Many UK clergy facing 'burnout' -15/02/06
As churches feel the fallout of post-Christendom, a bishop has said that many vicars are risking burnout. The Bishop of Hulme, the Right Rev Stephen Lowe has said that clergy are working too many hours and has called for a national debate on what parishioners can realistically expect. It comes as the church faces financial pressures and fewer clergy, whilst simultaneously trying to maintain a parish system which covers the whole country.
The bishop said in his diocesan magazine, 'Crux', that many vicars work 70 to 80 hours a week and routinely put their ministry ahead of their families or their own health. Many believe that there should be no limit to their availability and should never take holidays because they are unhappy about leaving the pastoral care of their flock in the hands of a stranger. But over the next few years the nature of clergy employment will change radically as vicars lose their ancient right to freehold office, facing retirement at 65, and their working conditions more closely follow those of ordinary workers.
The bishop urged other bishops and archbishops to begin the debate by looking at the possibility of a 48-hour week, the maximum under the European law, which he said would at least be a “start in slowing down”. "The job is seen as a vocation - a way of life that responds to people's needs in crisis. It is part of the joy of ordained ministry to know that you're wanted at the important moments in people's lives," he said. "But we just can't go on like this. The number of church buildings, PCCs, schools, parish projects, evangelism initiatives and community demands that each priest has responsibility for are increasing inexorably with the decline in the number of clergy."
About Me
- CyberKitten
- I have a burning need to know stuff and I love asking awkward questions.
4 comments:
I don't know what they're moaning about, evryone knows clergy only work one day a week;-)
Surely the working time directive applies to them too? It applies to all employees as far as i am aware (except Dr's, who opted out! and leisure & entertainment staff who have a 6 month average hours worked)
Hmmm. Sounds like a grind. Work-aholic clergy - who knew?
I guess it's like any other job. My feeling is not too sympathetic. The vast majority of people are doing jobs that they don't like, working way too many hours just to keep their head above water and find themselves stuck in dead-end jobs... that's assuming they can find work in the first place.
My feeling is that if I really love what I am doing, it is an integral part of my life, not just a job. I don't count or separate my "working" hours from my liesure time. It's all part of the same gig. I am fortunate. I guess if these guys can't hack it, perhaps they should get out of the God business - and find something more fulfilling.
~Mike
It does intrigue me that whilst various churches are full to overflowing and rather wealty in the US.. that here in the UK we have the state religion begging the Government for money to repair run down churches, where church attendence is continuing to drop after 50 years of decline and where the church can't even recruit enough ministers to run things.
What is the great difference between our two countries? Are we really *that* different?
Ah, but the dissatisfaction may be due to the fact that the C of E now expects it's clergy to work for their free house, high salary & gernerous pension scheme, whereas years ago, it was considered a life of leisure (pretty much), exclusively for the upper classes.
Plus, a while back the church removed the right of clergy to supplement their income by renting out church land (it's still rented out, but goes into the pockets of the church, not the churchmen), and started actually giving performance targets & outcome orientated tasks:-)
The Us is a totally different system, as I understand it, especially all those "other" christian churches, that seem to mostly be owned by one person!
Post a Comment