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| Photo by Timothy Titus |
Congregational members may expect clergy to be shining examples of mental health. Parishioners hope to relieve their own burdens and aren't so keen on commiserating with the minister's troubles. They might also believe that faith in God guarantees a life of serene contentment.
Katherine Bindley of Huffington Post reports that researchers from the Clergy Health Initiative at Duke Divinity School "found that instances of depression [in United Methodist pastors interviewed by phone and via online surveys] were 8.7 percent and 11.1 percent, respectively, compared to the average national rate of 5.5 percent."
Researcher Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell, has several theories about why pastors exhibit "above-average rates of depression." One is that pastors, more than most others, wonder whether the life they've been living has been pleasing to God. If they feel that they don't measure up, depression could easily result.
Another theory is that the high expectations of congregations put tremendous amounts of emotional pressure on ministers. Such pressure is bound to take its toll sooner or later.
The cure? Steven Scroggin, who has led "a network of pastoral counseling centers based in North Carolina," advised that more be done within seminary education to better prepare pastors for having firmer emotional and psychological boundaries."
Resources
http://wwm.org/articles/40611/?place=united=states
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