| The pastor who serves a congregation for ten years or more is a likely candidate for "burnout", especially if he is in the mid-life period. The condition is aggravated by a stable or declining situation. This project recounts a pastor's attempt to strengthen the administrative leadership of a Presbyterian church's governing body during a three month period following an intense weekend retreat he led with some of the congregation's elders.;He reflects on the project from the perspective of the writing and teaching of William R. Jones, Jurgen Moltmann, Rollo May, and Allan Boesak, who are concerned with questions of psychological, social and political liberation. He categorizes the church's social system as ambivalent toward power and nurturance. Authentic ministry, as exemplified by the Old Testament covenant and in the work of Jesus, holds power and nurturance in positive tension. Ambiguity in the church can be an occasion for creative ministry, as opposed to burnout, provided that a pastor knows himself, understands the church as a social system clearly, and has the power to nurture by means of his person and his competencies.;He theorized that he was seen to be controlling of the church's ministry, but that the church's elders would be responsive to greater sharing of ministry responsibility if they were provided with training and rationale. In turn, the pastor would sense a lessened burden and find renewal personally and within the congregation. As the theory was tested he experienced the complexity of the congregation and church as a social system in relation to himself. The retreat, in retrospect, became a first step rather than a solution due to levels of participation, resistance to change, the effect of unresolved conflict, and unclear role expectations among the participants. The pastor describes the effect of his ambiguity vis a vis the ministry situation, and recounts why this particular effort failed in itself to produce a long-term solution. |
