This is part two on the topic of social self-care as a pastor. Here are some ideas for connecting with other pastors in the community:
1. Make use of and promote Board
of Pensions and denominational resources for clergy wellness.
2. Make available clergy and
educator support groups and clergy spouse support groups.
3. Contract with local resources
to provide confidential therapy services for clergy, educators, and their
families.
4. Encourage ―Facebook or other
online support/interest groups.
5. Write boundary expectations
into calls and covenants for clergy and educators whereby the congregation
agrees that their spending time with spouse and family is expected, days off
are protected, and participation in the activities and leadership within the
local community is encouraged.
6. Either in the church‘s call or
the presbytery‘s budget have funds available for clergy/educators recreational
activities or hobbies.
7. Form a pastoral care team
and/or have a designated pastor-to-pastors and chaplain for spouse of clergy or
educator.
8. Be creative in sponsoring
clergy and educator retreats and outings (cruises, fishing contests, golf
matches, tickets to concerts and civic events, tours or trips).
9. Arrange for corporate contract
membership fees for the YMCA, YWCA, or a health club within the bounds of
presbytery.
10. Sponsor health fairs and
wellness contests for clergy/educators and their families.
11. Form a mentor-colleague
program with means for accountability to make sure contacts are being made. (Don‘t forget retired
pastors and ministers serving in a setting other than the local congregation.)
12. Develop a ―First Call‖
program for new clergy retention and wellness.
13. Sponsor annual clergy,
clergy/spouse, and educators retreats.
14. Consider sponsoring quarterly
district luncheons.
15. Acknowledge clergy/educators‘
anniversaries, birthdays, ordination dates, etc.
16. Sponsor continuing
educational workshops and courses for clergy/educators that have nothing to do
with congregational ministry (beginner‘s golf or tennis lessons, foreign language
series, ―how to‖ water ski, fish, snow ski, bowl, sail, or bird watch – use
your imagination!)
17. Make sure spiritual resources
are available and their use encouraged by clergy/educators and their spouses.
18. Sponsor movie/theater/concert
groups.
Most pastors understand their call to ministry
as extending beyond just the activities of their local congregation. In a
parallel fashion to having responded to an inner-sense that moved them to enter
the ministry, so they develop an interest in some particular aspect of their
call that extends beyond their particular congregation. It may be an ecumenical
or even inter-faith ministry in the community, a national issue about which
they feel passionate, or an activity in their denomination‘s work.
In support of the vocation of pastors, what if the
presbytery occasionally lifted up and celebrated these many
trans-congregational ministries of their pastors? A first step in support would
be simply to have conversations with the pastors about a particular area of
ministry in which they feel most passionate. Even the opportunity to name that
for someone else and share what they are doing in that area would feel good.
A second step would be to provide a venue by which that area
of ministry might be celebrated. That might begin by collectively celebrating
the many areas of ministry in which people are engaged. You might say at a
public gathering, ―In our conversations we have learned that the clergy of our
denomination, in addition to their work in their congregations, are engaged in
the following areas of ministry. And then have the body participate in a
litany that named and thanked God for having called pastors to participate in
these areas of ministry. If the numbers were not too great, it would be good to
name the pastors even as you identified the areas. For example, ―John Smith,
Ellen Jones, etc have devoted their gifts in a ministry to feed the hungry.‖ To
which the body would respond, ―We thank God for their efforts on behalf of the
least of these, our brothers and sisters.‖ Then proceed to the next area of
ministry to be identified. If it was a large presbytery, you might want to
break the recognition down into geographical areas and celebrate one area at
each meeting (See the adaption of Psalm 111 Litany of Celebration).
A third step would be to invite a group of clergy with a
similar focus to develop a short presentation to the body about their work.
Simply drawing them together to talk about their similar efforts would have its
own value. The public presentation might stimulate others who might be
interested in that area as well. All of this would be a presbytery‘s way of
nurturing the larger sense of call among their clergy.
