In 2023, the Hartford Institute for Religion Research conducted a study examining the factors that led clergy to become discontent with their occupations. The study notes that the further from the Covid-19 pandemic you move, the more clergy are willing to admit that they are thinking about either an alternative to their vocation or congregation.
As USA Today reported, the pandemic is not the only thing that has led some clergy to feel like there is a heavy weight on their shoulders, in addition to the weight that comes with being a minister. Roland Stringfellow, the senior pastor of Ferndale, Michigan’s Metropolitan Community Church of Detroit, told the outlet that the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor weighed heavily on him.
“So many congregations have not recovered from that period of time. How do you deal with those and care for a congregation?” said Stringfellow. “How can you be there when everyone is afraid – and you have those same emotions?”
Adrian Crawford, the lead pastor at Tallahassee, Florida’s Engage Church, described other factors to the outlet that led ministers to feel burnt out.
“Pastors were left with more work and limited resources,” Crawford said. “You had people really hurting, and a lot of pastors didn’t realize what was going on inside of themselves. Their wives and children were going through the same struggles, so the pastor was leading the people but also trying to be there for his family. Those emotions have got to go somewhere.”
Guess what's the number 1 predictor of mental health struggles among clergy? When their personal politics are out of step with their congregation. This is completely understandable, but it also has likely accelerated polarization in churches. https://t.co/sJE2l69tSB pic.twitter.com/BOCZpPJZlu — Ryan Burge
