Leslie J. Francis: The Pastor as Juggler

The Pastor as Juggler: the challenge of multiple rural parishes Leslie J Francis

Structure
empirical theology
empirical research
psychological health
sources of stress
time-related over-extension
reflecting theologically
practical conclusion

Empirical theology

What is theology?
the study of God
reflection on the experience of God
the systematic reflection of the people of God

Who does theology?
academics in ivory towers
clergy in pulpits
the people of God as a community
Astley’s Ordinary Theology

What are the tools of theology?
scripture
doctrine
reason

What is empirical theology?
The sower

Where is empirical theology rooted?
doctrine of creation
look at the natural world (plant biology)
look at social patterns (sociology)
look at people (psychology)

Where is empirical theology tested?
doctrine of fall
doctrine of salvation
doctrine of sanctification

What does the doctrine of creation claim?
Genesis 1:27
So God created humankind in God’s image.
In the image of God, God created them.
Male and female God created them.

Empirical Research and Rural Church

1985
Rural Anglicanism

A brave diocese
historical analysis
questionnaire survey
participant observation

History 1956 - 1982
electoral roll 16.3% to 7.3%
baptisms 63.2% to 36.6%
clergy 286 to 207

Questionnaires
92% response rate
benefices up to 7 churches
the absent priest
the unused church
the small congregation

Participant observation
8.30 1662 in 17 minutes
3.30 Solemn Evensong and Devotions for one

Did the church want to know?
Diocesan Bishop told me not to publish it
Anonymise the diocese

Robert Runcie
“ Dr Francis has written a timely and devastating book ... scrupulously research and clearly presented ... It deserves the widest possible readership and discussion.”

1996
Church Watch

Assessing Psychological Health

The research problem
a matter of definition
a matter of measurement
exploring individual differences

Individual differences
personal
psychological
theological
contextual

Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)
a sequential model
emotional exhaustion
depersonalisation
lack of personal accomplishment

Modified MBI
Anglicans (Rutledge)
Anglicans (Musson)
Anglicans (Randall)
Anglicans (Turton)
Catholics (Louden)
Pentecostals (Kay)

Francis Burnout Inventory (FBI)
balanced affect model
negative affect (SEEM)
positive affect (SIMS)

SEEM
I feel drained by fulfilling my ministry roles
Fatigue and irritation are part of my daily experience
I am invaded by sadness I can’t explain
I am feeling negative or cynical about the people with whom I work
I always have enthusiasm for my work
My humour has a cynical and biting tone
I find myself spending less and less time with those among whom I minister
I have been discouraged by the lack of personal support for me here
I find myself frustrated in my attempts to accomplish tasks important to me
I am less patient with those among whom I minister than I used to be
I am becoming less flexible in my dealings with those among whom I minister

SIMS
I have accomplished many worthwhile things in my current ministry
I gain a lot of personal satisfaction from working with people in my current ministry
I deal very effectively with the problems of the people in my current ministry
I can easily understand how the people here feel about things
I feel very positive about my ministry here
I feel that my pastoral ministry has a positive influence on people’s lives
I feel that my teaching ministry has a positive influence on people’s faith
I feel that my ministry is really appreciated by people
I am really glad that I entered the ministry
The ministry here gives real purpose and meaning to my life
I gain a lot of personal satisfaction from fulfilling my functions here

FBI
Australia (NCLS)
USA (Presbyterian Church)
Anglicans
Methodists
Newfrontiers

Psychological factors
Eysenck’s model
Extraversion (yes)
Neuroticism (yes)
Psychoticism (no)

Theological factors
Randall’s model
catholic – evangelical (no)
liberal – conservative (no)
charismatic - non charismatic (no)

Contextual factors (Turton)
Emotional exhaustion
length of time in present church (no)
number of churches (no)
a curate (no)
a ministry team (no)

Support structures
companion animal (no)
prayer (yes)
Supervision (yes)

Environment
Francis, L. J., & Rutledge, C. J. F. (2000). Are rural clergy in the Church of England under greater stress? A study in empirical theology. Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion , 11 , 173-191.

Francis and Rutledge (2000)
no difference in emotional exhaustion
no difference in depersonalisation
lower levels of personal accomplishment

Sources of stress

Sanford (1982)
job is never finished
results are never clear
ministry can be repetitive
dealing with expectations
always working with same people
working with people in need
people who come are not seeking what ministers want to offer
working through a persona

Coate (1989)
strain of caring
strain of relating to God
strain of proclaiming
strain of being
reluctance to admit to strain

Kirk and Leary (1994)
marginality in secular culture
alienation from conflicting loyalties (parish, family, self)
social isolation
finance

Davey (1995)
role conflict, ambiguity and overload
career development
support and recognition
parsonage

van der Ven (1998)
superficiality of contacts
dependency of core members
trying to satisfy people
coping with criticism
time pressure
financial pressure
porous boundaries

Warren (2002)
depression
broken marriages
feelings of insecurity
placing unrealistic expectations on bishops
negative public focus on clergy’s activities

Burton and Burton (2009)
transition points in ministry
doughnut principle (no boundaries)

Fletcher (1990)
quantitative overload
time-related over-extension

Time-related over-extension

Christine Brewster
detailed questionnaires
clergy responsible for 3+ rural churches
47% response
722 completed

Research aims (3)
develop a measure
assess overall level
explore variations
personal factors
psychological factors
environmental factors (N churches)

Step 1
In depth interviews with clergy to capture what they are saying

Step 2
Questionnaire survey among clergy to quantify the reported experience

Sample (N = 613)
151 women, 462 men
157 under 50
259 in 50s
192 in 60s
5 in 70s

Churches
219 held 3
164 held 4
97 held 5
126 held 6 or more
9 did not answer

Introducing BISTROX
Brewster Index of Stress from
Time-Related Over-Extension
16 items
.90 alpha coefficient

Causing stress for 59%
being unable to respond to the needs of everyone

doing separate paper work for several churches

nurturing and retaining volunteers in several churches

being expected to be involved in several communities

giving attention to detailed matters in several churches

allocating time between different communities

supporting fund-raising for several churches (46%);

being expected to give pastoral care in several communities

lacking time for personal reflection

people thinking that they should do it all

allocating their personal and professional expertise to several churches

not having enough time to work with young adults

lacking opportunities for mental stimulation

not having enough time to work with teenagers

not having enough time to work with children

getting to know people in several churches

Personal factors
sex .08*
age -.17***

Psychological factors
extraversion -.14***
neuroticism .38***
psychoticism -.04

Theological factors
Evangelical -.01
Conservative .00
Charismatic .00

Contextual factors
N churches .00

Reflecting theologically

Aim 1
develop a measure
a set of experiences linking together

Aim 2
assess overall level
too high for comfort

Aim 3
explore variation
sex and age matter
personality matters
N churches do not matter

Strategy 1
Selection
Some will survive better

Strategy 2
Professional support
support the vulnerable
enhance sense of accomplishment
commend supervision
keep the prayer life going
forget the companion animals

Strategy 3
Structural changes
create ministry teams
go for the circuit model
pretend all is well

Strategy 4
Identify the theological problem
the clue is 3 churches are already too many

Anglican parochial ministry
theologically rooted
pastoral (to all)
incarnational (residential)
nurturing in word and sacrament

Learning from experience
The responses to the survey leave no doubt that this notion of time-related over-extension taps deeply into the experiences of rural clergy and helps them to articulate the factors that generate pressures within their lives.

They are torn by trying to share themselves between different communities. At the heart of the classic model of Anglican parochial ministry was the incarnational theology of the resident priest living among and sharing in the lives of the people of the community.

Here are people who feel that more demands are being placed on them than they are able to meet. They find that they do not have time to fulfil the ministry that they would find rewarding.

In the multi-parish benefice this can no longer be the case. In the new situation the priest can only pretend to be an indigenous part of the community, and pretence is profoundly unsatisfactory.

The experience of stress resulting from time-related over-extension is indicative of a deeper malaise in the rural church in which changed practice has not been resourced by a theology capable of making the new practice coherent.

The number of churches in the benefice is largely irrelevant. The benefice of three churches has already over-extended the priest, and the adding of further churches does not make matters much worse.

In one sense, this might sound like good news to the church strategists who are planning ever-larger benefices. In another sense, however, this may be very bad news if the threshold of acceptability was already passed with three churches.

Practical conclusions

Theological affirmation
Reaffirm a theology that is
episcopal and diocesan
parochial and pastoral
incarnational and catholic
nurturing in word and sacrament

Pastoral provision
retain and re-establish parsonages
recruit and train deployable NSM ministry

Rediscover discipleship
the Bangor Exploring Faith Programme
BA in Theology for Discipleship and Ministry
3 x 20 credit modules per year
local education groups
facilitators

Curriculum: year 1
beginning the NT
encountering God’s World
call and vocation

Curriculum: year 2
beginning the OT
mission and service
the church and other faiths

Curriculum: year 3
Jesus and the Gospels
God as Trinity
pastoral

Curriculum: year 4
Paul for today
Worship
Christian ethics

Assessment
reflections from local groups (1500 words)
essay testing academic outcomes (1500 words)
application (1500 words)

The Pastor as Juggler: the challenge of multiple rural parishes Leslie J Francis

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Leslie J. Francis: The Pastor as Juggler

by Jonathan Taylor on May 18, 2011

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