LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 95

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SYNOD REPORTS
Forty-two percent of these clergy said there was major conflict
in the parish they left, primarily related to pastoral leadership
style, changes in worship style, or finances.
n Six in ten respondents said they had a problem separating their
private life from their ministerial role, or finding time for recreation, relaxation, or personal reflection.
n Institutional/interpersonal reasons caused more clergy to leave
the congregation than did doctrinal issues, health issues, or
financial issues.
n Half or more of the respondents often felt lonely and isolated
in their work or agreed that the demands of the laity in their
last congregation were unreasonable.
For a complete summary of the study, contact the office of the
Commission on Ministerial Growth and Support, 314.996.1378, or
cmgs@lcms.org.
Responses to a question of the greatest challenge in ministry,
gathered from professional church workers during the 2009 district
conventions, overwhelmingly revolve around demands upon, utilization of, and management of time. Another recurring theme: Emotional
stress and feelings of inadequacy.
A more recent survey (2009) of LCMS professional church
workers, sponsored by the What a Way! initiative and conducted
electronically, identified these challenges (in the following order;
see Appendix B):
1. emotional drain
2. long hours
3. strain on family
4. low compensation/pay and benefits
5. antagonistic flock
6. staff conflict
7. educational debt
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Wellness Promotion—This critical target of the commission is
pursued in the dimensions as described below.
• The commission continues to participate with the Inter-Lutheran
Coordinating Committee on Ministerial Health and Wellness
(ILCCMHW). This committee is guided by the charter statement
“To develop and promote health and wellness initiatives within and
across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod that encourage well-being and vital faith
for those preparing for and serving as rostered leaders and professional church workers, their spouses and families.”
Work of the committee through the triennium has resulted in the
following:
1. Revision of the Wellness Wheel to include the component of
“Financial Wellness.”
2. Development of a model for “Wellness Days.”
3. Comprehensive review of the literature related to congregational wellness.
4. A symposium of experts on various dimensions of clergy
and congregational wellness from the two church bodies and a document to facilitate congregational wellness:
Healthy Congregations—Healthy Workers. This document
offers concrete markers for congregational well-being and
tools for congregational self-assessment. All of the efforts
are for the sake of strengthening and supporting ministers
(ordained and commissioned) through the dynamics of healthy
congregations.
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For an updated version of the Wellness Wheel (with suggestions
for its use), a model for congregational wellness days, a literature review of congregational wellness resources, and the resource
Healthy Congregations—Healthy Workers, contact the office of the
Commission on Ministerial Growth and Support, 314.996.1378, or
cmgs@lcms.org.
• The commission was honored to participate in the development of, and to direct grant support toward, Responding to Sexual
Temptation in a High-Tech Society. This outstanding resource, provided by Ambassadors of Reconciliation, is an effective tool in the
effort to reduce the impact of Internet pornography among our church
workers and in the church.
• Focus on the Workers of the Church shared 72 topics of encouragement and support to busy church leaders throughout the triennium.
The list of subscribers to this bi-weekly e-newsletter has grown to
4,914.
• The commission produced an Electronic Catalogue of Wellness
Resources providing information on how to access more than 200
wellness resources available to professional church workers of the
LCMS. This electronic catalogue can be found by selecting “wellness” on the resources menu of the CMGS Web site.
• “Healthy Spirit—Healthy You” was the theme of the CMGS
emphasis on the core necessity of spiritual health in a pursuit of wellness. Materials were made available to each of the 35 LCMS districts
so that the name of one minister (ordained or commissioned) might be
drawn at each convention, the winner to receive a paid registration to
the Prayer and Spirituality Retreat held at the Canyon of the Eagles,
Burnett, Texas. As a result, 19 professional church workers received
the paid registration certificate to the retreat, held October 5–7, 2009.
• Two Synod-wide Worker Wellness Conferences, attended by
district presidents and district “Advocates for Ministerial Wellness,”
provided
1. support for the efforts of ministerial growth and support in
districts;
2. opportunity and encouragement for development and refinement of specific strategic targets in district “Worker Wellness”
efforts;
3. interaction in small groups around “best practices”; and
4. information about resources to promote growth and nurture
wellness among the professional church workers in their districts, including availability of grant funding.
Overall, 18 districts went on to host various wellness incentive
activities. These activities were funded by Wellness Initiative Grants,
with grant funding from LCMS World Relief and Human Care totaling $84, 825.
• The identification and training of the Critical Incident Support
Team was an effort to prepare qualified LCMS individuals who could
respond in the aftermath of a critical incident to provide professional
church workers with an appropriate level of spiritual and personal
care so that they might, in turn, maintain the capacity to reach out to
members of their congregation and community.
Thirty-five individuals were nominated to serve in this capacity.
Twenty-four of the nominees successfully completed the training,
conducted in April 2008. Unfortunately, deployment of this trained
and competent team has not developed as had been anticipated. In
May 2009, the members of the support team were encouraged to participate with the Disaster Response Team of LCMS World Relief
and Human Care.
• The CMGS is participating in the effort to raise awareness
and prevent domestic violence and child abuse in congregational
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