“Carol Howard Merritt: What causes pastors to burn out?”
Read Carol Howard Merritt’s Aug. 13, 2010, post on the Call & Response blog on reasons for burnout. Merritt is a Presbyterian pastor in Washington, D.C.
Tag: psychology
“Do Not Disturb: Ensuring Your Minister is Rested”
Read a Jan. 28, 2011, column at EthicsDaily.com about the importance of rest for everyone, but particularly for ministers.
“Absence of Gratitude is the Source of Clerical Burnout”
Read a Dec. 26, 2011, Huffington Post column by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach about a lack of gratitude among congregants and how that affects clergy job satisfaction.
“Experts: Pastor burnout results from unrealistic expectations”
Read a Jan. 21, 2012, Florida Times-Union report that blames the problem of clergy burnout on unrealistic expectations.
“Pastor Burnout Is Result of Idol-Chasing, Lack of Grip on Gospel”
Read a Feb. 8, 2012, story from The Christian Post that says pastor burnout results from “idol-chasing” and neglecting the Gospel.
“Killing the clergy softly: Congregational conflict, job loss and depression”
Read a March 15, 2012, account on the Ahead of the Trend blog about new research on “clergy killers” — conflict-filled congregations that are nearly impossible to lead.
“Clergy struggling to cope with bigger workloads”
Read an Oct. 2, 2012, Christian Today story about ministers struggling under increasing workloads.
“Survey: Pastors Feel Privileged and Positive, Though Discouragement Can Come”
See the results of an August 2011 survey of 1,000 Protestant pastors by LifeWay Research that details the rewards of their work but also the challenges.
“Dashboard Report on Pastoral Burnout”
An infographic, drawn from H.B. London Jr.’s book Pastors at Greater Risk, illustrates some of the data on clergy burnout.