|PIC1|"I have spoken with many in the professions from astronauts, engineers, business and corporate people, professors, athletes and entertainers, but there is no single group of people under more constant stress than those in Christian ministry."
This situation is all too familiar to Ministers and those in full time Christian ministry, but it is not necessarily obvious to those outside the cloisters of a 'Christian calling'.
Some of the reasons associated with Christian ministry stress is the twenty-four-seven syndrome: there is a constant pressure upon a pastor's emotions as he or she deals with the problems inquirers bring, the pressures of bringing something fresh each time they speak publicly and a host of other issues within the structures of the ecclesiastical life.
One of Peter Nelson's associates, Well-Being Australia chairman, Mark Tronson, who is a Baptist minister of 32 years, claims there is another hidden issue that goes much further than those more obvious issues.
M V Tronson believes that 'the politics' associated with Christian ministry is as robust as in any other sphere of human endeavour; greater pastoral insights in this aspect of professional ministry could be offered at seminary level to alert Christian workers to such pitfalls.
He has two suggestions for strategies that may help those starting out in Christian ministry.
Because the uninitiated idealistic Christian worker is usually 'stunned' when a politically contrived situation first appears, because it seems to them to come from left field, Mark Tronson suggests some 'dancing steps' might be given.
These could be techniques to help the new pastors to position themselves realistically, and help them remove the rose-coloured glasses and to see the bare politics that are laid out. This knowledge, and a well thought-out plan, may help a psychological backlash from developing.
He also suggests that a recovery course be offered, for the times when the Christian worker becomes disillusioned by the political maneuvering. This strategy may help allay any long-term damage to the psyche or reputation of the pastor (such as that caused by false accusations, innuendos, tactics …), this damage is often irrecoverable.
"If this type of personal damage is not acknowledged and dealt with, for some, it can take months, years or even a lifetime to recover," M V Tronson noted. "Numerous Christian workers, many of them experienced people, having come through this type of situation, find themselves emotional wrecks.
"Having to look into the eyes of those who 'played you' and be polite (possibly even on a daily basis) can be a nightmare."
The Christian worker who finds himself (or herself) confronting such a 'dark night of the soul' is not alone. The scriptures are replete with the universal human failing of intrigue, and how the Providence of God has intervened in some circumstances.
"If the seminary training can include robust strategies to help the novice pastor (and experienced ones too) understand and cope with the politics, then this will nurture the spirit of the pioneer," Mark Tronson stated optimistically.
"The new Christian worker would be able to start his/her career a whole lot wiser, with this knowledge combined with natural pastoral wisdom.
"Moreover, they will be playing a tune that Jesus addressed. In becoming 'street wise' in Ministry, an abundance of 'good fruit' can be gleaned, reaping rewards that were once never considered possible."