6.) Finally what are some suggestions for the future and their possibilities.

     "In preparation for this discussion I read a book called ":

Who Ministers to Ministers? The opening chapter gain my attention immediately, it was titled:

                        (Gilbert, 1987)

        To begin with I would like to summarize a quote from this chapter:

      DO YOU THINK THIS CLERGYMAN HAS PROBLEMS WITH EXPECTATIONS ?

    Definitely speaking expectations are something expected or looked forward to, an anticipation. This has a significant impact on ones perceptions, interpretations, & judgments.     It is not my intentions to paint a distorted or aversive view of the clergy life, what I hope to present is a clearer understanding of what the clergy and their families are up against.

Fortunately a greater percentage of the clergy adequately cope with the negative side effects of their profession.

Expectations & Perceptions:

Expectations can be either internal or external, the expectations clergy bring with them when entering the ministry is quite different than the external expectations that come from the congregations. In addition, internal expectations can be influenced by external expectations.

Internal expectations =

Ministers find they spend more time being an executive officer, this conflicts with their desires or expectations, to be a spiritual guide / apostle / spreader of the Good News. Clergy often set extraordinarily high standards on their performance, achievement, and commitment to their faith. Clergy often take themselves too seriously and are rather perfectionistic and humorless when faced with the situational and developmental stressors common to all families, (Blanton, 1992).

External Expectations:

External expectations placed by parishioners end up as a spillover effect into the minister private life, usually through time constraints. A big issue is that parishioners often want or believe that their minister is a model of their idealized expectations, They're super human, super natural, role models. If a minister is fresh out of the seminary, many expect the minister to know it all, when they are still wet behind the ear. Employer expectations; may be either congregational or organized leadership expectations, but the demands by the congregation are seen as the greatest for they expect the minister to fulfill their needs and desires. Organizational expectations, expect the clergy to be self sufficient.

STRESS ON MINISTERS :

    In a study by Moy & Malony, (1987), it was suggested that due to the significant number of stressors and the relatively few available resources, ministers are at high risk for developing burn-out.
It seems that despite the real spiritual aspects of the ministry, ministers are far from immune from developing significant psychological and emotional problems.
In their study they asked ex-ministers why they left their profession, it was found that:
there was a sense of personal and professional inadequacy, an inability to inhibit relocation when necessary, and problems with relationships eg. with wife and or with children.
When clergy are asked what presses them most what heads the list is 'job related stress'

Role confusion:

Stress exists wherever there is confusion over one's roles or tasks, even over their values.

Clergy question themselves:?

What am I first a minister, a spouse, a parent, ???

      Ministers make a covenant with God pledging loyalty to His service and people; however, married ministers also make a pledge or a covenant with God to their spouses - to love, & honor, in sickness & in health, for better for worse, till death do they part, this also encompasses their children, or future children.

- They also pledge honor to their superiors.

??? Do you divide up % time equally or proportionality ???

Work overload:

The nature of their job is never done, its not a 9 to 5 job.

- There are no clear boundaries between personal life and professional life.

- special temptations:

As a class, ministers tend to set goals far beyond their realistic achievements. Some pastors with this problem work 70 & 80 hours a week, obliterating their family time in spite of their marriage vows.

- With increasing stress at all levels of society this places even more demands upon the clergy as pastoral counselors thus reducing time spent in other areas. A progressive effect screwing up any time management.

On the positive or + side:

Most pastors eventually mature enough to recognize they ought to be home more with their families rather than at so many church affairs.

- Today many lay person are helping with church affairs, doing service in their Christian calling other than the traditional ushering & lecturing.

Conflict :

Clergy are often seen an used as mediators, bridging gaps between groups, individuals, staff members, and family.

- conflict is often encountered in the job of clergy, this is inherently embedded in the pastors' job, in fact one could view the job of the pastor as having to manage the crossfire nature of the position

Three strategies for dealing with this crossfire nature of the pastor's position  follow, (Deluca, 1980).

    1- The pastor may take a informal casual approach letting the parishioners decide what is a real value in a conflict, however many may dislike this approach because they believe it is part of the symbolic function of the pastors position to decide.

    2- Secondly the strategy is to become more adept at handling both ends of the crossfire, a skill with the ability           to do  two things at once, but this still only address only part of the conflict therefore a third strategy is necessary.

    3- It is necessary to accept that everyone won't be satisfied and one can't always meet the needs of both sides of the congregation, a certain amount of failure should be expected as coming with the territory of the job.

Job insecurity / job relocation & pay:

- An over supply of ministers or high concentration of them in a particular area this can also results in lack of jobs, or then relocation becomes an issue,

mobility;

- Assignments out of the area brings in issues typical for anyone relocating. It is estimated that nearly 200 clergy move every day of the year. Decision about mobility are external to the family, often they cannot be refused, resulting in loss of support networks, disruption of personal growth, shifts in marital & family functioning.

What makes this more unique to clergy families is their lack of a decision. (Morris & Blanton, 1992).

financial compensation;

- Clergy are considered in the top 10% of the population in terms of education, yet they rank 325 out of 432 occupations in terms of salary.

- Education wise clergy are among the best educated comparable with that of lawyers, & doctors,,, pay wise it is comparable to that of someone far less educated.

. for many clergy families this is a chronic stressor

something I never thought about.

. clergy do not have an organized channel for collective bargaining and or requesting greater remuneration for their services.

Loneliness & isolation :

There is an undertone about how the ministers role can cut them off from other people in social situations.

- Many clergy have experienced awkward changes in a groups conversations when they arrive or have a sense that their not welcome at certain social gatherings.

- Ministers need to be seen and accepted for themselves not just the roles they choose or play, to be able to kick back an relax, to say or hear the word (*%^#) once in a while. 

-> this makes them feel as outsiders and a sense of isolation may result

Gender;

- One study by Richmond, Rayburn, & Rogers (1985), found that women clergy report significantly less role ambiguity than their male counterparts as measured by the OSQ, this is to say that female clergy have a better sense than their male counterparts of what they have to do, how they should do it and how they will be evaluated. Female clergy also have fewer role boundary problems, suffer less stress and feel less trapped than men about possibly conflicting supervisory demands and factions. Female clergy also report less vocational and physical strain than men, and although they have fewer recreational outlets, their rational cognitive coping capacities are reported as greater than those of male clergy.

STRESS ON CLERGY SPOUSES:

The role of the clergy spouse is in a state of flux, more so than the minister him or herself.

4 common roles of clergy wives:

    1. one's who see themselves as partners in their husbands ministry,

    2. one's who are supportive but have a less active role in ministry,

    3. one's who either do not participate or want nothing to do with the    

        ministry  &

    4. spouses who have their own careers, a dual career relationship, this

        also includes wives who are also ministers themselves.

-> Each role may have their own particular stressors; however, there are common stressors amongst them, for they each deal with being the wife of a minister.

Spousal Stressors:

Expectations;

- Via the congregations, spouses are expectant to be the resident holy woman, after all she is married to a preacher.

- More typical in Protestant denominations and more so in the past the wife was also expected to be an active supporter to her husbands ministry.

*** with the changing times and women's movement.... this expectation is lessoning.

- She is expected to be a model wife, and if they have children a model mother.

- She must dress accordingly.

- She is expected to fill in for her husband as a counselor or be a good listener.

 wives who are most effected by these expectations are =

- new wives to the role of being a ministers wife, &

- those who have chosen to take an active role but didn't want to be taken for granted.

wives least effected are =

- those who define themselves not active, an express it so especially to the congregation.

- those of dual career relationships

Financial stressors;

Through survey questionnaires 1/2 of the spouses indicated being very concerned about their husbands salaries & more so than their husbands.

. A possible reason suggested was that many of the wives are in charge of the finances for the church & household.

. Another reason is that ministers are not supposed to be concerned about money, it is the soul or spirit that is supposed to be their concern.

Time conflicts;

- The tendency for clergy, is to put the church ahead of marriage and family, resulting in many problems, burnout & deterioration of marriages and family.

. Ministers typically put in 70-80 hour work weeks, especially working weekends when others are take their day of rest, many emergencies also arise taking time away from wife and family.

-> This results in the spouse becoming the primary care giver when children are present.

. Spouses may complain and have guilt feelings over this, questioning if this appropriate, after all they are doing God's work... stress is inevitable.  

. 3/4 of wives in a particular survey stated being depressed, 1/2 of them expressed feelings of being trapped with their predicaments.

- A possible explanation given was the wives used denial instead of getting angry which can lead to depression.

Living quarters as stress;

typically their home (the parsonage) is part of the parish, not actually their own private home.

- This results in a lack of sense of freedom, their home is also an office where parishioners drop in, especially at unexpected times.

Job insecurity / relocation;

Wives are also vulnerable to the success or failures of their husbands jobs as in other professions, but what is different for the clergy is their possibility for job relocation, it has a higher probability of out of town assignments, its not as easy to find a job in the same geographic location.

It is cited that nearly 200 clergy move daily with in the United States (Morris & Blanton, 1994).

- this brings up all the same issues involved in relocating for all family types.

e.g.. loss of social support networks for both husband and wife, children

adjustments in living style, financial difficulties, ect...(cite here)

Who is the wives pastor;

discussion question

? Should the clergyman be his wives pastor / counselor ???

If not than whom can she turn too in times of need ??? Usually with their salary they can't afford a counselor.

Stress on the clergy marriages / family;

Although I spoke of the many stress individually and what are the typically common complaints, many clerical couples agree that the positives out weigh the negatives.

. their life style gives a sense of meaning to life,

. their ability to share with each other and others,

. a strong community feeling and experiences from a diversified group of  

  people.

In a study by Mickey, Wilson, & Ashmore, (1991), the expectations placed upon the clergy family and individual family members' were effected by their perceptions. It was hypothesized that the more clearly a clergy family perceives itself being involved in a God-called ministry, the lower will be the observed level of stress and confusion, conversely,

the more clearly a clergy family identifies itself as professional or service-to-humanity oriented ministry, the higher will be the level of  stress and confusion.

Results supported the hypothesis.

- the God called families tend to have traditional families where the wives knew they were marrying a minister. Role expectations of families perceiving to be called to minister vs. professional service ministry families, appeared to have less confusion over their expectations resulting in less stress placed upon the family, even with a significant pay difference where:

. called ministers receive typically less than $20,000 annually vs.

. professional service ministers receiving salaries over $30,000 annually.

- conservative or call orientated clergy & family apparently are willing to sacrifice finances for spiritual solidarity.

In a study conducted by the Rev. John J. Gleason Jr. (1977), it was hypothesized that;

          1. - certain stressors will emerge as common for both clergy and their spouses.

2. - clergy will be more aware of stress in relation to church duties and least aware of stress in relation to   their family and personal loves. &

          3. - spouses of clergy will be most aware of stress in relation to their family and personal lives and least                  aware of  stress in relation to church duties.

. the only supported hypothesis was that certain stress were found common to both clergy and spouses; however, spouses had different rankings.

STRESS RANKING ITEMS                 

For CLERGY    For SPOUSES

proliferation of activities...............         1                                     5

perfectionism.............................           2                                     4

role conflicts...............................          4                                   10

unwelcome surprises....................         5                                    1

goldfish existence..........................        8                                   12

no visible tangible results of work...      11                                    3

pathology of parishioners...............      12                                   14

inferiority feelings.....................            14                                    9

When ministry and marriage are conflicting covenants what's found is;

- Clergy marriages are breaking up at record rates via the tensions of their callings thus effects their theology.

- census data does not provide exact figures on clergy divorce but the clergy were ranked third among professional groups in terms of the number of divorces granted annually. [Blanton, 1992).

- Either of their two sets of vows easily expands into an all consuming obligation, (Noyce, 1980).

- Together,

Clergy couples feel expectations to be perfect role models, this is difficult for any couple to portray, yet they are in the publics eyes;  . its not like being the president and cheat on your wife and get away with it..........

A significant number of clergy leave the profession because of its negative impact upon their families,

. This results in a high degree of ambiguity at the boundary between family-home and work spheres.

- The clergy families personal space vs. social space is routinely violated, this is labeled as intrusiveness, which was found as a significant predictor of marital / parental satisfaction & happiness for both spouses, (Lee, 1995).

Expectations placed upon children:

Clergy children are expected to be model children, properly dressed, well behaved, & more knowledgeable about the Scriptures than their peers.

Data on parent child relationships within clergy families;

- Very little research has done in this area.

What I did find was, there is an importance in the extent to which parents differentiate themselves in the context of their relationship with their children and the congregation.

Parents may be over-invested in the extent to which their children represent them and thus their children's mistakes are see more in terms of how they reflect on the parents rather than how they impact the children themselves (Blanton, 1992).  

. Also found was that ministers and their spouses themselves often put undue pressure on their children, in some cases it was found in psychological literature that neurotic demands and expectations of parents can lead to the development of excessive guilt, loneliness, and confusion in minister children.   

- Clergy occupational systems may experience stressors unique to such family-work systems; however, ministers' families enmeshed in the ministerial occupation experience unique stressors related to the ministry.

- Each of the various family members; children, spouses, & ministers may perceive stressors related to the ministerial occupation differently

these varying perceptions are important in understanding how ministers families process stressors (Ostrander, Cleglian, & Fournier, 1993)   

-> an example of perceived stressors from high to low as rated by clergy family members, specifically children         

via the families public life  

    1. being criticized

    2. another family member's emotional or mental health

    3. the parents in our family fight

    4. whether or not the minister in the family practices what her preaches

    5. moving

    6. how our neighborhood / town think ministers' families should behave

    7. a parent in our family is gone a lot week-ends and evenings when the  

       children or other parent are home

    8. lack of privacy for our family (people seem to be watching us)

    9. the time our family spends praying / reading the bible together

    10. the death of a close relative

via expectations;  

    1. being told how to act by church members

    2. both parents working

    3. the way I am allowed or not allowed to be angry or show my other  

       negative emotions (sadness, mad, hate, or such)

    4. both parents work because we need the money

    5. whether or not I can ask for help if I feel sick

via family isolation

    1. feeling all alone or different from other people my age

    2. not having a really good close friend

    3. whether or not the church or the family is more important to the

       minister in our family

    4. the parent's) in out family are divorced or talk about getting  

       divorced

Who needs support? :

- Everyone needs support, especially with the decreasing availability of the extended family, the option of turning to family members in times of need is not as prevalent.

. There is beginning a re-interest in spiritual guidance, many are returning for alternative answers.

. This may explain the increase in counseling and support groups through HMO'S, & increases in psychotherapy.

Ministers, their spouses, and their children need support, there are many situations where family members need support from outside their family,

. This is especially true with issues more pathological, where trained professionals are necessary.

. Clergy and their families are not immune to social, clinical, or 

  physical problems.

. They may also cope in many ways some of which are not logical or  

  lawful.

- Examples such as, problems with substance abuse or neuropsychological impairments.                    

Obstacles to getting needed support:

- Attitudes and beliefs are often the major stumbling blocks to receiving support.

. Some of our American values or beliefs are that a person should be independent or self sufficient, this creates an individualistic attitude, causing some to become loners or creating fears of looking weak, resulting in persons becoming isolated so one does not get criticized.

[ even Jesus was not a loner he needed support and asked for it so why can't clergy who are imperfect humans do so ]

Clergy obstacles,

- Clergy & family do not want to show their faults, they report living  in a fish bowl or glass house where people do through stones.

- Clergy / family are put on a pedestal making it harder to ask for help (Rayburn, Richmond, & Rogers, 1986).

- Seeking help goes against the grain of an authoritative figure.

- Sexual scripts, that of males, feel they have to appear strong so don't violate their masculinity - poppy cock.

Via changing roles -

Because of dual career families more men are taking on home / children responsibilities, in order to do this you have to be home more, even though ministers have a greater flex time to adjust family emergencies or responsibilities their work responsibilities do not cease, this only increases demands upon their time constraints

        SOURCES FOR SUPPORT:

SPOUSES / FAMILY;

- spouses are the clergies main sources of support, they are the person in which the minister can 'come home to' and be themselves or 'let it all hang out', this is of course dependent upon a healthy mutual relationship & time permitted.

- single clergy don't have this option unless they have a confidante

or close friend

limitations;

- when the problem is the marriage itself, outside sources are then necessary.

- relying too heavy on the spouse can also create serious stress especially if the spouse is the only source being used,

. spouses expressed a need for additional objective support,

. spouses also expressed not wanting their partners carrying the load.  

- extended family relations if found as a major support structure,

. also spouses who work outside ministry are often a channel for making friends outside of the church, and this can bring in a source of support and openness with less fear of condemnation.  

PARISHIONERS:

parishioners and staff members can become a major source of support, especially because of their close contact with the minister & his family.

- However, some clergy and their spouses expressed anxieties over becoming vulnerable to the parishioners, because this can be destructive to leadership roles.  

. most deep relationships with parishioners revolves around concerns and common interests over the parish, rather than about deep personal issues, supportive friendships within the parish although important do not provide the freedom and depth of relationships that can come from  outside the parish

DENOMINATIONAL LEADERSHIP:

respondents from surveys, about 1/2 of them report that support via leadership is inadequate, 1/4 of them were not sure if these resources existed

. 1/2 indicated they did not want to share their vulnerability with someone who had anything to due with placement.

lack of trusting relationships will not enable a minister to bare his sole, these types of relationships take time and these types of support are not always accessible.

. this kind of support comes from conventions where the primary concern is with the job not so much on personal issues 

. previously, any personal support received was for clergy not their spouses, this showed up with studies on clergy divorces.

on an organizational level =

- recently conferences are attacking these issues and counseling programs are becoming more and more available for all family members similar to employee assistance programs.

e.g.. clergy well-being programs, the Bethany counseling center,

the Iowa conference.

 skill development programs

offer specific help in areas such as clergy transition programs, clergy crisis workshops, support comes from clergy & spouses who have already gone through such issues.  

clergy still have partial responsibility for the financial costs typically for 1/2 of counseling, this has to come from parish money and cause reluctance to ask for this kind of help.  

- more research is needed to determine the various stressors that may drive capable people out of this profession  

. therapists should remember that clergy play a primary role in providing a front line counseling services in the community, Many clergy, however, have neither adequate training in counseling methods nor in recognizing matters of personal and professional boundaries.

. ministers are often called to the sensitive tasks of counseling parishioners who may be severely dysfunctional, and often without the benefit of adequate professional knowledge.

it is suggested that those who train ministers give clergy the proper tool to identify matters of personal and professional boundaries which can make a indirect contribution to community mental health,

it is not suggested that ministers become licensed clinical psychologists but have the ability to recognize.....

(Lee, 1995).

Support from COLLEAGUES:

1st some reasons for inhibitions for this kind of support -

. issues such as competitive & confidentiality -(which goes against 

   against what they preach,)

. also they are isolated from other colleagues because their busy with

  family issues and work makes availability null,

. sufficient responsibilities with own parishes

. or sometimes their afraid of looking foolish

. sometimes there's a false assumptions that other ministers already

  have a fellow minister for support

- gender issues amongst colleagues:

. female clergy seek an receive help more than males, this has to do

  with openness issues, women typically find it easier to express

  themselves

- now what does facilitate colleagues as a source of support =

. when there are competent leaders especially with training and

  experience who happen to be a colleague

. also when peer groups are of small sizes this makes for more intimate

  relationships and one willing to be vulnerable

. or if clergy attend regular meetings with organized structures

PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING

excellent resource! especially because this is my area of interest & because or what my future will depend on!!!!!!!

. counselors can deal with complex issues such as depression, crisis intervention, or any issues that clergy are not trained for.  

- reasons for resistance in seeking this type of help,

. clergy feel they should be capable to handle problems themselves,

. are embarrassed about problems such as marital or sexual issues, &

. a major problem is insufficient income for counseling; however I won't charge that much.

Support through spiritual renewal:

- is a highly organizational issue.....

. there is a need or restlessness for new and meaningful ways to nurture spiritual growth , areas where most professional counselors can't help

. ministers can't provide help for others if they are lacking support for themselves.

- Demands of their job can stifles their time in obtaining this necessary support for self and spouses.

However, shouldn't the clergies ultimate source of support be from GOD ?

. there is a tremendous need for a soul mate one who has similar values, ethics, morals, GOD is the ultimate source for this,

. an in order to receive this one needs a strong contemplative prayer life, a step beyond meditation.

 When faithfully observed and shared with the family this can results in strengthening the old cliché:

            A FAMILY THAT PRAYS TOGETHER STAYS TOGETHER.

                (cited by my mom, Irene, when I was a young lad)

SEMINARY TRAINING / CONTINUING EDUCATION:

There is a significant correlation between what one is taught and developed in training, and how one responds or carries out it out to the ministry, (Gilbert, 1987).

. The seminary does a good job training students academically & theologically; however, little attention is given to the realities they will experience in the field, this is backed up by responses to questionnaires, and stated evidence from ministers that left the profession, (Moy & Malony, 1987).

Continuing Education:

Continuing education programs for the clergy are addressing these issues along with personal growth seminars.

. ministers benefit because continuing ed. enables them to become more effective ministers through increased awareness of self & human predicaments in relation to their theology (Gilbert, 1987).

John Sanford gives a parable, a mental illustration, of a clear lake which stays that way only because it has many inlets and outlets.

      "Streams and deep springs flow into it so that it

      does not dry up, and the outlets are open so that

      it does not become stagnant and block up. There

      is a receiving and a giving necessary to keep

      clarity and foster the life of the lake.

            So too is it with us".

               (Gilbert, 1987).

      Most clergy & spouses find it a constant battle finding and making time for these resources, and to nurture intimate friendships. Success depends upon this and neglect over a period of time will drain and burn out the clergy and spouse/family. This becomes attenuated during time of intense personal problems or crises.

Supplemented Info: A Personal Interview with a Catholic Priest

Q.    1. What are some personal or typical stressors ?

A.    VIA - Role confusions:

are with in the context of the parish organization,

who leads the priests or the laity, there is sometimes confusion over who is directing. eg. CYO, laity services, office administration,

VIA - Work overload:

Many long hours, empathized with quote from beginning of the minister who suffered expectations.

Personal work usually could not begin till after 10:00 when everyone goes to bed, or after office workers went home, your on call 24/7.

VIA - Conflicts:

Between other clergy, each often held their own grounds in teachings.

VIA - Finances:

No worries were fed and housed.

VIA - Loneliness:

When you invest so much time with people there's not much time to be lonely, I think though that he would feel somewhat lonely when the time comes to change parishes, because at some time relocation will become an issue

VIA - Job security:

No worries, there is always work

Q.    2. What are some of your expectations ?

A.    To become and be a holy, good priest; able to assist others as much as possible,

To be centered on Christ and NOT self.

VIA - External:

Were expected to have all the answers, to be able to meet everyone's needs.

Many expect to be the priority when they ask for help.

Were expected to be always available, it is thought we have a lot of free time.

Q.    3. What type of support resources are available ?

A.    Via - Church Hierarchy:

Spiritual direction, retreats, Emmaus.

Via - Colleagues:

Difficult to get together with colleague friends on a social level, but if you attend diocesan functions it is easier to socialize there.

There is support from the senior priests in your parish.

Via - Parishioners:

There are special families or individuals you can open up to, it is easier with those outside the parish.

It is also sometimes difficult to give objective advise to those whom your closer to.

Via - Professional Counseling:

We have with in the denomination growth counseling and a religious counseling center.

Via - GOD:

Through prayer and being open to experiencing God in the people whom you serve.

A quote from Mother Theresa ‘You can hear HIM speaking if your silent’

GOD has the answers we don't.

Q.    4. Are there any obstacles in obtaining support ?

A.    Not being open to GOD and others around us.

When you have a false sense of humility where you think your worthless, there is a healthy sense of humility the act of humility, realize you are important and what you do is important but your dependent on God.

Q.    5. View on Celibacy !

It’s healthy and depends upon how we live our         life.

Is celibacy a call or obligation, a lifestyle
      something required?

A.    If it is a call God will be there as a source of
       strength

Q.    6. Is there training other than theology in the seminary that prepares you for priestly life ?

A.    No, were not sure how we are to live out priesthood.

Implications for the future:

Statistical procedures indicate that a majority of denominations have some awareness of the stress and demands that their clergy and their families are facing. However, only a minority of the denominations are providing support services that might help clergy manage effectively the resultant stress (Morris & Blanton, 1994).

Non clerical organizations are in similar predicaments. Those who provide employees with services such as employee assistance programs are benefiting as well as those employed.

The rationale for clerical organizations developing and offering support services parallel the benefits gained from employee assistance programs.

Clergy families view support services as a visible token of the denomination's commitment, concern, and appreciation for them, and in turn, clergy families might attempt to become more effective in their ministry and service to the church community.

- Cognitive therapeutic approaches maintain that humans choose how they characterize and respond to circumstances, this if controlled can override impeding stressors, positively effecting marital adjustment. An approach such as this should be implemented into seminary courses and workshops on clergy marriages and family.

- Many younger clergy expressed in a anonymous hypothetical survey that if presented with a situation that forced them to choose family over ministry, they choose family and considered leaving the ministry as an option.

. Considering this it becomes obvious that because of changing times and financial obligations the church must respond, this younger group represent the future veterans and leaders of the church.

- Data suggests that focus should be placed upon monetary incentives, more flexibility concerning family related issues, and fewer mobility demands, (London & Allen,1986).

Thanks for reading what I enjoyed researching !

Dr. Dick

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