Mental health for clergy & faith leaders

Deaths, hospital visits and emergencies can come at any hour. Many leaders find it hard to truly switch off, even on their day off.

Moving quickly between very different emotional tasks is tiring. The Duke study named rapid role-switching as one of the job stresses linked to depression.

Small buffers

• A few minutes of quiet between visits
• A short walk or prayer before the next task
• Grouping similar tasks together when possible

Weekly criticism of sermons and the pull of competing members’ demands were both linked to depression among clergy.

Conflict and polarization within congregations rose during the pandemic years, adding to emotional exhaustion.

Guilt about not doing enough at work was one of the top predictors of depression among the clergy studied.

Many leaders feel they must always appear calm, faithful and strong. That pressure can make it very hard to admit struggles or ask for help.

It can look like

• Dreading services or meetings you once loved
• Feeling numb or irritable with people you serve
• Trouble sleeping or always feeling tired
• Prayer or study feeling empty or mechanical

Hearing about abuse, sitting with families after sudden deaths or leading funerals for young people can leave marks. Leaders may find images or stories replaying in their minds.

When someone dies by suicide, faith leaders are often asked to care for family, friends and the whole community. The Suicide Prevention Resource Center offers a guide to self-care for faith leaders after a suicide.

SAMHSA describes compassion satisfaction, the sense of meaning that comes from helping, as something worth building.

In the Duke study, clergy with greater satisfaction in ministry were about half as likely to show signs of depression or anxiety.

Ways to notice it

• Write down one moment each week that mattered
• Keep thank-you notes in a folder
• Share good moments with a colleague

Researchers suggested clergy build friendships outside the church as one way to protect their wellbeing.

Ideas

• Reconnect with a friend from before ministry
• Join a hobby group, sports team or class
• Spend time with neighbours who aren’t members

Regular groups of clergy, inside or across traditions, can offer a safe place to share struggles and ideas. Interfaith clergy groups can be especially freeing, since there is less risk of local gossip.

An imam in a small mosque, a rabbi in a small town or a granthi serving a new gurdwara may teach, counsel, lead every ritual and handle administration with little help. That load can be very isolating.

What can help

• Ask for lay volunteers to share tasks
• Connect with leaders from your tradition in other cities
• Join a local interfaith clergy group

Leaders often feel they must model perfect faith. Struggling can feel like failure, or like letting God and the community down. But mental health conditions are not a lack of faith.

In the Duke study, doubt about one’s call to ministry was among the top predictors of anxiety.

Doubt doesn’t have to mean leaving. Talking it through with a mentor, spiritual director or therapist can bring clarity, whatever you decide.

Many leaders go through seasons when prayer feels empty and teaching feels hollow. Many traditions have names and teachings for these seasons. They can also be linked to exhaustion or depression, so it helps to look at both your body and your spirit.

• Feeling hopeless or trapped most days
• Using alcohol or other substances to cope
• Pulling away from family and friends
• Thoughts that others would be better off without you
• Thoughts of suicide

• Pick one day a week and protect it
• Tell your community which day it is
• Set up someone to cover emergencies
• Turn off work notifications

• Set office hours for non-urgent messages
• Use a separate number or auto-reply on days off
• Agree what counts as an emergency
• Share the load with a lay care team

Taking all your vacation time is part of doing your job well. Some communities and denominations also offer sabbaticals after several years of service. Ask what your community offers.

• Aim for regular sleep, even in busy seasons
• Move your body most days, even a short walk
• Eat proper meals, not just snacks between visits
• Keep up with your own check-ups with a clinical provider

• Set aside time to pray or reflect that has nothing to do with work
• Read something nourishing that you won’t teach from
• Attend a service or gathering where you are not leading

Many traditions have elders, mentors, spiritual directors or teachers who guide leaders. Meeting regularly gives you a safe place to bring your own questions and struggles.

A day or a few days of retreat, silence or pilgrimage can help leaders reconnect with why they began. Ask whether your community or denomination supports retreat time.

• Choose someone who isn’t a member of your congregation
• Ask whether they have worked with clergy before
• Ask how they work with clients’ faith
• Online therapy can offer extra privacy in small towns

Some denominations, seminaries and faith networks offer counseling, wellness programs or employee assistance plans for leaders. Check your benefits, or ask a trusted colleague or regional leader.

You could say

• “I’ve been running on empty, and I need to talk.”
• “I’m not okay, and I don’t want to carry this alone.”
• “Can you help me find a counselor?”

Low mood, poor sleep and exhaustion can have physical causes too. A clinical provider can check your health and help you find mental health care.

• Talk together about what roles, if any, your partner wants in the community
• Protect time together that work can’t interrupt
• Make sure your partner has their own friends and support
• Share the hard parts of ministry in ways that don’t overload them

• Let them have questions and doubts
• Protect them from community conflict
• Avoid using them as examples in teaching without their permission
• Make family time a priority

Some leaders move often, which can be hard on everyone. Building in time to settle, and keeping old friendships alive, can ease the change.

• Agree on clear priorities for the leader’s time
• Share pastoral care with trained lay members
• Accept that the leader can’t attend every event

• Don’t call on days off except for real emergencies
• Fund and encourage sabbaticals where possible
• Cover the leader’s duties when they are away

• Offer or pay for confidential counseling
• Say openly that the leader using it is a good thing
• Respect their privacy completely

A short note about how a talk or visit helped can mean a lot. Offer feedback kindly and privately, not as public criticism.