Ross Kingham & Robin Pryor, Out of Darkness –
Out of Fire, A Work-Book for Christian leaders under pressure,
Melbourne: JBCE, 1988, $14-95.

This is a book about stress in ministry. People not
in pastoral ministry wonder why clergy are stressed. They preach
one or two homilies a week whereas teachers give up to 30 lessons;
they have more ‘discretionary time’ than other professionals;
and – so they preach – Christians have access to peace and power
that are out of this world.

But stressed they are. There must be reasons for
the exodus of gifted pastors from parish ministry. In the U.S.
(and probably in other western countries) the divorce rate among
clergy is climbing faster than the national average. Pastors know
they are the most significant human factor in the church’s health:
church growth studies have ‘proved’ that. So when attendances
and offerings (the two most tangible indicators of growth) are
down, the pastor ‘cops the flak’ from all directions. They are
caught in the cross-fire of many incompatible expectations, and
they feel it. After all, they wouldn’t be in pastoral ministry
without some sensitivity.

Ross Kingham and Robin Pryor are two of Australia’s
most gifted ‘pastors to pastors’. Their book is excellent. It
is easy to read, with a lot of white space to write notes and
reactions. It is practical: both of them have ‘been there’. It
is balanced: they have a warm, evangelical (in the best sense
of that misused word) spirituality, which is not so mystical that
it is unrelated to rubber hitting the road.

Out of Darkness – Out of Fire begins with some true-to-reality
stories of parish conflict. We are invited to identify sources
of institutional and personal stress and anxiety, and then engage
in personal reflection.

Then we are led through the general and specific
causes and symptoms of ‘distress’ in ministry. We meet the notion
of ‘promiscuous ministry’ – the drivenness to meet every need
that arises instead of concentrating in that specific ministry
to which we are called. In the chapter ‘Broken But Loved’ we share
the experiences of some biblical ‘ministers’ like Jeremiah and
David.

But there are also paths out of darkness: reviewing
the spiritual journey and the journey of one’s own life, devising
a personal growth manifesto, the use of a prayer diary or spiritual
journal. Finally we look at outside sources of sustenance – peer
support groups, spiritual direction etc. The footnotes/bibliography
will take you further.

Suggestion: set aside three to eight days and go
away to a retreat centre armed with it. If you follow the suggestions
faithfully you won’t be the same again!

Rowland Croucher