Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practices - Blogs

March 17, 2014

Transition, Stress, and Support

My church, St. Lydia’s, just signed a lease on a new storefront space, which means a big and exciting transition. This week, the Leadership Table (basically, the Vestry), met to discuss this and other changes. We’ve had to make a few big decisions recently, and more are on the way. It’s exciting, and also a little stressful, for us and for our pastor.

As a member of the Leadership Table I am reminded how important it is to support the staff of my small Church. I do not particularly like to talk about how hard the job of a priest or pastor is (lots of people have, frankly, have jobs that are just as difficult or more so), but the job of a pastor or priest at a small church, whether it is growing or facing financial challenges as membership shrinks, presents some unique challenges. Most of these challenges are emotional. It can be a lonely job.

I love my church, and it is an important part of my life, but it is not always at the top of my mind. As I plan for my wedding, as my job gets busy, it drops down on my priority list, while the pastor and staff continue to struggle with the day-to-day realities of running a small church with a limited budget.

As lay leadership, it is part of our job to support the staff, to make sure they do not feel alone in the midst of change. The priest or pastor is, of course, the pastor and leader of the congregation, but the lay people also provide essential support and leadership. The priest should not be making decisions alone.

This means responding to emails, showing up at services, and sometimes asking the priest or pastor how they are feeling and what we can do. These are small things, but these small things remind the priest that the community is present with them, aware of the challenges the community is facing, good and bad, and invested in facing them together.