. One recommendation is to create a coordinating council that
will oversee the provisions for clergy and clergy families, avoid
duplication of efforts, provide resources not being offered, and
conduct additional research into new and innovative resources for
clergy families.
The survey asked clergy and their spouses to
evaluate 10 activities that provide professional, spiritual and
physical support and training to clergy families, including the
Conference Counseling Network, Minister’s Mates Retreat, School of
Ministry, Five Day Academy for Spiritual Formation, Annual Conference
Day Care and the Campamento de Familias (Family Camp). Each survey
gave participants the opportunity to provide comments.
One clergy commented positively on the variety
of resources. “The different activities offered are wonderful,” he
said. “Keep them going.”
Statistically, however, some activities have low
participation compared to the total number of clergy in the
conference. Some clergy said they have difficulty with the cost of
events. Others said they were not able to attend because of their
spouse’s job situation.
The Clergy Kids Retreat, one of the newest
activities for clergy families, received the highest ratings; however,
clergy were not as satisfied with some of the conference’s other
provisions for children. Holding the Annual Conference Events at the
Lakeland Civic Center has made parents more comfortable taking
children there, but clergy were concerned about the Life Enrichment
Center in Leesburg. “I wish that there were better child-care
facilities at the LEC,” one said.
Many of the comments dealt with personal
situations in ministry and showed both the strengths and weaknesses of
the conference’s care for clergy.
Many clergy said they appreciated the
camaraderie among peers. “Our best friends are those that are clergy
families—they know what it’s about,” one wrote. Clergy also said
they appreciate those in leadership, especially district
superintendents and their spouses.
The areas of most concern among clergy related
to dealing with stress, living in a parsonage and coping with the
itinerancy.
Clergy asked for help preventing burnout,
following a balanced lifestyle and finding opportunities to rest. “We
need to hear from the bishop and district superintendents to take time
off,” one said.
Getting that rest is difficult, and at least one
clergy person attributed that difficulty to the itinerant system. “My
wife’s job changes so much with the moves that we can never get more
than two weeks off,” he said.
Misunderstandings and conflict in the church
were listed as major sources of stress. “Can we help the laity to
understand United Methodist doctrine so that we don’t have so much
conflict about beliefs in the church?” one clergy person wrote.
Single clergy and clergy couples also expressed
concern that their unique situations are sometimes misunderstood by
peers and leaders.
In addition to listing praises and concerns,
clergy also offered the Healing House team suggestions on the care
they would like to receive. Several asked for mentoring by older
couples or advice on how to start a covenant group. Others asked for a
course for new minister’s wives and marriage enrichment.
For more information on the evaluation or the
Healing House Team contact Trudy Rankin at trudrank@att.net.
|
