When A Pastor Commits Suicide
I read a heartbreaking article in Christian Today about Pastor Teddy Parker. How he had tragically killed himself with a "self-inflicted gunshot wound" this past Sunday. It breaks my heart to see a fellow pastor think that death is the only way out of whatever they are facing. According to pastorburnout.com, quoting a New York Times story from 2010, "Members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension and depression at rates higher than most Americans. In the last decade, their use of antidepressants has risen, while their life expectancy has fallen. Many would change jobs if they could." It goes on to say that 13% of pastors are divorced; 25% don't know where to turn for help when dealing with a personal conflict; 33% feel burned out within the first five years; 33% say that the ministry is a hazard to their family life; 45% say that they've experienced depression or burnout severe enough to make them need time away from the job; and 5
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