| ANDY was 57 when he retired from ministry. He had spent 14 happy years as a curate and vicar. But those years had been followed by four years of anxiety, stress, and abuse from parishioners.
After being prescribed medication, Andy was signed off sick by his doctor when he was unable to control his anxiety or the physical tremors it produced. He eventually asked to retire early.
Andy is not alone: nearly 25 per cent of the turnover among clergy is because of retirement due to ill-health. Andy says: “I had never been a depressive person; I had never suffered from anything like that. But abusive things started happening as soon as I moved into [that] parish. I stayed four years only because I don’t like to be beaten.”
His case is exceptional in many ways: abuse is not the main reason for clergy sickness. But stress is. Working at home, the lack of boundaries, and the isolation that this can cause, are prime causes of stress.
The latest figures show that, in 2006, 22 per cent of the clergy who were off sick were absent as a result of stress, anxiety, or other mental-health issues. The overall number of days lost through sickness, however, is low: figures released by Church House, Westminster, show that in 2006 it was 1.6 per cent.
“There are positives, in that because the job is value-based, it is more in line with where clergy ‘are’,” says Alison Webster, the author of Wellbeing: Society and church (SCM, 2002).
“Clergy do not tend to be at war with themselves, as people are in some jobs, and obviously that has a positive effect on their health. But when there are things in the job that aren’t congruent with them — as when there is a crisis of faith, which happens a lot more than people say, or there are issues which put them at odds with the institution — it can be personally devastating.”
Andy’s diocese does not currently offer its clergy any health checks or medicals. He believes that these might have picked up his situation earlier, before it reached a critical level. “Clergy in difficult posts need someone to be available who has a listening ear — someone who understands the issues and the strains,” he says.
TED LANKESTER, the head of InterHealth, agrees. His charity offers regular health checks for clergy in many dioceses, and, in some cases, their spouses. “These checks pick up an enormous number of issues early on — the typical case would include raised cholesterol, high blood-pressure, issues about work/life balance, and lack of regular exercise,” he says.
InterHealth offers email and phone support, and advice on eating patterns and exercise. Attendance is optional, but, generally, the clergy are happy to go, and for many it can be their only visit to a doctor in years. “Clergy do not like to sit in a waiting room, where being there will often cause comment. We offer a completely confidential service,” Mr Lankester says.
The use of medicals in dioceses varies enormously, and there is also the question whether the clergy should be asked to contribute to the cost. The diocese of Rochester offers InterHealth’s UK Ministry medical — up to 60 minutes with a doctor — at the time of ministerial review. The diocese also uses InterHealth to consult on occupational health issues. A spokeswoman for the diocese said: “The reason behind the offer of a UK Ministry Medical is to support our clergy and try and help them maintain a good work/life balance.”
It is a lack of balance that leads directly to work overload and ill-health for many. Sarah Horsman, of the Society of Mary and Martha at Sheldon, in Devon, says that stress is one of the main reasons why so many clergy attend its retreat-centre. It sees many who are at breaking point; some who have been diagnosed and are on medication; and others who have yet to be diagnosed with depression or stress.
Six years ago, the Society published the report Affirmation and Accountability, which gives advice to dioceses on preventing clergy stress and sickness. “Affirmation and Accountability came out of seeing a lot of casualties coming to us here, and seeing patterns that related to organisational pathology, not just individual pathology. The report also gave some people the chance to put forward their experiences to the church ‘organisation’ without having to do it personally,” Ms Horsman says.
“These were findings from our hands-on ministry. They showed that stress is a major issue. We think that there are problems at the institutional level, in terms of the basic set of expectations around clergy pace, and a much clearer lead is needed on healthy working patterns. We meet people who are feeling guilty that they aren’t doing enough, when in fact they are at overload level already.”
As a follow-up to the report, the Society is hoping to launch a website to allow clergy and dioceses to share good practice.
THE RECOMMENDATIONS in the report were taken up wholeheartedly by some — although their implementation is shakier. But Sarah Smith, from the Ministry Division at Church House, Westminster, says that the Church as an institution is more aware of the issue of stress than it was 20 or even ten years ago.
“You could have raised the issue a decade or so ago in a meeting, and many people might not have really understood what you meant. Now, it is part of the language we speak.”
She believes that the Church has taken huge strides in this area. The new ministerial reviews — a chance for the clergy to meet bishops for a one-to-one discussion — are an opportunity to raise work and health issues, and flag problems up before they become acute.
Ms Smith says: “We are concerned about physical and mental good health, from a pastoral point of view and a financial one, owing to the number of ill-health retirements. We try to keep an eye on sickness absence, and we urge clergy to say when they are ill. Because of the nature of the job, when clergy don’t feel very well they still work, but perhaps have a lighter day. This makes its hard to get accurate data for sickness, and we have no idea of the overall cost.”
The desire to promote good health among the clergy is also limited by the need to work within the model of clergy independence. Although copying some secular workplaces and handing out free gym-passes might sound an attractive way of encouraging exercise, Ms Smith says, it wouldn’t work in the Church, where the clergy are not employees but office-holders.
While dioceses do not go as far as handing out healthy eating plans, guidelines for the conduct of clergy say that bishops are responsible for encouraging healthy lifestyles “by word and example”.
The Church is looking at ways of helping the clergy maintain their health, particularly as they get older. More flexible working and phased-in retirements are being suggested as possible solutions. At the other end of the ministry chain, the newly ordained are given advice on managing their work/life balance in theological college, before they are ordained.
The Revd Dr Margaret Whipp — a former GP — teaches the pastoral-theology module on the Oxford ministry course. She advises final-year students on ways to spot early signs of burnout, and to avoid it.
“We are not prescriptive about it, but we do want to increase awareness of the risks, and help people realise when they are reaching crisis point. For new clergy, the depth of expectations for them and their families is intense and powerful; we want to help them handle it. The Church has come a long way on this in the past ten years.”
www.interhealth.org.uk
www.sheldon.uk.com
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