The California Collection/TheCaliforniaCollection.cdr/his124/pastoral.lzh/PASTORAL.TXT

Text File | 1991-07-09 | 6KB | 148 lines

PAS:Pastoral depression  by Mark S. Camp

The work of a pastor is a task of great magnitude. Here
are frail creatures of dust, mere mortals, given life by the
Holy Spirit, and called to be overseers of the church which
Christ purchased with his own blood. Such a high yet humbling
call, for it is a call that is often difficult and costly. We
often allow the trials which accompany pastoral service to
overshadow its joys. These trials are varied and numerous;
some common to all pastors, others peculiar to certain men for
one reason or another. One thing is sure - unless trials are
dealt with correctly, they will result in pastoral depression.
From the crucible of experience, I wish to briefly state some
causes, signs, and cures for pastoral depression.

There are three main areas in which trials arise that can
lead to depression. First, there is the area of the pastor's
private life. His time is not his own. There are the demands
of study, prayer, visitation, counseling, meetings, and
telephone calls. Any pastor who takes his task seriously can
soon find himself physically exhausted. With the great need of
finding spiritual food for the flock he may neglect to take
spiritual meat and drink for himself, thus soon finding himself
on the verge of spiritual starvation. There are the besetting
sins of his own life which must constantly be dealt with. As
John Flavel once said, "Brethren, it is easier to declaim
against a thousand sins of others, than to mortify one sin in
ourselves." If other pastoral acquaintances appear to be
"succeeding" in the ministry, and he is not, the pastor may
feel that God has deserted him or that he has been placed upon
a back burner.

Secondly, there is the area of the pastor's immediate
family. Financial needs are often pressing him as he struggles
just to pay the bills. He may find himself seeking additional
employment which of necessity must take away a great amount of
time from the work he truly loves. He must also spiritually
feed his family. The salvation of his children is his great
concern, for he cannot bear to think that for years he might
preach to others but see his own children perish unconverted.
And, perhaps he has a burning desire for the glory of God and
the advancement of the kingdom, but his own wife has become
unconcerned and calloused.

Thirdly, there is the flock, his charge. A sickness here,
a death there, financial woes here, divorce there, apathy here,
stunted growth there. Perhaps the pastor is faced with the
loss of church, home, and resources at the sinful hands of
professing Christians whom he has offended by his preaching.
The pastoral ministry can often seem like the job of a
firefighter, running here and there trying to put out little
brush fires.

With all of this the best of men are only men at best and
as such can fall into mild and even severe depression. One
needs to learn to recognize the signs of depression in order to
deal with them properly. Here are just a few:

1. Loss of physical energy and stamina

2. Loss of spiritual appetite for prayer and
worship

3. Bitterness in mind and heart towards the
people of God

4. Envy and jealousy of the ungodly and their
temporal prosperity (Psalm 73)

5. Feelings of being only a hireling instead of
a true shepherd

6. Doubts soncerning God's wisdom and love

7. Verbal expression of such doubts

8. Rapid and frequent mood changes

9. Feelings of failure or uselessness

These danger signals can and must be dealt with. Here are
some suggestions for getting out of the lion's den:

1. Learn when you are prone to depression. Is
it after a conference as you leave the confines
of the brethren and return to your lonely
part of the vineyard? Does it occur when you
take certain medications?

2. Acknowledge your utter weakness before God.
You are not sufficient for these things, but
Christ is. In your weakness his power can
be made known.

3. Learn to cry and express your emotions at the
throne of grace. You may need a release from
the pressures of your deepest feelings.

4. Maintain a disciplined reading of the Word,
praying the Scriptures as you read them.

5. Feed yourself spiritually. Listen to tapes
of solid expository preaching, saturating
yourself with the milk and meat of the
Scriptures.

6. Meditate upon the mercies of God's providence
towards you in the past. It may help to
keep a spiritual diary where you can record
God's blessings for future reference.

7. Correspond with other pastors by letter or
telephone. You are not alone, dear brother.
Let others know that you are hurting so that
they might exercise their spiritual gifts of
exhortation and mercy-showing. It is here
that I send out a call to the brethren to
keep in touch and communicate with one
another, and to be doers of the Word by
expressing brotherly concern.

8. If the depression worsens or continues, see
a medical doctor. Undetected illnesses such
as diabetes can result in sluggishness and
fatigue. A certain food may be disagreeing
with your system. A chemical imbalance may
need to be corrected. I would recommend
the reading of Dr. John White's book, "The
Masks of Melancholy: A Christian Physician
Looks at Depression and Suicide," published
by InterVarsity Press.

Here then are some causes, signs, and cures for pastoral
depression. None who engage in the holy work of the eldership
are exempt from the onslaughts of depression. Brother, if you
are depressed, be it mild or severe, I say this to you out of
the depths of my heart, the precious Lord Jesus cares for you
and awaits your petitions at the throne of grace, where "we may
receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need"
(Hebrews 4:16). We must allow the Holy Spirit to do his
supernatural work in the inner man. And, as he brings us back
into a right frame of heart and mind, let us remember the words
of the Apostle Paul who wrote, "Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies and God of
all comfort; who comforts us in all our afflictions so that we
may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the
comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."