A Healthier Clergy Walk
Reflections on Healthier Living in Christ

by Dr. Steve Cappa, Clinical Director

In previous newsletters, I have written about the numerous and complex stressors and challenges that our clergy face. While we might assert that the vocation of Christian service is one of the most rewarding to be had, many who come to Marble Retreat for Christian Counseling complain of such symptoms as ministerial burnout, a broad-based term that refers to symptoms of extreme fatigue, stress, depression, discouragement, familial and marital discord and even hopelessness.

I've written extensively about these struggles and how they can disable our shepherds. Having devoted a significant amount of newsletter space to the “problem” that befalls clergy, I’d now like to address some suggested antidotes, some ideas about healthier living. While these suggestions specifically apply to clergy, you will soon read that they are likely universally true, that all of us might benefit from these antidotes to stress.

We here at Marble Retreat Christian Counseling have observed many of these emerging healthy coping patterns for years. Last year at the annual CAPS Meeting (Christian Association of Psychological Studies, St. Petersburg, FL, 3/04), Patti and I attended a breakout workshop presented by Dr. Mark McMinn, his colleagues and two graduate students, from Wheaton College. Their presentation highlighted five preliminary but very solid studies they’d conducted, focusing upon the healthy coping skills of a representative sample of clergy in this country (a full report of this study can be obtained through contacting Dr. McMinn (mark.mcminn@wheaton.edu)).

This project focused upon healthy coping activities and strategies and their strongest conclusion was that clergy tend to utilize “intrapersonal” coping mechanisms to provide antidotes to the regular and common stressors of ministry. Intrapersonal coping can be defined in the following manner: “By intrapersonal coping resources we refer to positive factors existing within a person’s environment that are not directly experienced as relationship with other humans (McMinn et al, p. 5)”.

These coping skills might be better highlighted by the fact that they tend to lack relational features, they tend to be solitary activities to relieve stress and improve one’s quality of life. These are things one does by oneself. This conclusion might be contrary to what we might normally think, given the fact that clergy are leaders of people and this implies a more extroverted, people-oriented lifestyle. However, one might speculate that because clergy are constantly surrounded by people (and often by people with problems and very high expectations!), they tend to find relief in activities separate from people, that they need to remove themselves, even briefly, from the rigors of regular human contact in order to find relief. JESUS DID THIS!!!!!

Let’s examine some of the coping skills that the Wheaton studies discovered:

Prayer: Prayer is one of the strongest intrapersonal coping skills common to clergy. Good news! Our clergy appear to rely heavily upon God and, moreover, tend to have a vital relationship with Him! Consider the following quote: “. . . for clergy solitary care often involves a powerful and sustaining relationship with God through prayer, study, and meditation on scripture (ibid., p. 19)”. Many who come to Marble Retreat struggling with spiritual issues have experienced some kind of schism or break in their prayer/devotional life with God.

Furthermore and consistent with the positive aspects of the research, it is very common for the attendees of Marble Retreat to report improvement in their lives in conjunction with improved spiritual relationship with God. Needless-to-say, a strong and vital prayer life is paramount to a healthy clergy person!

Time off: Yes, taking time off is one of the other strongly endorsed areas of coping for clergy. This means “getting away from traditional work activities (ibid., p. 19)”. While this activity is likely universally true in our labor force, this is especially true for clergy. Why? Because, in our experience at Marble Retreat, clergy come here burned out, suffering from overwork and often a complete lack of healthy work boundaries that include “legislated” time off.

Simply put, if you want to thrive in your ministry vocation, you’d better have clear and regular time off and time away from your ministry duties! In this study, it was mentioned that many of the clergy subjects reported actually getting away from their locale, away from their ministry and even their homes, because the intrusions, even in their homes, was difficult to avoid! Please keep this last idea in mind when considering time off!

Hobbies: Can you believe it? Healthy clergy apparently indulge in various hobbies! This, of course, would be subsumed under time off since one would have a very difficult time engaging in a hobby while at work! A hobby (in case some of you out there have forgotten!) is “a favorite occupation topic, etc., pursued for amusement (American College Dictionary, 1966, p. 575).”Golf, hiking, crafts, painting, photography, recreational reading (not theology or other such reading, please!), fishing, collecting antiques, model railroading, travel, knitting, sewing, collecting anything, hunting and skiing are but a few of the myriad possibilities found in hobbies. Truly, just about anything can be a hobby is it is pursued for amusement.

I cannot tell you enough the very high number of clergy that come to Marble Retreat that report no hobbies. If pressed, most all of these folks can recount some kind of hobby in history, usually childhood or adolescence, but most all have since abandoned this very healthy practice in the interest of devotion to ministry! Hobbies are crucial to one’s healthy existence! Just like the other healthy coping strategies/activities, the emotional and psychological diversion that comes from hobbies actually makes it possible for one to function at their vocations more efficiently! The absence of hobbies, those activities/interests beyond one’s job, result in poor work performance and excessive degrees of stress. Let’s state it simply: “You need a hobby! Find something!”

Exercise: This is one of the most heavily emphasized activities for healthy living that comes out of the medical and psychological health communities. There is a growing field of research supporting the presence of regular physical exercise for humans as a source of healthy living and coping. This is even more crucial for clergy! Consider the following quote from the Wheaton College study: “Various sports and recreational activities provide balance to the sedentary work and interpersonal demands of pasturing (McMinn et al, p. 20)”.

The most recent federal health guidelines are now suggesting one hour of physical exercise daily. Walk, run, ride, x-country ski, dance (if your faith traditional allows!), bowl, horseback ride, golf or combine any of these or other physical activity to get your heart rate up for a sustainable period of time. You’ll be better for it!

Marital Relationship: While not intended to discriminate against singles, divorcees or those who have been widowed, most clergy are, in fact, married. There is a significant amount of research to support the notion that most humans are healthier and happier if married. A healthy, reasonably fulfilling and vibrant marriage is a critical component to a healthy coping style for married clergy. The absence of this, of course, is most common to the couples who come to Marble Retreat, often struggling with both their ministry and their marriage. Make sure your marriage relationship is healthy, nurtured by you and experienced by you as nurturing. Anything less is almost a guarantee for high levels of stress, burnout and ministry failure.

In conclusion, we can observe that prayer, time off, hobbies, exercise and a fulfilling marital relationship can all serve to provide excellent coping for the unavoidable stressors common to the vocation of ministry. We here at Marble Retreat strongly encourage all of these practices in the dear folks that come seeking rest and restoration. There are, no doubt, many other factors that make for a “healthier clergy walk” but these five factors are strongly supported by the Wheaton College study, by Scripture and by common sense! Our prayer for you who read this, clergy or otherwise, is that God will inspire you to embrace these healthy habits.