EAUK Press Releases – http://www.eauk.org/press

Strictly embargoed until: 0001Hrs, Monday 25th September 2000

The key findings from new research released today shows that 53 per cent of clergy and other Church Leaders have considered leaving the ministry at some point because the pressure gets so great. 38 per cent of clergy feel overwhelmed by the complexity of pastoral care demands they face each day. Yet at the same time most score high on job satisfaction and many want to receive more training relevant to the needs they perceive in their local community.

In association with the Centre for Ministry Studies at the University of Wales, Bangor, CWR / Waverley Christian Counselling commissioned leading researchers Rev Professor Leslie J Francis and Rev Dr William K Kay to conduct a comprehensive study into perceptions of pastoral care among clergy in evangelical churches in Great Britain.

Stress has been identified by two out of every three clergy as the most common pastoral issue they are called to deal with. This is followed by marriage guidance, bereavement, loneliness and depression. Francis suggests: “These figures invite reflection on how well pastors are trained to deal with psychological problems like depression and stress. Many pastors are seeking better training and continuing professional support to maintain the delivery of effective pastoral care in such crucial areas.”

Debt counselling, marriage preparation, family counselling, terminal illness and divorce are also high on the list of issues clergy are dealing with. Such diversity is the cause of extreme pressure among leaders, sometimes resulting in burn-out.

Surprisingly, bullying, eating disorders, rape, and the abuse of the elderly are all identified as low priority pastoral issues. Francis comments: “This might suggest pastors may not be listening carefully enough to some of the issues of pastoral concern which are of growing importance in today’s society”.

Sean Gubb, General Manager of Ministry at CWR / Waverley Christian Counselling and project manager for the research said: “It is essential the church invests in training leaders to deal with the pastoral issues they actually face today. We hope this research will allow CWR, as well as Bible Colleges and other organisations, to develop more relevant in-service training for leaders and better pre-ordination training for the leaders of the church of tomorrow.”

The study investigates the personal profile of the pastors and their perceptions of the pastoral needs in their community, along with their actual involvement. It also studies leaders’ contact with other organisations and their own priorities in ministry. The study provides a valuable perspective on the pastoral provision made by churches and how personality type influences the perception and practice of ministry.

The research was conducted in association with the Evangelical Alliance using a comprehensive 27-page survey that was distributed to 2,570 leaders of Evangelical Alliance affiliated churches. The results are based on the first 754 replies from all main Christian denominations. The findings are to be released at a special event on 25th September in Regent Hall, London and are published by CWR as Pastoral Care Today – Practice, Problems, and Priorities in Churches Today (?15.00 – ISBN 1 85345 169X).

The Centre of Ministry Studies provides a wide range of courses for both lay and ordained ministry. These range from Certificate level to research Doctorates. The Centre pioneers in research in areas of relevance to the Church’s mission and ministry, with special emphasis on empirical theology, employing research techniques developed in social sciences to illuminate aspects of the Church’s life and practice.

CWR / Waverley Christian Counselling are leading providers of training and resources in the field of pastoral care and counselling. Based at Waverley Abbey House in Farnham, they produce world-renowned resources and training ranging from video training programmes and short courses to comprehensive, professionally recognised programmes including a BA (Hons) in Theology and Counselling in partnership with London Bible College, which is accredited by Brunell University. For 35 years, Rev Selwyn Hughes, founder of CWR, has written the internationally acclaimed Bible devotional aid Every Day with Jesus read by 500,000 in over 120 countries.

ENDS

For further information contact: Gavin Drake – Jill Howard – or http://www.eauk.org/careforpastors