THE SPIRITED LIFE: SELAH program was grounded in Sanctification Theory, which proposes that when someone gives sacred meaning to something, as clergy do with the vocation of ministry, they will exert substantial time and energy to it, fiercely protect it, experience strong emotions around it, draw on it as a resource and experience desolation when it is lost.
STRESSORS COMMON TO MANY “SERVANT-HEARTED” OCCUPATIONS
- Long hours, especially on evenings and weekends
- Difficult emotional labor
- Complex interpersonal skills needed
- Ambiguous outcomes
- Few projects with finite endings
- Expectation to function in multiple contexts and complete many varied tasks
- The slow pace of change
STRESSORS COMMON TO CLERGY
- Congregational conflicts and interpersonal difficulties
- All-volunteer staff
- Differing opinions among congregants on your role in the church
- Congregants’ expectations of your family members
- Institutional decline and financial stress
- Exposure to traumatic situations
WHEN STRESSED, CLERGY HAVE LESS BANDWIDTH FOR WHAT REALLY MATTERS
- Being present with a congregation member and their family at the time of death
- Preparing a worship service for Sunday
- Connecting with God through prayer
- Building a new ministry
- Meeting with other pastors to respond to a crisis
- Planning an interfaith service
