Growing through the Stress . . .

I just finished another book for my first DMin class: Growing through the Stress of Ministry, by Susan Muto and Adrian van Kaam. I really liked the message of this book, though (by way of review) it isn't written especially well. The thesis of this book is that ministers should be prepared for difficulty and stress in their calling. How can you be a follower and disciple of a man who died on a cross and then be surprised when stress becomes a part of your ministry?

The solution, according to the book, is to become comfortable with our limits and confident in God's grace and activity. Only when we take a longview of God's grace and ultimate victory can we rise above the kinds of stresses that tend to cripple ministers. Trusting God is the key at every turn, according to the authors.

While reading this book I was struck by how much easier this message is to receive for people who are naturally optimistic. Essentially, that's what the book calls for, an optimism based on God's faithfulness in the big scheme of things.

Some good quotes:

• "The most serious consequence of the [minister's] erosion process is that it may progress to full blown depletion. It's main symptom is inner, not outer,withdrawal, a depletion of presence, not of action. Looking good becomes the mask behind which we hide the fact that our caregiving lacks the will to preceed with courage and candor."

• "The illusion of being available at all times to all people, while pretending to bear sole responsibility for solving their problems, is the main source of our stress."

• "If our ministry fails it is not because of a lack of grace. Divine direction disclosures are revealed through our daily circumstances, no matter how trivial they may seem. Instead of cooperating with God's plan, we may have insisted on being in control. We opted for overextertion, undue speed, and ego exaltation rather than being content . . .."

• "A contemplative orientation relieves us from too much inward concentration and the torment of incessant self-examination."

• "When coercive directives rule our minsitry, we want to grasp at success as swiftly as possible. We become impatient with ourselves and others, anxiously pursuing goals that yield honors and privileges at the expense of other people's needs. Under such circumstances, we find neither peace of heart nor the motivation for wholehearted commitment."

Most of these quotes assume that ministers have "spent themselves" in service of God. That's a problem for some of us, but my experience has been that the ministers who feel the most stress are the ones who have been lazy and then wake up surprised that the congregations they serve resent them.

Both extremes are dangerous, and both extremes are what this book seeks to help ministers avoid.