Dealing with the Deluge
One of the several things seminary education neglects to prepare ministers for is the absolute deluge of information, urgent tasks, and possible projects that immerse the pastoral vocation.
Three things are needed to deal with this so the ministry practitioner doesn’t descend spiriling into the watery abyss of overwhelm, anxiety and–ultimately–despair:
- Perspective
The pastor must know who she or he is at a level that more profound than vocation. That is to say, they must recognize they are not their calling, hallowed though it may be. They are something deeper; they are God’s beloved.
The pastor must understand clearly the center of their assignment. For priests, this is the preaching of the Word in the public assembly and administration of the Sacraments in the same, along with individual pastoral care grounded in the community’s common life.
The pastor must believe this core is enough to appropriately sustain the life of a church that shares a disciplined devotion to fellowship, breaking bread, and the prayers. This is fundamental discipline the pastor models, facilitates, invites.
The pastor must grasp the harm they will do to themselves and others if their rhythms of activity lengthen the time and space between returns to the heart of ministry. If the orbit of their activity extends too far from the gravitational center of Word and Sacrament, serious damage to the system is inevitable.
- Systems
- Presence