The Clergy Problem

There are two sides to every story... Although true, this is inaccurate, there are as many sides to any situation as there are participants. So I am going to ask you to take this post with the potential grain of salt that comes from knowing that it is based mostly on the ruminations of my mind and not on hard data.

That being said, I started writing this blog to say out loud what the last few decades in the church have made me think deeply about from an institutional point of view.

I am thinking of joining a union. There is an option, Unifaith - a community chapter of Unifor.

The reason for this is that I no longer hold any illusion that the United Church of Canada as an institution is looking out for or interested in the clergy. It has become a "keep the church open at any cost" type world where standards of education and practice are becoming lower and lower... It is becoming a world where I am expected to work full time for part-time wages and apologize for the fact that I am highly educated and seasoned to the point where I cost more money to hire because I have more experience.

The church wonders why there are not as many people becoming clergy. The obvious reason would be to say that people are not religious anymore, so why work for the church. Which is both true and too simple? So let's look at some other factors.

Money is a real one. Not only because it is necessary to survive - but also because it is a measure of value...

There are only four real comparable careers in terms of education. Doctor, lawyer, and university professor. (I know, there are thousands of others and variations, but I am using the easiest to understand)

Average salaries in New Brunswick for each look like this: $223,000 for doctors, $60,000 for a lawyer, and university professor is $86,000

After 25 years as a minister, my yearly salary is 45,000. I have 12 years of university education as well.

Not only that - but at almost every meeting of every church board, it is made painfully clear that my salary is breaking the bank so to speak.

When this imbalance began it was made up for in terms of perks. People brought clergy everything from vegetables to furniture. Car companies and YMCA gave us massive cuts in terms of what we paid. We got free housing, free heat, a free ride. Clergy paid almost no tax and were treated with respect everywhere. So in other words, the horrible pay was made up for by the simple fact that almost everything we needed was provided. Today I'm lucky to get some extra zucchini in the summer from someone's garden.

Ok, so let's say I am in it for something else besides the money. let's assume for instance that I am religious. Well - no one who goes to church actually cares. That might seem harsh, but it isn't, it is a reality. There are very, very few people who want their faith to impact them outside of Sunday morning. Most people will not engage in studying the scripture or their faith unless it is made SUPER convenient. And most people balk at the idea of paying any more than a couple of bucks a week to keep a church open. So you are going to end up being the ONLY person who cares about the faith in the way you thought everyone would.

Both of the above are disheartening - and would be bad enough, but the next two truths are actually more to blame with why no one wants to do this and very few of us stay doing this...

First, every single person you meet thinks they can do it better. The hymns you chose, the language of your prayers, even the way you schedule your days and vacation are subject to each and every person voicing their opinion. And it is not only about work... how you dress, what you eat, where you go, whether or not you are seen in a bar or at the liquor store. Everyone has an idea about how you should live and what you should do. And no one wants to hear that you have any problems.

Last but not least in this weeks tirade is something I call cumulative pain. I may have made this term up. But here is an example of what I mean. I started out in a church in Quebec and every four or five years I have moved. Not only have I never seen any of those people from any of those churches again - but most of them are dead.

Where you might go to two or three funerals that really affect you personally, I have buried hundreds of people I genuinely loved and cared about. I have also buried murderers, victims, loners, and street people. Beloved grandparents and teenage suicides. I have sat with a mother who did not even know their son did drugs till he overdosed and died. I have known and buried people drowned by friends, hit by snowplows, and who dropped dead suddenly while shaving.

I have performed over a hundred weddings and there are like two of those couples who are still together. I have baptized over a hundred babies who as adults no longer attend church.

I have watched congregations dwindle and buildings close all the while feeling the people's eyes on me asking the unspoken question as to why I personally cannot save the church.

Who in the hell can do this for a lifetime?

The answer is two types of people... The majority, unfortunately, are those that are so needy that they absolutely cannot leave it all behind. The lesser variety of which I count myself one are those too stubborn to let go of the dream that someday, in some way, this might make a difference.

But if you want to know another side of what is wrong with the church - this is it. Clergy are devalued and dehumanized. Constantly. I am going to give my life ad soul for a community you all seem to just barely care about in order for me to end up poverty stricken and alone... That seems to be the idea... and it has to change.