t group. Many judicatories have encouraged such support groups as a counterpoint to the problem of isolation and loneliness in the pastoral ministry.
The format of such groups varies. Often times they are informal groups that gather on an infrequent basis for lunch and conversation. Sometimes they have a more regular meeting time, say once a month, and either discuss the lectionary passages in preparation for preaching or participate in a Bible study together. Occasionally, especially if supported by a judicatory, they may invite some professional leadership to moderate the group, make use of a case study model, or deliberately focus on particular issues faced by members of the group. Many times they are denominationally specific but at other times they are ecumenical or even inter-faith in nature. Over forty years in the ministry, I have been part of all of these types of groups and each has had their benefit.
Since I believe that a major challenge to maintaining our health as clergy is the factor of clergy isolation and the type of loneliness inherent in our profession, this book offers another resource in support of A company of Pastors. As I will explain further, I am suggesting that the group make use of fiction as a means of exploring the various aspects of clergy life. By using fictional tales of clergy, the participants can explore the general challenge of ministry before turning to the more specific experiences of their own lives. At least as a beginning, I am providing three volumes of Clergy Tales—Tails as a resource for these gatherings. They may be accessed electronically on Amazon or by going to my web page, www.smccutchan.com . All three volumes will be offered in a printed form in a single volume as part of my Healthy Clergy Make Healthy Congregations series.
I am part of the Presbyterian Church (USA) but I believe that the approach I am offering addresses an issue that is found in the lives of clergy in all denominations and independent churches. Occasionally you may need to translate my terminology of presbytery, session, elders, etc. to the parallel terminology in your particular tradition.
As will be seen in the design that follows, I believe that we need to draw upon the spiritual resources that are part of our profession. If your particular group includes clergy of other faiths – a rabbi, an imam, etc.—you should have an honest conversation ahead of time with them about what types of spiritual practices within the group will be appropriate. Sometimes such a group agrees upon certain common practices such as times of silence. At other times, each is invited to bring to the group their specific tradition as a means of enriching the entire group. It has been my experience that the stresses, challenges, conflicts, emotional pressures, etc. of clergy are shared across traditions and we are often encouraged by the awareness that we can be of support to each other.
If your group is formed from individuals whose tradition makes use of the Common Lectionary, you may find my Water Series on the Lectionary to be useful, either as part of your meetings or as a resource for the members of the group in between meetings. This lectionary series offers theological reflections on each of the passages of the lectionary for the three-year cycle. While the reflections may be useful in sermon preparation, the intent is to provide theological reflection that can feed the pastor’s soul even on passages that are not used in your sermons. Each volume also offers five formats for personal prayer experiences based on the five elements of worship—praise, confession, thanksgiving, intercession, and benediction—so that a pastor can have a time of prayer each of the five days of the week leading up to the worship experience on Sunday. These volumes, and all of my work in support of clergy, are available on Amazon. You may survey the resources available by going to my web page at www.smccutchan.com .
The first part of this book is particularly addressed to those who have a responsibility for the care of other clergy in their tradition. These may be judicatory officials, members of a pastoral care task force, or a clergy counseling center. In this age of budgetary realities that necessitate staff reduction together with the fractional nature of our society, many people in these positions are overwhelmed with addressing critical conditions and yearn for a way to be proactive in preventing problems. Therefore, I have offered an approach to drawing upon others to assist them.
If you are already part of a support group and just want to enrich your experience, this part of the book may not be as important as the more specific design proposed in the next chapters.
As you build your “Company of pastors,” there are a couple of categories of clergy that I invite you to consider. We have been focusing on those who are called to be pastors of churches. In addition, there are at least two other categories of those called that might enrich your meetings.
First, look around your congregations and community and consider those who have retired from active ministry. There are a variety of ways that clergy live out their retirement. Some become totally inactive while others seek out new forms of ministry or become a supportive associate to overworked pastors.
Some enjoy being interim pastors and applying the wisdom drawn from years in the ministry to assisting a church in between clergy. Others enjoy temporary preaching assignments or offering pastoral visits on behalf of a church. Some, like me, enjoy the freedom to focus on various writing projects. We are still pastors responding to God’s call in our life but now the call has become more focused
If you can identify and invite one or two retired pastors to participate, you will find that they can bring to your conversation a rich body of experience. Of course, you need to be selective in such an invitation and identify retired pastors who have a reputation for drawing wisdom from their experience. Your focus is not to hear a series of old “war stories,” but it is useful to balance current experiences with that which occurred earlier in the church.
The second category that I would identify for you are those who we might identify as having entered into specialized ministry. While not serving in a pastorate, there are those who have been theologically trained and in most cases have been ordained within their particular denomination, but choose to exercise their gifts in some form of ministry other than that of the congregation.
Some exercise their ministry in the familiar structures of chaplaincy or a counseling ministry. Others work in social service agencies that minister to the poor or needy in our society. Still others find their calling in law, medicine, business, etc. Yet each understands themselves as practicing their calling.
Like the retired pastors, people who have experienced ministry in other forms can bring a good perspective to some of the issues you will be discussing.
Even if your continuing group is drawn from those currently serving churches, there may be a special meeting or two in which inviting some who serve in a different category can enrich your experience.
I am proposing that such groups meet once a month for these experiences. My hope is that this will not overburden a pastor’s schedule but will be on a regular enough basis to provide continuity of experiences. As the group becomes acquainted, they may well choose to have some additional meetings. Occasional social events with spouses, seeing movies together, going to sporting events, etc. can strengthen the bonds among your colleagues.
As will be mentioned, I encourage the group to draw upon the spiritual resources that undergird their respective calls. While, as part of the Reformed tradition, I believe that God’s call comes to all of us, I am especially concerned by that unique call that clergy experience. Throughout the design, I will introduce some psalms and other Scripture resources adapted to speak directly to the particular calling of clergy. You should feel free to adapt them as befits the group.
Throughout the book, there will be exercises, litanies, and other activities that you can freely copy to share with the group. I have attached an appendix of Psalms, some of them slightly adapted, for use by the clergy as they meet together. While each member of the group should secure copies of the short stories and the novel for themselves, one guide can be sufficient for the group. My intent is to make this as inexpensive as possible for the participants.
I hope to produce other short stories, novels, etc. that you may want to draw upon for future discussions. If you are interested in being informed of these new resources, please send me a request by email to steve@smccutchan.com. I’d also be pleased to hear about our experience and any suggestions that you might have. Thanks for all you do to support each other in the ministry. Even with all the stresses and strains of the calling, may you experience the deep satisfaction that I have of being part of a great journey.