Spiritual leaders need their own tending
to
For some reason, when the weather starts turning chilly, I
begin to worry about my brothers and sisters who serve our religious
communities. Sometimes frail, they can be bedazzled by the worldly chaos
around them. I am not saying they are helpless, because a lucky
few fared well in the ministry, some even amassing great fortunes.
Yes, some have saved thousands of dollars from salaries that seem
inadequate at first glance. But most do not end their careers
with fortunes, and many have the same kinds of issues that plague
us, including stress. So, here are some tips for church councils to help their pastor
through this next year of stress: First, make sure your pastor is getting some exercise. If he
or she sits around the office too much, the church council might
want to suggest membership in the local health club. Barring that,
the council could cancel snow-removal service and tell the pastor
that volunteers will take care of it. When the volunteers don't
show up, the parson will have to crank up his arms to clear the
parking lot. If snow isn't a problem in the area, the church council could
cancel the lawn-maintenance service and watch the pastor try to
cut the grass with what I envision being a little, pathetic push
mower. Of course, years ago, many church councils solved the exercise
problem by simply creating parsonages. When the pastor moves in,
the place is likely to be in horrendous shape, and with a little
elbow grease, the cleric can keep the holy house from slipping
into the dump. New wallboard and tile in the shower, new windows
and frames in the family room, new steps leading to the garage
and a multitude of other tasks likely will need mending, so the
lucky pastors in those situations should get plenty of exercise. I knew a pastor who moved into a parsonage during autumn that
had a fireplace but no chimney. The hole for the chimney was blocked
by thick plastic that crinkled and snapped during the winter cold.
So after the winter passed, the parson took some lessons in building
chimneys, bought some bricks and finished off the fireplace to
the delight of the church council. The dear pastor added about
$10,000 of value to the home and, in the eyes of the church leaders,
it cost them nothing. The second issue to worry about is the paycheck. Older pastors
of my acquaintance will tell you to be grateful if the paycheck
always arrives in the mail. These older soldiers remember the
Depression era or the months just after World War II when a couple
of church leaders would occasionally appear on the porch on payday
and say they could not afford to pay God's helper that week. Instead,
the leaders would ask if the family could accept a couple of fat
chickens and perhaps some canned corn and peas as partial payment. Today the check usually arrives on time. But the problem still
remains that, in many cases, it barely covers the basic elements
of life. As we've always said, "No clergy person is going
to get rich." But wouldn't it be nice if a few got comfortable?
Actually, in some larger congregations that is becoming the case,
but for the rank-and-file preacher, existence is from week-to-week
financially. Some can hardly wait for retirement when their ample
pensions, after 40 to 60 years of service, kick in for the duration. But what if the weekly paycheck or pension isn't enough? If
I experience financial challenges, I could make more money in
ways that would not be appropriate for a preacher to pursue, at
least in some people's eyes. Part-time jobs for preachers simply
don't exist. And, of course, the ultimate issue - one that affects your
life as a person of faith even more directly - is a preacher's
intellectual life. How is the congregation helping the preacher
expand mentally so that Sunday-morning sermons are not all thrown
away? We've just scratched the surface of the issues and problems
that plague our ministers. As fall's chill reminds me that God's
laborers have needs, I hope others throughout the year consider
the financial, emotional and spiritual well-being of these folks,
too.
Clark D. Morphew
Posted For September 18, 1999