{"id":1893,"date":"2020-10-16T16:11:51","date_gmt":"2020-10-16T16:11:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cnob.org\/?p=1893"},"modified":"2020-10-26T21:41:31","modified_gmt":"2020-10-26T21:41:31","slug":"the-coming-tidal-wave-of-pastoral-departures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnob.org\/?p=1893","title":{"rendered":"The Coming Tidal Wave of Pastoral Departures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

by Laura Stephens-Reed, Clergy & Congregational Coach (www.laurastephensreed.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

reprinted with the permission of the author<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Note: when I originally posted this piece on my<\/a> blog<\/a>, I realized that few ministers would feel free to share it themselves. If it resonates, I hope that judicatory leaders, laypeople, and others who support you might have passed it along on your behalf.]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many ways I could describe the past six months, but I\u2019m going with \u201crevealing.\u201d The pandemic has clarified systemic issues related to a broken healthcare system, racial inequities, lack of leadership at almost every level (governmental and denominational), and inefficient infrastructure for responding to crises. Specifically, though, I am thinking about how all the shifts prompted by Covid-19 have uncovered how unsustainable ministry is for so many pastors in their current contexts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Prior to the pandemic, a significant number of my clergy coachees and colleagues were working under unrealistic expectations, whether those came from their congregations or from their own internal \u201cshoulds.\u201d And then, mid-Lent<\/em>, they had to change the ways they did nearly everything – and fast. They became not just preachers but tech experts with all that entails: recording, editing, sound mixing, lighting, inviting people to and teaching them how to participate in and managing online meetings, exploring the most accessible social media platforms, and monitoring cyber security. They spent many hours trying to get all of this right because worship and Bible study and fellowship are so critical, not knowing that they\u2019d have to continue all that they started beyond a few weeks, often without much help from others. (Because, again, the shutdown was supposed to be temporary, so why ask for assistance from others dealing with their own altered realties?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now not only do many ministers\u2019 jobs look very different than what they were before mid-March, but they may no longer align with these leaders\u2019 senses of giftedness and call. They are doing work they did not sign up for, or at least work they didn\u2019t particularly love has increased while the aspects that energized them have all but evaporated. And there is no end in sight to these changes, <\/em>both because Covid-19 continues to spread and because pastors know that they\u2019ll have to keep up at least some of their new tasks once churches re-gather to accommodate constituents who\u2019ve found virtual connection works better for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, ministers lost their best means of not just keeping tabs on how their church members were doing but also getting any kind of encouraging feedback, namely seeing faces in the pews during worship and interacting informally with folks on Sunday mornings. This loss made communication, pastoral care, and decision-making infinitely harder. Everything started to take more time, more intentionality, more energy. This, while many clergy have also been caring for aging parents and schooling children whose schools and daycares closed and whose other caregivers have had to isolate to protect their own health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In return for all the extra effort, many pastors have received mostly anxiety and negativity in return. Part of this is because everyone is struggling, and church is an easy place for people to project discontent. (What\u2019s your pastor going to do if you get mad? She can\u2019t fire you, refuse to work with you, or give you a bad grade.) Part of this is the polarization in our culture, which has morphed public health measures like closing buildings and wearing masks into political landmines during a presidential election cycle. And part is simply that church members simply don\u2019t know all that their leaders are doing since everyone is isolated in their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects of all these difficulties are taking their toll. They have deepened pre-existing fault lines and created new ones such that clergy who already had some sense of discontent now have one foot out the door, and some who were very happy are seriously questioning whether their current context is still a good fit. The result, I predict, is going to be a tidal wave of pastoral departures once churches re-gather, and maybe sooner depending on how long the pandemic rages on. Clergy who have been hurt by accusing questions like, \u201cWhat are you doing all day?\u201d or \u201cWhy can\u2019t we meet?\u201d or \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you do X (or call Y)?\u201d \u201cAre you really going to make me wear a mask?\u201d are going to have trouble forgetting and will look for fresh starts elsewhere. Some lead clergy who have caught a lot of heat might want to step into positions, such as associate roles, where they aren\u2019t the point person. Others are just going to feel chewed up and spat out and choose to leave the ministry altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Church folks, this time is hard for everyone. It\u2019s hard for you, certainly. And it\u2019s hard for your pastor. If you want to keep your pastor after Covid-19 becomes more manageable, here are some suggestions to help ease your minister\u2019s stress during the pandemic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n