It happened again. Another of God’s faithful servants has died a very tragic and untimely death by taking his own life.
AustinCold statistics tell us it happens about once a year in South Carolina. These alarming tragedies are heartbreaking, deeply troubling and call for objective soul-searching. How can we as congregations do our part to help prevent this? How do we create a culture of emotional and spiritual wellness? How do we detect the indicators that alert us to over-the-edge actions?
October is traditionally set aside as Clergy Appreciation Month. At a very minimum, congregations are encouraged to sincerely affirm their ministers who so faithfully and sacrificially serve them. Hopefully the bare minimum will only be a starting point. Many of our churches affirm very well, but some can do better. In light of the pressure-cooker environment that many of our ministers inhabit, all of us would be well served to go the extra mile at being sensitive to ensure the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of our ministers.
I recently attended the memorial service of one our finest pastors. The minister, church family, and immediate family did an admirable job bringing glory to God through their pain. This family and church family need our ongoing prayers for God’s intervening grace and continuing comfort. During the service, one of the family members used a metaphor in reference to her departed brother that vividly illustrated the difference between a drain and a faucet. She well stated that some people are like drains: They exhaust you of every ounce of energy, creativity, and enthusiasm. She also stated that others are like faucets: They give life, speak words of encouragement, and are genuine friends. Her brother, she stated, was like a faucet: He was forever offering words of affirmation, genuine love and constant encouragement. Even when he felt drained, he refused to yield to the temptation of self-pity or victimization. This is how I remember him as well, but now he is gone.
As churches consider their appropriate response to Clergy Appreciation Month, please be aware that many of our ministers may be drained, though they will rarely say so. Remember that they are humans, too, with the same issues that each of us face. They have needs in their families – needs both personal and spiritual. Seek to affirm them, support them, and, certainly, be committed to praying for them.
Do all you can to be a faucet that replenishes, and not a drain that diminishes. They may need it more than you think.
– Austin is executive director treasurer of the South Carolina Baptist Convention.