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Worried about gym? How the Church can alleviate clergy stress

From Canon Ian Tomlinson

Sir, — Rebecca Paveley asks if anything is being done to help clergy stress that leads to sickness (Features, 25 April). Your readers might like to know that, from 12 to 14 May, “Power and Intimacy in a Pastoral Context”, the 12th biennial Consultation of Diocesan Advisers in Pastoral Care and Counselling, will take place at Offa House.

This gathering represents the diverse provision made by bishops and dioceses in the Church of England for professional and personal support for clergy and their households, by members of the Anglican Association of Advisers in Pastoral Care and Counselling (of which I am the Hon. Treasurer).

For example, in Winchester diocese for the past six years, the Bishop, as an expression of his cure of souls, has provided paid-for sessions with qualified, supervised, and insured counsellors for clergy, lay workers, and their households, for self-referral, within a formalised confidential Diocesan Counselling Service. These can be used in times of unsafe stress, as well as for development in ministry, to avoid the build-up of difficulties and as an aid for coping with change.

This is one illustration of the sort of help that is on offer, throughout the Church of England at the moment, to address the question whether anything is being done about excessive clergy stress, and complements the initiatives referred to in the article, such as health checks and visiting the Sheldon Community.

IAN TOMLINSON
Winchester Diocesan Adviser in Pastoral Care and Counselling
The Rectory
Ragged Appleshaw
Andover SP11 9HX

From the Revd Philip Clements
Sir, — As one of the 22 per cent in 2006 who was off sick owing to stress, which resulted, in my case, in a heart attack and thence early retirement on health grounds, I found the article by Rebecca Pavely salutary in its warnings. Early in my ministry, clergy stress was an issue being investigated. That was in the late 1980s, and it is still with us.

The reasons for it? There are three of many that I find pertinent.

First, the increasing burden of multi-parish benefices, especially when there is no planned team or little available help, puts a heavy workload on the incumbent. On the positive side, I know of at least one group of ten parishes which has a good team of two full-time and one self-supporting (SSM, i.e. non-stipendiary) curate, and, less positively, of another that has just one full-time stipendiary and is advertising for an SSM house-for-duty. Which one, I wonder, carries the most stress?

Second, as mentioned in the article, one’s own and others’ expectations of oneself lead to the inevitable guilt-trips. I found that good leadership courses, such as the Arrow Course by CPAS and diocesan ones, as in Oxford and Peterborough, helped me to face this issue — so long as one actually puts it into practice.

Third, I have just been privileged to conduct the funeral of a consultant doctor who set up in Leicester diocese a “clergy medical MOT” for those over 50 years of age. His caring concern — he was a good listener — and the thoroughness of the examination, coupled with the availability of other consultants, guaranteed that potential areas of stress and physical illness or weakness could not be concealed, as is perfectly possible in the routine clergy-appraisal process.

I commend this approach to the dioceses that have not as yet taken any action in this area. I would recommend that diocesan and deanery pastoral committees look very carefully at the easy option of lumping often disparate parishes together with little thought for the inherent stresses.

PHILIP J. C. CLEMENTS

(formerly Rural Dean of Barnack and Rector of six rural parishes in the diocese of Peterborough)
Clementine Cottage
51 Laughton Road,
Lubenham
Market Harborough
LE16 9TE

From the Revd Janet E. Chapman
Sir, — I noted the reference to free gym-passes in the article on clergy stress. Sadly, even in the relatively rich diocese of Oxford, they are yet to be distributed widely. But it was only a moment’s work for me to negotiate discounted membership for our whole congregation at the local leisure centre.

Several people have taken this up, and for me the benefits have been enormous. I use the gym but once or twice a week — often, however, before PCC meetings and after stressful funerals. Doing weights regularly means I am more able to cope with the heavier babies and toddlers of today’s baptisms. I have discovered a range of new music.

I have had many pastoral encounters and conversations, and they often have added depth in the showers. Just going into the gym and being daunted by the array of machines has reminded me what it must be like for someone to come to a church service for the first time.

JANET E. CHAPMAN
The Vicarage, Oxford Road
Banbury OX16 9AJ



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