On How Churches Can Fail Their Struggling Pastors
Please forgive me, but I can’t undo my past. I spent almost 20 years in the labor relations field, negotiating peace between employees and managers through my role as a health and safety professional. My job consisted of standing up for the person who was bullied, investigating incidents for the truth, and understanding and improving the systems and processes that supported a safe workplace.
My experience in the secular workplace, within industrial relations systems, was with large organizations committed to best practices. While the cultures in these workplaces weren’t perfect, they certainly were workplaces, for the most part, that respected and supported their employees. He would have had a lot of trouble staying in an organization that he couldn’t respect and support its employees. That’s how I am. The caveat here is that I’ve heard a lot of horror stories and seen a few, but most of it wasn’t my experience. The companies I worked for always seemed to strive for excellence in the right way.
When I compare the church workplace to the secular workplace, through all that I read and know from experience, it still amazes me how sadly struggling pastors can be treated.
When people are below their best, they perform below their best.
We all perform poorly at some point.
Where is the support so that we can get back to our best level?
Pastors are people too.
The church could learn a lot from the way high-trust organizations operate. To begin with, they strive for a fair culture. That your heartbeat is the mantra ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’. Culture is everything because everything is consumed culture. And yes, churches also have their own culture, a kind of DNA that personifies the way they operate.
Industrially, it is common for employees to have the assurance of an Employee Assistance Program. This entitles the employee and his family members to completely confidential counseling and psychological support. I know the policies suggest that 3-6 visits are made as a rule. But I know the reality in organizations with an employee-friendly culture. They don’t put that limit where there is a need for more support.
In fact, my experience with the organizations I have worked for is that they will do whatever is reasonably possible to help a sick employee. And any employee who had a truly honest relationship with their employer could negotiate anything, because the employer really wanted the best for the employee.
The employer was investing not only in the worker, but also in the worker’s mental, social, and emotional environment. It was his moral obligation to understand the “system” that underpins human factors.
Churches must invest in their pastors, just as pastors invest in their churches.
The more churches invest in the health and well-being of their pastors, the more pastors will perform acceptable to their churches.
The same was true of employees who had problems with alcohol and other drugs; I helped facilitate programs to increase rehabilitation, and as long as the employee could be honest, there was nothing we did not do to support him. Everything was negotiable. This philosophy supports the application of policies that were written.
Now I know that some churches, and probably many, would help their paid pastors and ministerial workers up to this point; to the real degree of having faith within the relationship that neither of you is going to be ruined.
However, I suppose there is a possibility that some churches are not helping, unwilling or unable to help their paid pastors and ministry workers up to this point. Some of the reasons may be very practical. Sometimes it is what it is and we can’t do anything about it. But I really wonder if more can be done to monitor paid pastors and ministerial workers, regarding their health and well-being, to understand their problems, and to rectify them in counseling and other forms of support.
If we can allow an employee in the secular workplace to take time off or make other reasonable adjustments to their job, or to provide counseling support, and be up front to monitor it, to see how they are doing, why can’t we do that in church for our pastors?
If we can understand when an employee in the secular workplace is extremely stressed, or who is involved in conflict, or is unhappy or upset for some logical reason, why can’t we extend this to the church workplace?
If bullying, harassment, and abuse can occur in the secular workplace, it can occur in the church workplace. I have seen mediation in both work settings, and in my experience the church has a lot to learn. If there is an issue that requires mediation, for which all parties are supported, surely it is up to the secular administration or church leadership (whatever the context) to organize a genuinely independent and capable person or team to do so. In this way, the root causes of conflict can be established and reconciliation negotiated.
Can’t churches see that pastors’ work environment is dangerous?
It’s wonderful leadership when churches recognize the health risks pastors and other ministry workers are exposed to.
It is exemplary leadership when churches are committed to protecting their people in such a dangerous environment.
I think there is an opportunity for the church to understand that it is a labor relations environment and to have policies, systems and procedures to deal with a variety of issues, so that pastors feel adequately supported and churches can feel protected.
I’ll be done with this. I find it reprehensible that a common employee can get the full and fair support of his employer, and he should (and I know many still do not), but churches are unwilling, in many situations, to support their pastors in that. same sense. grade type.