Barna Report

by Stephen Kriss

This spring a group of Mosaic pastors and leaders gathered to watch a session on the annual Barna Report at our conference offices. Barna does research on the Protestant world in the U.S. context. The most striking thing in this year’s report was the challenge of mental health for pastors. Pastoring has never been an easy calling. However, in recent years in the U.S., it has become even more precarious, with nearly one in five pastors reporting having suicidal thoughts. We are not immune to this in Mosaic. 

The pastoral calling can be isolating. It is lived within community; however, part of the call is to be set apart from the community. Pastors carry special burdens with their families and their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. I’ve struggled with some of these areas myself, not finding easy rhythms when there is always work to be done. Though the work can be taxing, it is meaningful and with people I sincerely love. 

Everence initiatives through the Lilly Foundation have sought to provide places and pathways for pastors to maintain their own wellness, including grants and financial counseling programs.  This spring Everence helped Mosaic sponsor a day away for our pastors. It was notable to me how many pastors signed up for the 15-minute massage sessions offered. Our bodies are carrying both primary and secondary trauma. We also offered time for personal, intentional prayer for pastors, from a team of pray-ers. All these sessions filled too.  

Our Conference maintains a special fund to assist pastors with counseling, spiritual direction, and other needed resources of support. It is well-used, and we have relied on extra funds we received during the pandemic to strengthen this resource. We have nearly 150 active credentialed persons who serve in a variety of contexts. Some have access to wellness resources more readily than others. We want to make sure that all our credentialed leaders can have the care they need. 

Our leadership ministers regularly check in with lead pastors. We have regular learning communities and support groups for specific pastoral contexts. Our goal is that every pastor has at least two places of support from Mosaic Conference:  a direct line of accountability and accompaniment, and a peer group for sharing and resourcing. This is a goal yet to be achieved. We hope all our pastors have a friendship beyond their family in which they can process and feel support, whether that is a formalized mentor, trusted friend, spiritual director, or counselor. 

Our pastors serve diverse needs and communities. In some congregations, the pastor is called upon to lead the community in ways that an executive director would lead a non-profit. In other settings, the pastor is akin to a social worker, responding to various needs and identifying access to resources. In some settings, pastors are community workers serving neighborhoods and small towns. In many congregations, pastors must serve in almost every kind of role, from janitorial to preaching. We have pastors who serve as chaplains and organizational leaders, with their own sets of needs and challenges. Many of our pastors are bi-vocational. 

In our community of nearly 8000 people, the unique calling of pastor is carried by about two percent of our constituency. We rely on the contributions of our congregations, individuals, foundations, and our investments to ensure resources are available to cultivate healthy leaders and vibrant communities. 

With the reality of the Barna report in mind, we continue to invest in caring for our credentialed congregational and emerging leaders. We ask congregations to continue to recognize the significant calling their pastors carry and allow time for sabbath and connection with family and friends, for retooling and learning. Congregations and communities thrive when pastors and leaders thrive. 

I pray our ongoing support can allow our credentialed leaders to live out their sense of calling, knowing that they are worthy of God’s love, surrounded by honest and real networks of care.