Caregiving clergy need to give self-care, too
The Rev. Chuck Cook, a United Methodist district
superintendent in North Carolina, models healthy habits as a participant
in Duke Divinity School's Clergy Health Initiative. UMNS photos by Reed
Galin.
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By Reed Galin*
Oct. 15, 2008 | GOLDSBORO, N.C. (UMNS)
The morning sun glares off a rural road in North Carolina, where the Rev. Chuck Cook has worked up a pretty good sweat.
He leans into a 17-mile-an-hour breeze of his own making, shoulders
hunched forward. It is a deliberate attack on the open road in front of
him—and on the years behind him.
The occasional passing motorists would never suppose the slender cyclist
in a neon lime jersey is 58 years old. Even when he stops peddling to
talk, the former Marine's squared jaw and the calm intensity beneath his
pointed riding helmet suggest a much younger man.
Cook works hard to be an exception in The United Methodist Church, where
data from medical and disability claims indicate the church has a
health problem among its U.S. clergy.
"My schedule just now allows me to focus on fitness," he says.
"Generally, I think it's quite difficult for pastors to engage in
regular physical activity."
As a district superintendent overseeing 68 United Methodist pastors,
Cook has begun facilitating Weight Watchers programs for colleagues and
support groups for their physical, emotional and mental health.
The efforts are encouraged by a new emphasis on health and wholeness
under a statewide Clergy Health Initiative launched in 2007 by United
Methodist-related Duke Divinity School. The $12 million initiative is
being funded by the Duke Endowment to assess and improve the personal
health of 1,600 United Methodist pastors across North Carolina.
24/7 lifestyle
Project director Robin Swift says extensive surveys and data indicate
that the 24/7 nature of clergy demands leaves little time or energy for
pastors to minister to themselves. The resulting stress is an
exacerbating factor.
Director Robin Swift hopes clergy health emphasis will become
part of seminary training.
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"When people first heard about this, they thought we were going to make
everybody lose 30 pounds and take pie away from every church supper,"
Swift said. "We really want to reinforce that we know that health is
much broader than that."
Many possibilities are under consideration. Duke could provide personal
trainers, health club memberships, equipment, group and/or individual
therapy, spiritual direction, marriage counseling, financial
counseling—"pretty much the whole universe that has to do with the
health of body, mind and spirit," Swift said.
She believes the key to success is not to prescribe what will be offered
or established, but to help individual pastors design their own health
programs with the kind of help they actually will use.
Cook is among the first to directly benefit from the initiative. He
participated in one initial offering—an intense weekend of physical and
mental evaluation and counseling. Even with his pre-existing dedication
to fitness, the experience helped him to modify his exercise approach
and his mental outlook. He's anxious for his colleagues to benefit as
well.
"The most important thing is that it has allowed us to put physical
fitness and spiritual fitness on our calendars as an appointment that
should be honored just like any other appointment and can’t be broken,"
he said.
Setting boundaries
The institutional recognition of her profession's health challenges will
change the Rev. Mary Lou McElray’s life, she believes, as well as make
her a better pastor at Center United Methodist church in Sanford, N.C.
McElray and her husband live in a parsonage that is physically attached
to her church. It’s symbolic of a profession that is unique in its lack
of personal or professional boundaries.
"There’s always an illness or an accident or marriage in crises," she
said. "You have someone who's suffering. You want to be there for them
and really need to be fully present. You focus all your energy on your
congregation and end up putting your own needs on the back burner."
Over time, with too many bake sales and barbecue dinners (after all,
this is North Carolina, she jokes), and too little exercise and
self-discipline, McElray gained about 100 pounds and developed
stress-related diabetes. Along with the pressures of the job, personal
finances are always an issue, and her performance is constantly
evaluated by parishioners and supervisors.
"We judge ourselves so harshly, how many new families came to the church
and the pressure of I need to perform, and it just becomes a snowball
and then we feel guilty because we haven’t been with our own families
enough. And there’s no down time for self-renewal or spiritual
reflection. It’s pretty ironic, given our mission in life," she said.
Initial assistance from Duke connected McElray with a parish nurse who
started her on a personal health program. The pastor has since worked
off half her weight gain. Having help in focusing on lifestyle
challenges that are typically built into the clergy lifestyle makes all
the difference, according to McElray.
Unhealthy trends
Practical issues were a factor in Duke's study into clergy health.
Insurance premiums were rising for a group that has an unusually high
incidence of medical problems such as heart disease. Pastors are also
prone to putting off preventative care.
The Rev. Mary Lou McElray has lost weight through the initiative.
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Swift believes this new health emphasis will affect younger pastors as
well. She thinks it should be worked into the seminary experience so
that pastors will enter their new profession with an awareness of the
need to minister to themselves—much like police academies routinely
counsel students about dealing with stress.
Meanwhile, as McElray is on her way to the home of a church member
confined to bed rest, she’s talking about how her personal health is
tied in with all the ways she wants to be there for her parishioners.
"If I’m gonna talk the talk and tell my parishioners they need to take
care of their bodies, which are the temple of the Lord, then I need to
take care of myself. How in the world can we tell our congregation what
is truly important and brings true happiness if we’re not practicing
this ourselves?"
*Reed is a freelance producer in Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Fran Coode Walsh, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newdesk@umcom.org.
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Resources
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