God may have rested on the seventh day, but for a growing number of his ministers, there is more work — and stress — than ever, and less chance to unwind. That has led to all sorts of health problems among clergy, from a lack of exercise and a rise in obesity to problems of depression and substance abuse and all the many ills of modern life that pastors spend so much time helping their congregants tackle.
Indeed, even as the folks in the pews head off to vacations this summer, priests, rabbis, pastors and ministers of all faiths often find themselves looking after those left behind and still in need of spiritual support, or using any down time to catch up on the inevitable backlog of administrative work that always takes second place to the care of souls.
“It’s a huge problem,” said Rich Teeters, a veteran pastor and speaker who currently serves as at Renaissance Church, a non-denominational congregation in Summit, N.J. “People’s deaths and serious illnesses and troubles and marital problems — they don’t take vacations.”
Last year, for example, Teeters had to break off his vacation to conduct the funeral of a friend. “In some cases you just care so deeply, you say, ‘How can I sit here and enjoy the beach or the golf course when someone I love is going through hell?’ If you’re conscientious, you can’t just tune that out. I can’t.”
via No Rest For the Holy: Clergy Burnout a Growing Concern.
via No Rest For the Holy: Clergy Burnout a Growing Concern – Stress Busting 101.
