Clergy Killers

A couple of weeks ago I got a splinter in my finger.  Relative to the size of my body it was almost too small to measure.  Its length, diameter and mass were tiny.  Nevertheless, this tiny fragment of wood, about an eighth of an inch long, buried itself on the corner of my index finger right next to the nail.  It also went in completely making an easy extraction impossible.  For the next few moments extracting this splinter was a major priority.  It was hard to think about anything except dealing with the splinter.  Not only was it uncomfortable, it made doing other things difficult. It weighted less than a millionth of my total body weight, but it was having a profound effect on my whole person.

So it is with the clergy killers. When a minister is under attack it is difficult for him to think of anything else.  The church that is going through the throws of a minister assault is generally not very effective in any of its ministries.  Churches in conflict simply do not make disciples, or impact their community in any positive way.  These troublesome people are called by numerous names, “Well Intentioned Dragons”, “Clergy Abusers”, “Antagonist”, “Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing”; call them what you will, they are a growing problem in our churches.

This is an issue that crosses denominational barriers.  We might find it interesting that the one thing held in common by almost all religious groups in North America- liberal, conservative, contemporary, traditional, independent, denominational, Protestant, Catholic-is the presence of clergy killers. 

Clergy killers are nothing new.  Paul had a run-in with Alexander the coppersmith and John was prepared to confront Diotrephes.  But since Watergate, there has been a tendency to idolize the individual or small group that can take down the powerful.  As our society has become more narcissistic, the rise of the clergy killer has followed suit.  It is now epidemic and I believe threatens the survival and ministry of the church in the Americas.

As a consultant, I have worked across the spectrum of American Christianity.  I have some knowledge of what happens in Episcopal/Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Church of God, Assembly of God, Catholic, and Non-denominational churches.  But my heritage, training, and heart are in the Christian Church and Churches of Christ tribe of the Restoration Movement.  For that reason, I will address this issue from that perspective.  Being a non-denominational fellowship my comments and suggestions may not specifically fit readers of other fellowships, but I believe there are general principles that will be insightful or useful. 

I want to address three points.  First, how extensive is this problem?  Next week, I will offer a few opinions about what are some of the implications for the future of the church.  Finally, I will suggest what we might be able to do about the issue of the clergy killer phenomenon, with a list of resources you might find helpful.

How extensive is this problem?

This rise of clergy killers, combined with the failure to recognize a ministers’ Biblical authority in the face of attacks by sick members and the decisions of some boards to make short term and often money-based decisions in dealing with attackers, has left many ministers suffering in silence and feeling abandoned and alone.  Frequently, the answer to this silent, lonely suffering is to leave the ministry.

Late night calls are usually not good news.  This one came at just after 10:00 PM.  The news, though not unexpected, was sad.  “I was fired tonight,” the voice on the other end of the line informed me, in a tone that was artificially flat and emotionless.  I knew the church this young minister served had a reputation for being brutal to preachers and I knew that he had been having trouble for a long time, so his dismissal was not unexpected. 

After we had conversed for a few minutes, he got around to telling me why he called.  “I’m done with vocational ministry.  I can do more good as a teacher somewhere.”  It had happed again.  A young, promising minister was leaving the ministry.  He was not leaving because of moral failure, rejection of Jesus’ Lordship, or loss of faith.  He made the choice to leave the ministry because of the abusive behavior of a troubled church.  I wish this were the only time I had such a conversation, but it is not.  It is not even the worst of these conversations.

Perhaps the saddest conversation I have had was with George (not his real name).  Sparing you the details, I will tell you he was brutalized in a church coup.  He survived and managed to keep the church from splitting, but at tremendous personal cost.  The church lost several families; unfortunately, those that left were not his antagonists.  So he lived with the reality that at anytime he might face another coup.  He felt he was too old to relocate, too old to start a new career, and too weary for another church fight.  His solution was to exist and do nothing to rock the boat.  He would keep a low profile, and take on no innovative changes or ministry.  He would keep his job till he was able to retire in six years.  The look in his eyes as we talked was the hollow look of a defeated man.  With years of ministry and sermons behind him, he could go through the motions till retirement without much effort.   

These are certainly sad cases.  But two cases do not indicate an epidemic.  Perhaps they were weak, overly sensitive, and needing to grow up.  In both cases, I had known these men for years.  They were good men, solid leaders with tender hearts and gifted to minister.  One served in a near urban setting in an established church, the other in a young congregation in a rapidly growing, outer suburb.   Neither was the sort that would cut and run from a problem.  Their stories are just part of a much larger issue.  How big?

First, let’s take a look at the numbers:

·      Typically, within 7 to 10 years after ordination more than half of ministers will leave the ministry as a career.

·      It is estimated that 90% of ministers will not stay in ministry long enough to retire from ministry.

·      100% of pastors surveyed had a close associate or seminary friend who had left the ministry.

·      89% of pastors have considered leaving the ministry and not just on Monday morning.

·      57% of pastors said they would leave their current position if they had a better place to go, including secular work.

·      77% of pastors felt they did not have a good marriage!

·      90% of pastors stated they are frequently fatigued.

·      71% of pastors stated they were burned out and they battle depression beyond fatigue on a weekly and even a daily basis.

·      33% of pastors feel burned out within the first five years.

Perhaps most telling

·      23% of the pastors surveyed said they felt happy and content on a regular basis with who they are in Christ, in their church, and in their home! 

Of those who have the great privilege of answering God’s call, of sharing the greatest message in the universe, of working with the bride of Christ, of the study and proclamation of the Word of God, of living in and working in the atmosphere of Divine grace, less than one in four is happy and content.

The church cannot long sustain the loss of her ministers.  We may soon reach a tipping point for the church in America.  As indicated by:   

·      1,500 pastors leave the ministry monthly citing discouragement, failure, and loneliness as some of the reasons.

·      According the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for every worker entering vocational ministry, 2.7 are leaving.

            Long before most ministers have enough experience to begin to approach anything near full effectiveness, they will leave the ministry.  But these are more than stories of career changes; these stories represent a dream that has been shattered, a calling left unfulfilled and a life that has been wrecked.  Ministers may suffer silently, but there are not suffering alone.  The church as a whole, the innocents in the congregation, their families, and the lost are suffering with them.

Next week, we will look at some of the implications of what the clergy killer crisis means for the church as a whole.