As one clergyman quoted in the Church Times said: “People say they meet and consult, but… it seems like all the decisions are being made elsewhere and it doesn’t feel very participatory.”
This is a story about the impact of administrative hierarchy on the mental health of clergy.
We have moved from a vision of bishops being pastors to a vision of pastors being chess players. Clergy feel like pawns to be picked up and put down as part of a larger game without considering the impact on them or their families.
The average clergyman works 50 to 60 hours a week in a full-time salaried position. They don’t take all their vacations because there’s no cover. They deal with constant “constructive criticism” from members of the congregation who complain that they are not being welcomed into the church in the right way. With many finding themselves the subject of multiple CDM, PCC bullying and abusive emails, the Prayer of Love and Faith has now been introduced to express orthodox views on marriage and sexuality. If you do, there is a more serious threat of being charged with a hate crime. It is disappointing to see the lack of support for these dedicated individuals.
For example, consider Pastor A, who runs a multiparish charity. They have three churches, each with a different tradition. This means that on Sunday morning he will have three services in three locations. Running from place to place means there is little opportunity for real contact with the congregation, which leads to unhappiness as the congregation feels like they are not getting quality time with the pastor.
Pastor A has chaired 12 PCC meetings and 3 APCM meetings each year, as well as the Benefice Council for an additional 4-5 meetings. He has three churchyards and three historic buildings to look after. Then there are all the other administrative and day-to-day pastoral activities that come with running three parishes.
However, the local church is not the only one requesting Pastor A’s diary.
There are bishops’ study days, training courses, diocesan and dean meetings, and the lack of financial stability in the diocese creates time and uncertainty as multiple meetings are held around restructuring.
As a side note, last year I spent 73 working hours directly discussing reorganization, not counting consultations with PCC and the broader church family. In total, we have spent 150 hours discussing parish reorganization in the past 12 months. This equates to his 21 and a half hour working day.
But returning to Pastor A, all three churches are active but unable to pay the £64,000 the diocese calculates to cost a full-time clergyman. They have raised around £40,000 but there is still uncertainty as to whether Pastor A will be reappointed if he quits.
Is it any wonder that the average clergyman is kneeling?
And where is the pastoral care? I can’t remember the last time my bishop came and sat in my study and took the time to find out how I was coping. The last time Bishop came to see me was after his wife wrote me a letter saying I was at my breaking point and on my knees. And since that meeting, no one has bothered to ask me how I’m coping.
Recently I spoke with another clergyman who uses the CDM system as a weapon. They received no support and had to defend themselves from these repeated attacks.
The problem is that our bishops think of themselves as custodians, organizing themselves and sweating their assets to avoid bankruptcy. Therefore, more is only required of our most important asset, the clergy. It is about taking on more responsibilities and further developing oneself in order to maintain the parish system. Add to this the fact that decisions about worker placement, reappointment, and permitting appear to be made behind a veil of secrecy, creating the perfect cocktail for the breakdown of mental and physical health and well-being.
I suffer from depression, stress-related illnesses, hopelessness, disillusionment, and am currently seeing a counselor. And I’m not alone. According to the Church of England’s own research, in March 2023, “
More than one in five (21%) incumbents have a WEMWBS score indicating possible clinical depression, with a further 15% indicating possible or mild depression. For context, According to the Office for National Statistics’ autumn 2022 figures, around one in six (16%) adults aged 16 and over in the UK suffered from moderate to severe symptoms of depression.
WEMWBS – Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale
Do you believe your bishop cares? Well, actually I think so, but I don’t think he has the time to properly care for him, and I don’t think the diocese has the proper structures in place to avoid clerical collapse. A growing rift between the diocesan structure and the front-line clergy is creating a dangerous trend. I think the bishops believe that the clergy are doing well, but the archdeacons probably don’t know as much about the mental health and well-being of the clergy as they would like to admit.
One pastor said:
“I never felt like I could share anything with a bishop who touched on areas of personal weakness. In other words, I never felt like I could share anything with a bishop who touched on areas of personal weakness. I didn’t want to open it. The reason was not fear or undue respect. Bishops, whatever their pastoral gifts, are first and foremost guardians of the patronage power of the Church, which I recognized. That power will always create a formality and a certain distance in many relationships with the clergy, whether the bishop likes it or not.”
In summary, I believe that most clergy are overworked, disconnected from their bishops, stressed, uncertain about the future, causing unnecessary worry, and have low morale. But can we admit this? We are the equivalent of front-line infantry engaged in spiritual warfare, and there is only so much time we can spend in the trenches with little attention from our generals 45 miles to our rear before we take a break.
The current attitude of the church is nothing short of astonishing. I believe that the bishops’ disregard for the pastoral oversight of the clergy and the ever-increasing demands placed on them is an act of negligence that will in time exacerbate and accelerate the apocalyptic decline. of the parish system.
In 2020, the General Synod of the Church of England passed an Act of Synod containing the following text:
“The Church of England recognizes in its official regulations that God calls men and women to serve as deacons, priests, and bishops in order to build up and equip the whole people of God.
Recognizing that such a vocation is both a privilege and a requirement, the Church of England promotes the welfare of clergy and their households in accordance with the words set out in the Code of Care and Welfare for Clergy. We will work together to achieve this goal.
We work together to align and improve our approach to clergy care and well-being, and strive to enable ordained ministers to flourish in service to God’s mission both inside and outside the church. I promise you that. ”
Words are cheap and it’s easy to create a glossy online brochure full of questions, but four years on, we need answers.
How do we protect our most precious assets, the very people who visit the sick, preach the gospel, work in our schools, and tangibly demonstrate God’s love and grace in our communities? We need to fundamentally reconsider how we care for people. Without parish priests, the Church of England is nothing and cannot achieve anything.
