Char and I recognize October as Ministry Staff appreciation month. This is our time to do something unique with the Ministry Staff in our church. We value each one. We care for them and we know that appreciation is the best way to ensure their emotional health and work effectiveness.
Note these quotes from Resilient Ministry by Burns, Chapman and Guthrie.
“Being a Pastor is a tough, demanding job, one that is not always very well understood or appreciated. Pastoral work is more complex than that which transpires in the hour or two a week that many lay people see the pastor in action…”
“The relentless nature of ministry means that fatigue is a constant companion of leaders in the church. While lay people joke about ministers only working on Sundays the truth lies on the other side of the continuum. A pastor’s work is overwhelming because it wears upon the body and soul.”
“The clergy role is sui generis, for it is the only profession that wraps personal identity, professional identity and religious all in the same package.”
“One of the ironies of our time is that many people who serve in caring professions experience poor health. Perhaps the most ironic of all is the strikingly below average health of clergy. Age for age, clergy have significantly greater incidences of chronic disease, heart and GI tract conditions, and stress which is a bit embarrassing for a group preaching about life every week. Clergy today have, on average a pattern of health that is significantly worse than the average.” Gunderson and Pray, Leading Causes of Life: Five Fundamentals to Change the Way You live Your Life.
These National quotes may not represent the ministry staff you employ. However, it becomes obvious that the better we care for our Ministry Staff the better equipped they are to care for our churches.
Leadership is, encouraging your people to let your Ministry staff know, really know, that they are loved and cared for.
Yours in Service,
Laurie D. Kennedy
Leadership Coach
Jethro Group