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A major report to be presented to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church this June highlights that more than 1 in 5 of Presbyterian Ministers are suffering major stress problems.
The results of a survey carried out by the Divine Healing committee of the Church has revealed that in the last two years 10 ministers have had time out due to emotional or stress related illness and 21 have considered moving out of the ministry all together because of the pressure of work.
The report was written by the Rev Ivan Hull. "This report gives clear evidence that ministers like many others suffer from stress and the question that has to be asked, as in other professions is, 'Who cares for the carers?' In resolutions that we are bringing to the Assembly this June we are asking firstly, that the problem is recognised and secondly, for permission to investigate ways that ministers can be helped to cope with the stress they face."
Common stress problems listed by ministers include; time pressure; conflicting expectations between ministers and congregation and situations of conflict within the congregation. Isolation, unrealistic self expectation and no sense of being off duty where listed by many ministers as contributory causes.
"One of the big concerns," says Mr Hull, "is that the respondents to the survey were largely ministers with reasonable experience and mostly in their middle years of life who, rather that being at the peak of their ability as we would expect were clearly working well below par. Ministers do not expect to have a stress free life and because of their commitment to their vocation most work between 60 and 70 hours per week. However if nothing is done, occupational stress will become an increasing problem within the Church and is bound to affect the quality of ministry being offered."
This report will be debated at the forthcoming General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church which meets from June 3rd until June 7th in Belfast.
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