RUSSJONES.US

My previous post When a Pastor Commits Suicide  has really taken off.  I'm in shock because as of this morning it has garnered over 6,000 hits and is still climbing. Out of everything I have ever blogged - what is it about this entry that got so much attention? So far there have been two different reactions to this blog that I have received both publicly and personally. #1 Has been from ministers, missionaries and especially pastors kids.  Their response has been simple.  "Been there, done that and you are absolutely right."  Well I was speaking from personal experiences, so I hoped I would be. #2 Has been from the general public.  Their response has been "How could a pastor could do this?" Let me address this one if I can.  Your pastor has to do a lot of things - but I think that we forget that they deal with spiritual matters.  Matters that can lead to some very, very dark places.  I have heard the confessions of murderers, mothers who were drug

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