"CHURCHES CAN HURT YOU . . . "

" Churches can hurt you  Some of you know that. Some of you will find that out."                                     The late Dr. Fred Craddock might well have  been speaking to a group of ministers in 2021.  Instead, this was in the mid-1980's. 

   The role of a Protestant minister has always carried the possibility (some might say 'the probability') of discord with member(s) of a congregation. Not all that long  ago,   many clergy found Antagonists in the Church  to be more than a 'self-help book'.

   Emotional, financial, spiritual, theological stresses among other pressures have cumulatively created a crisis among many ministers. In 2017, I wrote "It's An Epidemic" for the publication, Good Faith Media, addressing the mental health crisis among many clergy, including the frequency of clergy suicides.

   And, then came Corona Virus . . .  intensifying the already existing tensions between "Church" and "culture" or "politics".The well documented appropriation by evangelicals of  "Christian" has left others critical of Christianity itself.

   Flashpoints include matters of : to gather inside or outside the church building; to mask or not to mask (whether in 'church' or in general); to vaccinate or not to vaccinate; to be compliant with  or critical of 'social issues' such as racism, LGBT matters, 'politics' in the pulpit; theological polarizations and out-right criticisms of the minister and his/her family.  Often  that which is cited as  the "issue" serves as a cover for the actual "ISSUE'".

    CEARTAINLY  OPEN CONFLICT DOES NOT MARK  ALL OR MOST  MAINLINE PROTESTANT congregations  AND THE MINISTER.   For multiple 

reasons, 'go along to get  along' describes those who either have no objection(s) to the status quo or feel  trapped without alternative professions or jobs and consequently  choose 'not to make waves'.

   Then, there are 'the others' who either are forced out or choose to leave the ministry for  multiple reasons.  Attrition rates for clergy departures vary .  Some are simply wild guesses. One study that I found suggested that over 1800 persons left ministry every month in 2018 . Another source claimed that over 1300 pastors were terminated by local churches each month. Whatever the number or rate, many capable persons are finding that they can no longer acquiesce and be  faithful to their calling.  They find themselves virtually echoing the sentiments of my dad's friend who had a speech impediment but an astute OBSERVATION about a bickering church that was attempting to have him join: "If that's  ...lijon [religion], I don't want nutthin' to do with it ! "

    Many of my clergy clients and friends acknowledge their stress, burnout, degrees of depression as they search for alternative ways to minister in these anxious times.

  While optimism for the future of the institutional 'church' seems at low ebb, paradoxically, I hear affirmations of a faith that are not necessarily dependent upon once influential institutions.

    In the meantime, there remain those who are not only disenchanted but who join the ranks of the unemployed. They know that "churches can hurt you".

     Satchel